Viva Brighton Issue #52 June 2017

MUSIC
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Alice Russell
‘We are hardwired to dance and sing’
Alice Russell is a soul
singer with a big
voice whose unique
take on the genre
has led her into
collaborations with
the likes of Quantic,
Mr Scruff and David
Byrne. We spoke to
the Brighton singer
(and mum) as she
prepares for a topbilling
appearance at
Funk the Format in Hove later this month.
Have you been to the festival before? No, but
I’ve heard great things and it’s in our manor, so it
was an easy yes when I was asked to play. I’m looking
forward to playing a hometown gig.
When did you start making music here? I
moved here in the 90s to start college, and it was
only really the years after that I met Quantic and
TM Juke and the other producers I would go on
to work with. The city has changed a lot. And so a
city should. Places morph and move on.
How do you find touring with young children?
I took my little girl with me to the States and
Europe when she was small, and it was pretty easy.
Trains, planes, automobiles. But when the little
ones start to move around it takes a lot more planning.
Also I now have a son! His first outing was
to Glastonbury this year when he was four weeks
old, as I was guesting with Quantic. Ear defenders
at the ready!
You got into music at a young age too, right?
Music was around me from day one. As I would
go to sleep I remember hearing my dad playing
the piano downstairs. He was a choirmaster and
conductor, so I got to
experience classical
concerts from a young
age, and I loved it. But
it was the radio where
I found my love of
Aretha and Stevie.
I hope both my
children enjoy music;
I think everyone does.
It’s intrinsic; we are
hardwired to dance
and sing!
Do you prefer recording or performing?
This is a tough one. I love the immediacy of live
shows, the fact you get one crack at it, and of course
the communication with the audience. Once I did a
guest spot with a French hip-hop group and there
was an audience of 50,000. The power of the crowd
hit me. It was electric, head to toe. There’s nothing
quite like it... but you also get a different energy
when a song pops out. Every now and then you
have those moments where it all comes at once, the
melody, lyrics and feel. And when you get a take
like that in the studio, it’s golden.
Have you been working on another record?
Well, I was working on new music up until the
birth of my son last June, but this year it’s been
harder for me to find the headspace to get back
into the studio. I’m halfway through an album and
the sleep-deprived fog is starting to lift, so I’m
starting to get that itch to go back. Having said
that, this hiatus is defo worth it, and I don’t want
rush for the sake of it.
Interview by Ben Bailey
Funk The Format, Hove Park, Sat 17th June.
funktheformat.co.uk
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