One of Nottingham's hardest working musicians answered our questions ahead of his EP launch at Nottingham Contemporary this Saturday...
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
Hello there! My name, as you know, is Stacey McMullen. Yes, it is a girl’s name. Yes, I am a male… if you believe in things like gender. I think my parent’s idea was much like Johnny Cash and his song Boy Named Sue in that my parents thought it would make me tough.
In reality, it was just confusing for school nurses and the register during PE. I was signed up for netball instead of football in year seven, and was once asked by a doctor – who hadn’t looked at me yet – whether I had started menstruating. I often get mail saying "Dear Mrs McMullen".
In my other life, away from music, I work for a Trade Union, fighting for workers’ rights and mouthing off at Tories.
I like to think about space and time a lot and I really don’t eat enough fruit. My sister used to exchange a sip of fizzy pop for a bite on an apple as a way to make me eat the stuff. Blessed was the day I got taller than her.
How did you first get into music?
Who knows?! I’ve always been a bit of a show-off, getting told off for making noise at school and doing my family’s head in at home playing the same Irish tune on the banjo over and over again.
From the day my mum encouraged me to sing Hey Big Spender dressed in drag as Shirley Bassey at a variety show, to tapping on pencil cases and getting thrown out of classrooms for “distracting the other children”...
I’ve been on a bit of musical journey thematically speaking, starting off with Irish folk music, rock, metal, the banjo and drums, moving to urban and electronic music, synths and cringey rapping, and now in my late twenties having a go at my own take on folk music on the classical guitar, but with all my musical history as it were interwoven with that. Wow, that makes me sound like an old man.
Your music has a political edge. What message would you like to portray in that regard?
It sounds corny, but the message is to somehow inspire people to be decent to each other. In this highly individualistic world it gets a bit “every man for themselves” and I have never been at ease with that general notion. It can leave me feeling really depressed; some days just thinking about how much we are forced to compete with each other.
We are also quick to blame the wrong people for the ills in society, because those who usually cause those ills want it that way, to deflect attention from their activities. There are such myths out there; it’s not because of refugees that there are not enough houses for “English people”.
Life is tough, and we all have huge pressures on ourselves and it’s easy to give in to hate, jealously and fear in those circumstances. When we are under such stress it can be easy to think no one else cares or that “I should just look out for number one” and the music is about challenging the temptation to do that, both within myself and outwardly to others. That’s the crux of it really; whether the song is about a personal relationship or about wider social issues, it’s all about trying to be as decent as I can be, and hopefully some of that self-discovery gets felt by the audience in a more universal way. Not in a pseudo spiritual sense, or religious sense, just in a human sense.
Morality is self-defined; I’d like to think it’s in my nature not to exploit, manipulate, lie or hurt other people for my own material ends, and to stand up against anyone or group that seeks to do so. That we can, given our intellect, use that intellect to make sure no one is left behind and we all have the same life chances and can access the same services, health, education, and culture. I could say something really profound, and I did study politics at university, but I’ll leave that since the music is to simplify my beliefs and make them sound pretty with noises.
There’s a lot of storytelling in your work. Who do you take inspiration from in that sense?
The list is virtually endless and it all depends on what sort of song I am trying to write. If it’s about love or hurt then I’m a massive fan of Bjork or Jeff Buckley for inspiration.
If it’s about political stuff then I can spend hours getting fired up listening to Rage against the Machine or System of a Down.
If I want to tell a tale of day-to-day life then The Streets really inspired me. If it’s sheer anger or emotional catharsis, it’s stuff like Deftones. If I’m feeling sexy and fruity, stuff like Nick Cave.
If I had to give you one answer though I was heavily inspired by an Irish singer called Damien Dempsey. He seems to be able to tell a story about anything and everything with different musical sounds and I am trying to do the same, I guess, and not fit into a box of writing, genre or even sound. Music is about mood for me, and different moods are expressed by sounds which express that mood. The story does almost write itself when you create the right musical mood.
The look of the I Wait EP promotion material is white shirt, black braces, gas mask. How did you decide on the aesthetic and is there anything you’re trying to say with those choices?
I don’t mind telling the black and white truth. It represents a toxic relationship I was in; something that nearly broke me and had me hitting the booze and escapist times quite hard. It took me a long while to break out of a negative cycle in my head following that relationship. It became obsessive for me.
But beyond that, I guess all relationships can be toxic. From the relationships we have with lovers, with our employers, with our politicians, so I kind of wanted that to be woven in. The cover symbolises the idea of Stockholm syndrome, that we can love and defend things, or people that are doing us harm, and it takes a lot of strength and time to finally realise the thing you are blindly loyal to is the thing that’s actually doing you harm.
What can people expect from the sound of the EP?
I’m calling this EP “dark folk”: English lyrics, and English stories, mixed with minor keys often found in Balkan, flamenco and Middle Eastern music, plus complex finger-style classical guitar with singing a bit reminiscent of Morrissey. Although, I never set out to sound like that; I’ve never really listened to Morrissey that much but a few people have said that to me.
It’s about toxic relationships, mental health and wars in the Middle East. For the next EP, I do want to move away a bit from the “dark” sounding stuff since my life has changed for the better and I want to be able to convey that.
That isn’t to say I’ll be going cheesy anytime and singing “Wave ya hands in the air like ya just don’t care”, but the next EP will be a bit more at ease with itself.
You’ve been smashing the gigs recently. Do you have any tips for musicians who want to take to the stage but who might be a bit nervous?
You are going to die one day. Do music, and do it now! Whenever I second guess myself or doubt myself or think I’m going to look like a fool and feel embarrassed, I like to remind myself that I am going to die one day and so is everyone else. It makes the nerves seem a bit of ridiculous thing to have.
More practically, don’t believe in “talent” too much. This idea that some people are intrinsically talented while others are not is unhelpful. I used to play bum note after bum note, sing out of tune and play out of time. Some might think I still do! Practice and you will get better.
The more you practice – at playing, at performing, at meeting people, even – the less nervous you become. So accept the fact when you’re starting out you might not play very well, but no one is expecting you to if your honest and modest about your development. At this point, you are learning how to simply get the confidence to get up on the stage as much as you are trying to remember the chords, so don’t let those nerves overwhelm you or make you want to give up.
That being said, I have been feeling anxious for the last fortnight in the run up to the release. In that sense, take comfort in the fact the nerves never go away, you just get different types of nerves depending at where you are at on this fabulous musical journey.
You’ve worked closely with I’m Not From London to create your EP. What was it like working with the label and how have they helped you progress as an artist?
An absolute horror. Never has there been a more wretched hive of scum and villainy….
Seriously? It’s been an absolute pleasure. I really respect that I’m Not from London like to go against the grain; I think that’s my appeal to them. The boys really take pride in what they do and all have their unique parts to play. When I started out, I knew nothing of the industry or how it works. It seemed so alien to me; INFL have definitely boosted my confidence there, and I fully blame them for me thinking I could make music that people will listen to!
Miles is meticulous with the quality and keeps your ego in check, Pat is a bank of knowledge and immensely positive, and Will has been the foundation making the whole thing work. As an industry mentor and, over time, now a very close personal friend, I would like to think he’ll always be in my life.
It helps that we both like to behave like seven-year-old boys who like to wear their sister’s lipstick and put their bits between their legs and pretend to be Tudor ladies. Soppy moment over.
What other artists do you rate in Nottingham at the moment?
Well I might be accused of label nepotism since they are on the same label as me but I think 94 Gunships are great. Caught them at Dot to Dot and was genuinely blown away. Equally, I could be accused of friend nepotism but Unknown Era always brings the party to town!
Less nepotistic and more objective, someone was showing me some footage of a practice session of Chai Larden singing with The Invisible Orchestra, and it looked to me like James Wairing was cooking up something special there. And although it’s not quite my scene, I find myself singing and knowing Discontent by the young Super Furniture boys, and I like their heavier indie sound and work ethic.
What other plans do you have for the future?
Eat more fruit. Do another record. Live, laugh and love. I’m going to get back to work musically straight away I think, I’m really enjoying some of the new sounds I’m coming up with and looking forward to sharing it.
Was there anything else you’d like to say to LeftLion readers?
Never trust a Tory.
Stacey McMullen's I Wait EP is out on Friday, on I'm Not From London Records
The launch party is at Nottingham Contemporary on Saturday 10 June at 8pm, all for free. Event link
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