Indie four-piece band Loupe have been making waves in their hometown Amsterdam, and far beyond. We spoke to them as they prepared for their latest UK tour, The Bodega on 3 February...
What’s your backstory - how and why did Loupe happen?
Abel, Lana and Annemarie have known each other for a long time now, even before starting Loupe. They’ve played in different bands before and felt a great connection between the three of them. They decided to make use of this and start Loupe. Half a year ago they were left without a singer and so they found the amazing Nina to Join them.
What’s behind the name?
Nothing, haha! We were in a bar in Berlin brainstorming about names, and we just picked something we liked the sound of. It means “magnifying glass” in French, but that’s just coincidence – there’s really no thought or meaning behind it.
How would you describe the Loupe vibe in five words, or less?
Creative jungle, ambitious, weird, foodies.
What or who are your inspirations?
We all have different inspirations but to name a few: Sonic Youth, Gemma Hayes, Orchestra Baobab, Lianne la Havas.
What’s your creative process like?
We usually start with a small idea, like a riff, vocal line, or groove. We all try to add something to this small idea so it will grow out to a chorus or verse. After this we’ll get together and start arranging it into a complete song.
Did you set out with goals for Loupe, or were you more open about where it went?
You can never really plan everything but we have always been very ambitious. We love writing songs, recording, playing shows, so we are doing everything we can to be able to keep doing that.
So, do you have any goals for the rest of 2024, and beyond?
We have plenty! We will write our second album this year; the release will have to wait till next year. We’ll play a Germany tour, play a special show in Amsterdam and hope to visit the UK some more. In the near future, we will release a couple more singles! For now you can listen to our freshly released song Tested Waters.
You’re about to start a UK tour! What's your approach to touring – is it a quick in and out at each city, or do you try to spend time exploring?
Often we don’t have a lot of time to explore, and unfortunately, we just spend a lot of time driving. But when we do have a day off, we like to have a relaxed breakfast/lunch dinner/coffee, and maybe do some sightseeing or go hiking.
One of your stops is The Bodega in Nottingham on Saturday, 3 February. Have you been before?
Not The Bodega, but we played at Rock City in Nottingham when we were doing supports for Lovejoy last year. That really felt like an iconic venue.
What does Nottingham as a city mean to you?
We are quite new to Nottingham. The first time we were there it felt like a city with many different scenes. We walked past a college party which looked crazy, our audience in the Rock City was very cool, diverse and alternative, and we met the nicest people on our midnight snack hunt through the city. Very curious what more it has in store for us.
What can people expect at a Loupe gig?
Writing songs and recording songs feels very intimate and hidden in some way. Playing the songs live gives a totally different feel to it, which is an amazing experience. We just really try to deliver them the best way we can. The advantage of playing live is that you can really show your teeth sometimes … and we might have some extra tricks up our sleeve!
What's been your favourite ever gig (to perform) and why?
Ooh, that’s a difficult one. I think I’ll go for our show in EKKO Utrecht last November. It was the final gig of our first ever club tour in the Netherlands. It was one of those shows where you can just completely enjoy playing the songs, and also get that response from the audience, like you form a sort of bubble together. We also played some new material we just wrote with Nina which was really exciting (one of which was Tested Waters).
Apart from hearing your songs on the radio, where else would you like to hear your music?
I think our music would fit movies or series as well, and that would be one of my bucket lists: having your song in your favourite series. Also, I would really enjoy hearing one of our songs play when I’m doing groceries haha.
Which band/artist would you most like to support, and why?
I think this answer would be different for all of us, because we listen to a lot of different artists. However, I think we were very very spoiled with the Lovejoy support shows we got to do in September last year. It was truly the best audience we could have wished for as a support act, so committed and open to exploring new music, very unique and cool.
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