Charlotte Hatherley interview - LeftLion magazine

Starting out in riot grrl band Nightnurse, Charlotte Hatherley was plucked from obscurity at the age of seventeen to play guitar with Irish indie scamps Ash.

After playing with them for nine years she reached the decision to leave and focus on solo songs. She got to work on her new material with Captain Beefheart member/Frank Black producer Eric Drew Feldman and PJ Harvey drummer/producer Rob Ellis.

Her album ‘The Deep Blue’ is released on March 5th, via her own label Little Sister Records.

How did you reach the decision to leave Ash?

It was quite a few things really. I think the biggest thing for me was that we’d been in a touring meltdown for a really long time, especially in America. I think everyone was just fucked by the end of the tour. We all wanted to have a break, Tim and Mark moved to New York and I stayed in London. I just got on with writing this record. I didn’t really want to relocate to New York, and I realised when we did meet up after a couple of months. We just sat down and they asked how it will work you doing your album and ours and I was like, I don’t know… They said do your own thing, it’s cool. So it was all very amicable, but it was quite odd.

Are you nervous about doing it on your own after being in a group for so long?

Yeah. I’m trying to not feel like it’s just me. When I was in the studio it was me Rob and Eric and now I’ve got a really great bunch of guys in the band. So I don’t feel like I’m out there on my own. Although doing press and various videos, you do feel that the focus on you. It’s not as fun when it’s just me, its good having a gang with you. But as far as live shows goes, I’m quite nervous about that. But it's just hard, cold practise.

Have you got a band that are yours to keep or are you using session musicians?

Yeah, they are sort of mine but they all play with other people as well. I’ve got Graham Coxon’s drummer and Goldfrapp’s keyboardist.

What did you learn from Ash that is helping you now?

It’s been invaluable. A lot of things that I’ve been able to keep hold of make it possible to do the solo thing – press people, touring agents, MTV people. I’m lucky. Just because you kind of build up a family, rather than people you just employ. Although I was quite protected from the whole record industry side of things, I never got involved with anything to do with the label. So that has been a bit of an eye-opener, something I’ve always been a bit naive about. Now I realise the record industry is quite a difficult thing to be involved with. But as far as travelling and touring and all that stuff goes - it's all old hat.

You are releasing your album on your own label. How does running a label work on a day to day basis?

Me and my manager set it up towards the end of last year; it’s really about creative control. I don’t do the boring business side, I sort out the videos, put the band together. I’m kind of in charge of all that stuff, which is brilliant. With a band like Ash you never ever had to think about that, you just had to turn up at rehearsals and everything’s set up for you, and you're good to go. Whereas I’m doing all that stuff myself now. It’s great, it’s refreshing, and it makes it all worthwhile. Hopefully with the label, if it works, I’ll be in a stronger position than I would’ve been in if I was on any other kind of label.

Is it just for your album or are you looking at signing other bands?

I couldn’t imagine what it would take to release other bands, it’s just so much. I’m tied to my e-mails in a way I’ve never been before. So I couldn’t imagine the time and money and effort that would go into releasing other bands. It is just for me. It’s all about me!

You worked with two really cool people to produce your album. How did you get together?

I met Eric through an old friend of mine, she married him. I sent my demos to my friend, they lived in San Francisco and he heard it and was up for producing it. He did Grey Will Fade and Rob played the drums. For this album I wanted them both to get involved and we all produced it together. We went to Italy to do it. I was so lucky. That’s the great thing about Rob and Eric; they have worked with a lot of female artists. And in Eric’s case he has worked with Deus, Frank Black, all these amazing people. I was feeling a bit insecure and exposed when we started doing it but I couldn’t have been in safer hands.

You recorded the last album when you were still in Ash, do you feel happier with the songs on this album having not had to juggle two bands?

Yeah, definitely. Grey Will Fade was done in two weeks between meltdown sessions in LA. I’d had those songs for a while so they were massively sought out and demoed, so I could just chuck them out in two weeks. This album I was writing as I go, I took a year from start to finish. We recorded it for three months in Italy, it was quite luxurious. I wanted it to sound as though a lot of thought had gone into it.

Did you pick to go to Italy?

Rob had been working with lots of Italian bands and there was a studio that Steve Albini has, the only non-Italian one we could use. None of them speak English, it was by the sea, lots of Sicilian chefs and it was incredible. It was like being in The Godfather.

Last thing – LeftLion is a Nottingham paper – have you got any memories of playing in Nottingham that you would like share?

It was before I joined, but Ash were banned from Rock City because they trashed the dressing room. To be honest it just blurs into one massive hangover. Can’t remember any specific anything! Original article published here