Talking To...Nancy Elizabeth
I've always liked Nancy Elizabeth's approach to music, the way she includes it as part of a wider artistic spectrum. There's a quality about her work, the images she uses and even the titles of the albums that makes you feel you're dealing with an artist that has a very informed sense of their self and the world around them.
I know that sounds a little pretentious, but if artistic quality has to sound a bit pretentious when being described, so be it.
Nancy Elizabeth , both live and in conversation comes across as some one really enjoying what they are doing, so it was with some relish I took the opportunity to add her to our talking to… series.
#NE=Nancy Elizabeth #NK=Neil King
All images Mark Winpenny
#NK At times it's almost like a choral piece for instruments. The piano almost feels like it's doing backing vocals at times, if that makes sense? More like mixing voices.
#NE I don't see much difference between the human voice and any other instrument. They are all different ways of making sound and music. Obviously the voice is a little different in the way it just comes out of your mouth, you don't have to play it. It's all just a way of creating sound.
#NK It also helps in giving a slightly other worldy feel to the album, that strength and beauty that the title suggests, almost how you explore the different parts of the metal.
#NE I was thinking about metal quite a lot, metal and water, when I was thinking of the sound. I like metal as a thing because you can make the most amazing sounds. I use a vibraphone, which has got metal keys, bells and another instrument that plays by using metal tuning forks. I was really intrigued by that, curious. There are some really decent noises you can get out of metal.
#NK And the water as well, you bring a lot of water into the video, swimming pool dreamscapes.
#NE It's all water the video.
#NK That and the album sleeves, not just this one, but previous ones when you were still using your full name : it very much sets your music as part of the wider artistic spectrum, if that doesn't sound too pretentious. It seems to be about art as a whole and music slotting into that.
#NE I think, maybe, you're right there. I think it's funny. You know I'm from Wigan…I think there's a culture in some northern towns where you can't really talk about art to much. You can't make these big statements about art because you can be made to feel a little pretentious.
I've tried to shy away from that a little, but I am really interested in every aspect of art. I love photography and film, lyrics and sound, I love it all. I'm not saying that I'm great at it all or understand it all, but I'm really curious about it. I am enjoying it and I'd say enjoying it is probably the main thing. Yes definitely the main thing you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it.
#NK Without over egging the puddng, it's something that you seem to be able to pull off in a way not many artists can, well maybe excluding Tori Amos, but not in the same way. It's almost an awareness of how the songs are going to pull those aspects together. The way that even the sleeve is used to set a mood, set an expectation.
#NE It was a conscious decision. I get interested in things over a period of time and that comes out in the things I'm doing. I'm quite self sufficient and I'm really lucky in having a record label that encourages me to do what I want.
I don't have a manager breathing down my throat suggesting things. Most of the ideas start with me. With the video, I bring in people that know what they're doing. I had to give that over to a brilliant director to bring it to life. Definitely all the ideas have to start with me.
#NK You did the album as a live recital at Union Chapel recently. Was it strange doing a gig that was a straight rendition of an album? Albeit not exactly as it was recorded.
#NE It was a very different approach. I've never done that before, but it felt like the right thing to do. It was quite nice because it meant I didn't have to spend ages thinking about the set list. I always knew what was coming next.[laughs]
It was quite different because it was a solo show, so it wasn't exactly verbatim as it was o the album. I did enjoy it because the album is kind of a journey for me. It's a very personal journey from start to finish, so it was very nice to go on that journey with the audience.
I'm going to be doing something very similar thing in Manchester in December, playing the album from start to finish in a church, only this time I'm going to have a band with me. That will probably be more similar to how it is on the album.
#NK I was quite intrigued by one of the comments you made during the gig, where you said you felt you couldn't speak between the songs because you were doing the album. I got the feeling you wanted to talk more.
#NE I think that's because I usually chat quite a bit when I'm on stage. I never mean to it's just that when I'm up there I want to. I end up chatting about silly things and going off in all directions. I've listened to my album so many times, what with mixing and mastering and checking that everything is alright, you pre-empt what's coming next in your head.
I feel like that in my head about this album and it would have felt weird to have stopped on my way through it and said something, which is what I meant from the comment. It was fun and I did speak a bit, I'm too much of a chatterbox not to have done some speaking.
#NK I think I'm right in saying you're out on tour with another Leaf band at the moment?
#NE Not at the moment, but in a few weeks. I'm going on tour with Efterklang, which should be great, I'm really looking forward to that. I won't be playing the album from start to finish, I don't want to be that self indulgent.
#NK When you are touring how much do still draw on your earlier works, do you go back to the days when you still used your surname?
#NE I still play them quite a lot. I play plenty of songs from "Battle And Victory". Some songs I play more than others, you get drawn to certain songs. Even tracks off of "The Wheel Turning King EP" I still do. If I take my harp with me, I'll definitely do tracks off "The Wheel Turning King". I still enjoy it, it's nice to look back.