After catching them on the Lake Stage at Latitude this year, then again at the King Edward VII I decided it would be a good idea to interview Norwich’s very own The Brownies. So I quizzed Maxie on where the band’s history, influences, their first album and their appearance at Latitude this year. Here’s what she had to say and some photos from their Latitude performance.

So first question, how long have you guys been together as a band now?
We have been together in this line-up for about three years now. “The Brownies” existed for a while before that, but we only got good when Mike and Sophie decided to join in with some bangs and screams. We were all friends before forming the band – we met in high school – so our friendships are at the forefront of the band dynamics. I think that’s important, and why we’ve been able to stay together for so long.

What was the catalyst for starting
The Brownies?
Me (Maxie), Stevie and Nathan all started because we had to, for our GCSE music course. We all had a hoooge love for Nirvana, so I think that had a lot to do with why we wanted to be in a band and start making music. Nathan wasn’t happy with the elitist nature of his other musician friends, and pretty much all the guitarists in our year at school. So we just started doing something completely separate, playing music that we liked and wanted to play. Everyone was into Van Halen and Motley Crue and Guns N Roses and whatever. That’s all well and fine – we listened to some of that stuff too. But we didn’t want to get on stage and w*nk through our guitars with massive solos and technical mastery, playing some QOTSA rip off.

The catalyst for Sophie joining was mainly house parties. She was in another band, and I sang a Distillers song with her once at The Ferryboat. We thought she had a good voice, and one summer she and other people in our year just had loads of house parties. At one of them, where Stevie was sick in a bin, Sophie beat me at singstar, and she was in the band.

Mike was a good friend of Sophie’s, and had done Nirvana quizzes with us twins in maths. He was good. So he became a brownie.

What or who were your influences and inspiration in the beginning for you guys?
I think I’ve pretty much answered this in the last question, but anyway, we were heavily influenced by Nirvana. Stevie and Mike were in a grunge band together before Mike joined The Brownies, so they were big on that. Mike loved Rage, QOTSA and some Slipknot and stuff. I can remember Stevie playing Ramones to death, and early Green Day. Nathan got me heavily into stuff like Buzzcocks and Distillers, Alkaline Trio and Sex Pistols etc. but at the same time, he liked Bob Dylan and Joy Division and The Beat. I got all of the others into Biffy. But I was also listening to Beach Boys and Destiny’s Child and Weezer. Sophie was into The Offspring and Distillers and SOAD, and her jukebox in her pub joined us and inspired us. A few of us were reading Chuck P. Nathan started doing graffiti art. Mike and Nathan were heavy smokers. Sex influenced us a lot, especially Sophie. Nathan started going to local gigs like Kaito and Pistolas and Le Tetsuo when he was about 15, and that mainly inspired him to want to start a band.

Have they changed much since then and have you picked more?
Hell yes! Our music tastes have completely changed! We are still heavily sex orientated, we still listen to and love Nirvana and The Distillers and we still sometimes lean back on those old favourites, but now our music taste is much more finely tuned to what we individually really like. Being in a band has exposed us to way more music, and has forced us to go searching for newbies.

Mike discovered Be Your Own Pet, and we all got hooked. He also loves Foals, DFA1979, H.O.T Indian food, The Kills, Squash and Maccabees. Sophie moved onto Future Of The Left and Eagles of Death Metal and dancier stuff too, like Justice and MSTRKRFT, as well as Julliette and The Licks, Gossip and cups of tea. She started knitting, and discovered the wonder of pin-up girls. Stevie licks Kim Deals bum, and enjoys some Sleater Kinney, Bukowski, We Are Scientists (1st album), as well as some intense media theory. She also got into early Kings Of Leon and played Because Of The Times to absolute death. Nathan got us all majorly into Le Tetsuo. He now loves a lot of Venetian Snares type stuff. I think he likes Crystal Castles. And Motown. None of us can get enough Motown. Nathan also picked up Blondie, Brody Dalle (again) and American History X. He is big on remixes, and using A Capella classics. I (Maxie) am now super obsessed with David Hockney. I love Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nick Cave, The Beach Boys (still). I enjoy Florence of the Machine. And I like and make zines.

We all love music festivals.

How did it feel when you first got onto NRONE records, did Kingsley approach you or were you sending demos his way first?
It was amazing. NRone is such a great label, and it was super exciting to get noticed by Kingsley. We had sent him our first demo, but that was pretty bad, and neither Sophie or Mike were in the band. I think he saw us live a couple of times and then asked us to record a test session for him. It just went from there really. He has helped us achieve so much. And we love him.

Did you enjoy the process of recording your first album “Our Knife, Your Back”?
We LOVED it! Although it took like a year to make, it was one of the best years of my life. We recorded all of it in London, so we were in a completely different environment to what we are used to. And the producers. Oh, the producers! Jon Gray was amazing and suited us and the album so well. We got along with him so well, and his ideas and intentions for the album were spot on. He loves his food too, which we enjoyed. Andy Gill was incredible and professional and a bit of a wizard. Man, I could go on forever, but just working with the Gang Of Four guitarist was a dream for me. Thinking about the whole recording process makes me happy and warm inside.

Buy the album on iTunes

Was it good to play at Latitude Festival in July?
It was sweet as a nut mate. The funnest times ever! We were so grateful to be asked by Huw Stephens to play such a great festival that we all had a massive orgy to celebrate. The crowd was a pretty pretty sight! It was one of our favourite gigs ever. We had our own dressing room/caravan! Just great!

This year has been a great year for you guys so far, with all the rave reviews in the music press what’s in store for the rest of this year and into next year?
We are touring in October/November in aid of our second single from the album, Dance Romance. We are playing Offset Festival in a couple of weeks, which will be sick sick sick. And we are starting to write lots of wonderful new songs for releases next year! And then more tour! We’re just going to keep pushing for more and more people to hear us and like us and love us!

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