KT Tunstall Interview

KT Tunstall’s UK tour starts in a matter of days and she is understandably excited. After catching her big break on Later with Jools Holland in 2004, her first album ‘Eye to the Telescope’ went platinum five times over. With her third album released late last year she talked me through her lyric writing style and travelling around the world.

How has your style developed from ‘eye to the telescope’ to ‘tiger suit’?

I think I have got a much healthier relationship with the studio now. I always found it quite difficult to perform when I was recording stuff because it was such a weird environment when there is no audience. I think there is a confidence in my performance when I record that I didn’t have before. I have really developed a taste for experimenting in the studio; the introduction of electronica on the new record was quite a step forward. I think I have all round improved in what I do as I am playing so much. You just develop better skills at what you do. Touring is great because, especially at festivals you see a lot of other acts and get quite inspired by what they are doing and it leads you to discover new music and discover what other people are up to. It’s a real continual learning curve of finding out what turns you on and you can try really.

What is it like to have your husband Luke Bulllen as the drummer in your band and tour together?

I think that if I wasn’t in a relationship with someone that I worked with I would definitely be single. It’s so difficult with what I do I just wouldn’t see him at all as I’m hardly ever in one place. He is fantastic, he is really brilliant, a world-class drummer. I’m just really grateful that he feels he is able to do what he should be doing within my music. He also makes his own music and he’s got a bunch of electronica that he is working on. He is also the musical director of the band so he is really key, a pivotal part of it all working. He can get the band up to speed with the gigs while I go off and promote the records. It’s a real partnership working together and we are just really lucky that the chemistry works. I think there would be a lot more problems not seeing each other than seeing each other too much.

Jim Noir Interview

Jim Noir has been somewhat dormant for a few years, keeping his unique brand of psychedelic pop electronica hidden away under his bowler hat. After releasing Zooper Dooper late last year he is embarking on a tour to see what people make of it. He is effortlessly funny and self-deprecating but during our chat I managed to find out what made him get into music and what he thinks about being labelled an odd ball.

For people out there that haven’t heard you music how would you describe it?

It’s an amalgamation of all the influences I have, all my record collection and everything like 
that. I have never really sat down and decided to sound like anything, I have just let it go where it has wanted to go. I guess it’s pop in a slightly non-pop way.

You started making music at a very young age, being in a band at age 9, has it always 
been what you have wanted to do?

I wouldn’t have called it a band at the time but it’s certainly the start of my interest in music. 
I’ve always liked music and was always into instruments. After leaving secondary school, 
I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I was at a bit of a lost as to what I wanted to do as 
job; I ended up signing up to a college course about sound engineering, learnt how to use the 
equipment and now here I am.