Indie girl band hailing from Manchester, Café Spice was formed on a wet and windy night in an Indian takeaway. Ever since, they’ve been creating music together in the basements of various houses across the rainy city. Their sound is flooded with vocal harmony, like melted honey dripping and tripping over catchy tunes and unique songwriting.
- What first got you all into music?
Katie: I’m never sure of my first defining musical moment, but I got into music early on at primary school when I had my first keyboard which had some amazing sound effects. I had a little girl group and we’d compose songs and occasionally perform them in assembly.
- Who inspired you to make music?
Niamh: When I was 15 I got tickets to see Beyonce’s ‘Mrs. Carter” tour. She was up there, smashing it on stage backed by the most incredible 10 piece all female band; The Suga Mamas. I don’t think I’d ever even seen a pro all female band before then! From that moment, I knew I wanted to be a touring musician.
- How do you describe the music that you typically create?
Georgia: At the heart of all our songs are three part vocal harmonies, that’s what binds them. After that, I’m afraid to say the style is pretty difficult to pin down. Sometimes we sound eminently folky, like you could listen to us on a walk in the forest. At other times it’s the kind of sound you want to put your headphones on for and have a wee bop around the house when no one is watching. We’ve come from quite a folky place but we’re moving in a more indie/indie-pop direction. Exciting times ahead!
- Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
Katie: I LOVE to sing in the shower; I feel like I’m in a film. My recent shower repertoire has included Danke Schoen sung by Brenda Lee, or Beat 54 (All Good Now) by Jungle if I’m in the mood for a groove.
- What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music careers?
Niamh: There are so many jobs that I would love to do! When I left school I wanted to study so many things but I knew that music was what I wanted to spend my life doing so I thought I’d better study it! In another life I’d be an accountant, a French translator or a lawyer
Katie: If it wasn’t for my music career, I’d like to think that I’d have mastered both the French and Spanish languages by now, and be living in either Lyon or Barcelona living my best life as a teacher or the owner of a swanky Chateau turned hotel/restaurant.
Georgia: I currently juggle a software engineering career with the music one, living that double life. If I was a care-free spirit with no ties to the world, I’d be touring the earth on my bicycle then set up a bakery on the side of a mountain.
- Where have you performed? Fav & least fav venues? Any shows coming up?
Niamh: We once played in an 100-seater amphitheatre constructed from over 50 discarded pianos at the Edinburgh Fringe, it was the most beautiful thing. We had to figure out how to play in the round which was a lot of fun!
Band on the Wall in Manchester is a fantastic place to play, we had a headline show there early this year and it was electric. It’s such an iconic venue and I think here is a good time to express our dismay at the loss of two other iconic venues in Manchester; Deaf Institute and Gorilla. We cannot believe they’re saying goodbye and it deeply saddens us. They’re fantastic venues for up-and coming bands.
We do have a show on the horizon! Our first since lockdown: Liverpool Sound City on Saturday 26th of September and we’re so excited for it! Tickets at seetickets.com.
- How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
Georgia: I think the internet has done brilliant things for the music industry! It’s significantly lowered the barrier to entry for many many musicians. In the olden days, without the capital to record, press, distribute and advertise a good batch of records, you got nowhere! In these modern moment-defining times, anyone can record a no.1 in their bedroom and release it to streaming platforms within a month for very little money! We’re swimming in a sea of new music, new genres and new artists. It’s fantastic.
- Which famous musicians do you admire?
Niamh: I really admire The National for their lyricism & the way they put so much emotion into their sound. And also Jacob Collier is so incredibly inspirational ~ ridiculously talented at every instrument he plays, he is such a joy to listen to
Katie: There are so many famous musicians I admire, but the ones I can’t stop listening to and admire at the moment include Lianne La Havas, Fela Kuti, Fleetwood Mac, Labi Siffre, Lila Downs and Esma Redzepova to name but a few!
Georgia: I also love Fleetwood Mac. Always have time for a bit of Pink Floyd too.
- What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Niamh: I once ditched Irish dancing class with my friend when I was 8 years old, we both escaped to her house down the road to eat Ferrero Rochers and were promptly found 20 minutes later by our respective fuming mothers.
Georgia: Not sure I can top Niamh’s answer for general anarchy if I’m honest. I remember once in primary school, me and my friend discovered that, if you soak a hand full of toilet roll in water and throw it at the ceiling, it sticks like glue. We covered the entire ceiling of the girls bathroom and got in pretty big trouble…
- What’s next for you girls?
Georgia: We’re writing a good few songs right now; lockdown has afforded us the luxury of time! When we have our new faves rehearsed and ready, I think we’ll be heading back into the studio to record our debut EP (you heard it here first!). Looking forward to the day that gigs are back up and running, we want to show the world our new songs! We think you’ll like them…
Thank you to the wonderful Café Spice for the interview. Be sure to check out their social links below!!
