Mushroom Group
The Scottish band, whose Hansa Session EP is out now on limited edition vinyl, will play at Falls Festival and Field Day, and perform a one-off show at the Sydney Opera House on Mon., Jan. 7. Here, singer Lauren Mayberry, 31, reveals the song…
… she first remembers listening to as a child
“I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston. My parents listened to her all the time and I still believe she is the most talented vocalist of our generation.
… she cracks out on karaoke nights
“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette. I love that record and, if I do say so myself, I have quite a good Alanis impression.
… of her own she’s heard in an unexpected place
It happened in the gym once, but it was weird because it was a really slow song that was a B-side on the first record – not really something you could work out to.
… that brings her to tears
The Sinéad O’Connor version of “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Her vocal is delicate and vulnerable but also aggressive. It really changes it from the original.
… that reminds her of summer holidays
Anything off Show Your Bones by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I remember getting that and listening to it the whole summer it came out. [Lead singer] Karen O is really one of my favourite vocalists and performers.
… that was hardest to write
We banged our head against the wall for a long time with “Afterglow”. That was on our second record. We couldn’t figure out what to do with it – whether it should be upbeat or dancey or really low-key. In the end, we stripped everything out apart from a synth line and the vocal. Turned out the simplest option was actually what was right for the song.
… she likes performing live most
“Never Say Die”. We play it at the end of the set and the synth wig-out section is fun to let loose on, and we don’t get to do that very much given we’re not really a guitar solo / rock out type of band.
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