(Image: Brian Roberts Photography)

I spoke to Adele Emmas, the uniquely talented lead singer of Liverpool band Bird about her influences, 2012, their EP, gigs, tours, possible collaborations and favourite songs. Bird formed over a year ago when Adele was joined by Mick Dolan (guitar), Keith Thompson (guitar), Ste Parratt (bass) and Alexis Samata (drums). They have played numerous shows around the country including last year’s Liverpool SoundCity. They’ve also had plenty of radio airplay on BBC 6MUSIC, BBC Radio Merseyside and Amazing Radio. Their first EP ‘Phantoms’ was released on 31st October 2011 on Jack to Phono records. It was launched at the newly opened Eric’s in Liverpool. The EP features the title track ‘Phantoms’ ‘Hey Hey Moonshine’ ‘Tides’ and ‘The Witch-Hunter.’…

What subjects and situations inspire your music?

I take inspiration from nature, landscape, books and old folklore, but mostly from my imagination which can be quite vivid! The darker, more macabre side of music, film and art always appeals to me and inspires me to write. That’s what I like to put across in my music. Although, I’m quite a happy person in real life, so I don’t know where all this darkness comes from!

How has your recent E.P (Phantoms) been received by fans and critics?

We’ve been very lucky and have had some great reviews and press written about us which we are extremely grateful for. We’ve also had great support from fans who travel from afar to see us which is amazing. I can only hope this continues as our career develops.

(Image: James Chapman)

What are your favorite tracks on the E.P?

It always changes to be honest, but Phantoms and Hey Hey Moonshine are always personal favorites. They remind me of a time when the band very first got together and we were only just getting to know each other. But we’ve all been through an awful lot together since then as it’s made us really strong as musicians.

What’s next for Bird in 2012?

We are currently in the studio working on our next E.P which we were looking to release in March/April of this year. We’re all really looking forward to this one and hope it will open a lot of doors for us. We’re also in the middle of booking our U.K tour for this year, doing as much press as possible and broadening our radio airplay. I’m also writing whenever possible and trying to develop further as an artist, constantly trying to improve and learn.

What has been your best gig so far since the band started?

Our E.P launch at Eric’s was brilliant, everything we’d worked for and all the hours of hard slog we’d put in paid off that night. It was a great end to 2011. After that we were meant to have a few weeks rest over Christmas but we couldn’t wait to get back in the studio to work on new stuff so we were back in the following week!

(Image: Brian Roberts)

Who would you like to tour with this year?

There are a few artists that have come onto the radar recently that I really like … The likes of Chelsea Wolfe, she’s from the U.S and does really haunting, beautiful music, and it’d be great to tour with her. There’s also a musician called Grouper who plays really mellow, atmospheric, ambient music that I’m a big fan of.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

I love bands like This Mortal Coil and Bat For Lashes. So something with Elizabeth Fraser or Natasha Khan would be amazing. I’ve always dreamed about Brian Eno producing one of our albums too, but these are all just fantasies of mine that are a long way off!

Which songs by other artists do you wish you had written?

Oh god, there’s so many!

Bauhaus - Bella Lugosi’s Dead - Just because it’s really ghostly and dark.

Kate Bush - This Woman’s Work - This song never fails to make me cry!

Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends Theme - It’s only over a minute long but I’m in love with it, there’s something mesmerizing and beautiful about it.

Nick Cave and Bad Seeds - Into My Arms - One of my fave songs of all time!

Words: Shaun McCoy

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