Expect the un-egg-spected: how Holly Ross and David Blackwell are doing what they want, how they want, sunny side up. We speak to The Lovely Eggs ahead of their gig at Rescue Rooms on May 31...
“It’s been as mad as ever in the world of The Lovely Eggs, would you believe it?”
Speaking with a languid lilt, it feels like Holly Ross is looping you into an inside joke – dropping that needle onto an Eggs record you can’t help but feel like the noise outside of the turntable has been silenced. Their latest album is a lovely distraction to the mad world we live in, a sentiment held by the couple themselves.
“It’s a lot softer than our last two albums, a lot more honest. It’s a real snapshot of what we’ve been through in the last twelve to eighteen months.”
Eggsistentialism, for all puns and purposes, is an example of punk perseverance in the face of adversity, and the singles so far have been aptly chosen to get us up to date on their happenings. Memory Man condenses wave after warped wave of Kraut-esque beats. Fuzzy guitar strings to fuzzy synapses, the track reflects the couple’s venture into the visual space of creating their own mini-series, Eggs TV. Alternatively, the subdued My Mood Wave evokes a West Coast persona of nostalgic noise and could quite easily be associated with their endeavours to preserve their local grassroots community for future generations. If that isn’t existential enough for you, I don’t know what is.
Rock n roll debauchery is what every small-town needs
“But the good news is yes – we have got a lease. Finally!” The Music Co-Op is a non-profit rehearsal and recording space at the heart of the alternative creative community in Lancaster. After recently closing due to a lack of funding and focus from the council, Holly and David took the news, and their newfound project, personally. “I started using the place when I was fifteen with my first band. It’s where I first met David, so we’re really, really proud of the space and what it means for the area.
“It will be worth it because there will be a hundred years worth of noisy punk rock music in Lancaster. Rock n roll debauchery is what every small-town needs.”
Given the past four years of side-projects, Holly remarks: “The album we’re putting out this time is different, but it’s a good different. It’s our favourite album that we’ve done, but we always say that about the newest album. Then again, that’s how people should feel about their work, if you don’t think it’s the best work you’ve ever done, why put it out there?”
‘Out there’ indeed, for if the artwork is anything to go by, the Lancastrians’ seventh release is to be an out of this world egg-stravaganza. When asked if there were any hidden references on the cover, Holly says: “I think it all has significance to the lyrics and the content of the album. We worked closely with Casey Raymond who’s a really good friend and a really talented artist. We sent him the record alongside our lyric sheets and just let him have at it for a few weeks. We just trusted him to do a crackin’ job and that’s what came out of it. A lot of the pictorial references and illustrations when you listen to the lyrics really do jump out at you, and it’s really nice because it’s kind of like the record on paper.”
And on stage? What should the citizens of Eggland expect? “Get ready for a party! Nottingham, here we come! It has a special place in my heart as I used to go to university in Nottingham, so we know the place well; we know that the people are up for it and we’re going to party!
“If people think they’re paying money just to see our band, they’ve got it all wrong. Part of The Lovely Eggs experience is a collective thing with the audience and us. Sure, we perform but their enjoyment and involvement in the gig, is the gig. If a band plays and no one claps, or they clap politely, you can play and perform however you want to, but the audience is instrumental in making it brilliant or s**t. People fail to realise that their enjoyment is such an integral part of a show.”
Their final single, Nothing/Everything, further follows this narrative. Holly and David seemed quite surprised that the preorders of the 7” sold out – rightly so! – and quickly too. When questioned on why this was a daunting prospect, especially since they’ve been doing what they’ve been doing for so long, she says: “It's because no one’s heard it yet! “That’s what we find quite amusing but also brilliant, that people trust us that much to buy our stuff, even if they haven’t heard it. I wouldn’t say we’re proud of it, but it’s just such a great feeling to be a part of something bigger than you. Something you can’t describe, and you can’t narrow it down to just, ‘Oh, they play good music’.
“It’s a special feeling in a room at one of our gigs. I know we have felt it before, and we think our fans feel it and that’s why they stick with us.”
Collaborating with Grammy Award winning producer Dave Fridmann, he’s clearly not a bad egg himself. Eggsistentialism marks his third project with the couple and is a real testament to their working relationship together. Holly chuckles with mirth: “He’s a real glutton for punishment. David and I are quite close knit being in a two-piece band, but we just love what Dave does to our music. He’s very easy to get on with, he’s full of ideas – let’s face it, he’s produced some amazing records, so we got that opportunity and now we consider him a friend.
“The creative process is such a solitary pursuit, and David and I have been together for so long that we feel like the same person, which is why I call it solitary. Performing live is all about sharing that. If you go to one of our gigs and feel like you’re a part of something that’s bigger than you, that is Eggland.
“You don’t need a passport to enter Eggland. You just feel it.”
Welcome to Eggland.
'Eggsistentialism' by The Lovely Eggs is out now. They play Rescue Rooms on Friday May 31 2024.
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