Elder Island

Name, where are you from? 
Katy, Dave and Luke. We are honorary Bristolians but our roots are in Birmingham and Bournemouth.

What do you do? 
We are a Left-field electronic pop trio. We make loop-based music using synthesisers, drum machines, cello and guitars. Emotive songs that you can get down to.

Describe your style in three words? 
L: Old, new, well-made.
D: Plain and simple.
K: Hand-me-downs.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
L: O.K because I have to choose one it’s going to be Erykah Badu at Hammersmith Apollo on my birthday. It was an extremely hot and sweaty gig in early July and the atmosphere was electric. Badu hadn’t played a show in the U.K for years and this was a 20-year anniversary celebration of her debut album 'Baduizm'. Everyone in the audience was desperate to see her perform and she didn’t disappoint.
D: Too many to list but one of the top shows has to be seeing Feist at the Royal Albert Hall on the 'Metals' album tour. The energy resonated through the whole room. Mountain Man on backing vocals, the organic approach to visuals. Everything about that show left me feeling inspired.
K: I can second the above, that Feist gig was really special. I think I have to go with a real oldie. Arcade Fire - Lucca, Italy 2011. It was an outdoor show in the Piazza Napoleone on a warm July summer evening. I remember all the people that lived in the beautiful old buildings surrounding the stage were leaning out of their windows and gathered on balconies to watch.
The show, the atmosphere and the surroundings were all spectacular.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
L: LCD Soundsystem and Little Dragon. I think that would be an awesome show, with an absolute party vibe.
D: Portishead & Massive Attack. Reppin' Bristol hard!
K: The Knife / Daft Punk. Mostly because I'd like to be at the gig! I’ve been a fan of both acts for a long time but I've never managed to see them live. I have a dread that I may have missed the boat.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
L: It's hard not to have been inspired by most of them in this day and age. Without early dub and reggae soundsystem culture in the '70s we wouldn’t have punk and post-punk as we know it today. This in turn also influenced the early rave scene which then introduced us to the concept of DJing and techno/house music. When we (the band) first collectively met as a trio we were going to dubstep raves in Bristol. And lest we forget the influences we have inherited of soul and rock from our parents. All of these elements are ingrained into our fabric.
D: Moving from Bournemouth to Bristol in 2007 and going to the early dubstep nights when it was just finding its footing. Also, the French electro that came around the same time from Ed Banger Records and Kitsune. As students, we were out most nights of the week at club nights and gigs just lapping it all up. Digging into the underground disco sounds of the ’70s has had a huge influence on the way I approach making music. A lot of tracks from the time were recorded in small studios around New York, on shoestring budgets but the musicianship and raw energy of these records just cut through. It was a time I wish I was there for.
K: I'm not hot on the classifications but I'll give it a whirl. I grew up in Birmingham, my parents were in the punk scene. When I was young they had ditched the leather jackets but kept the ethos, I think I got some of that. I went through a few of the obligatory embarrassing teenage scenes but not much stuck. I'm not sure if art-school is a subculture but I got a lot from that. Overall though I think I'm ready to admit I've always been a bit of a hippy at heart.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
L: Right I’ve only got an hour... It’s going to be Hunter S Thompson. It may only be an hour but I think we could get up to some life-changing mischief that would feel like it had lasted a week. You could say I would be happy to “buy the ticket, take the ride”.
D: Bob Moog. I’d love to have been able to pick his brain about his circuit designs and inspiration behind the instruments he made.
K: Richard Brautigan - I love his novels, they are eccentric, surreal and insightfully blunt. Containing both light and darkness. He also loved Japan. There are a lot of worthy people from history I could have chosen but I think a wild conversation with Brautigan for an hour is something I would enjoy.

Of all the independent venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
L: The Lexington, London. Absolutely bonkers stage set up but has incredible sound and is refreshingly intimate. There is a huge sense of reward after playing a show in there for some reason.
D: Kantine am Berghain, Berlin. Our first headline show in Berlin and it felt amazing. The sound system was tuned to perfection, the sound engineer was a wizard and the energy was incredible. Touring in Europe is so important for UK musicians to develop and grow and likewise for European bands coming to the UK. Hopefully, it will still be possible for upcoming acts as well as established bands in post-Brexit covid times.
Trinity Centre, Bristol. It's a brilliant venue with roots set in the community. It's in a beautiful English Heritage grade II listed church and has great ties to the Bristol art scene. Host to a huge variety of nights from techno to voguing to wrestling. I've had great times there, both as part of the audience and on stage. The night we played was pretty memorable as ten minutes before we were meant to go on there was an accident in which my cello fell and the bridge was smashed to bits! We frantically glued it together backstage and it managed to survive the whole show albeit a bit eccentrically tuned. It was crazy but in the end, we had an amazing gig and the crowd was incredible.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
L: I would say Dennis Bovell. Okay, if you know who Dennis Bovell is then you would know that he is very well praised. However, for me, I feel he is an unsung hero and deserves more credit than he already receives. Especially because of the impact he has made on the British music scene over the last fifty years.
D: For me, it is Craig Anderton. He was possibly the first person ever to perform live with a synthesizer. He published lots of books on DIY electronics which have been fundamental in my education of electronic musical instruments. When starting out I made lots of guitar pedals from his books which were used on many of our early recordings. I can’t say I like his music but I have a lot of respect for his work and the knowledge he has put out into the world.
K: Hildegard of Bingen - An incredible woman of incredible musical, literary, theological, linguistic and scientific talent from the high middle ages. At the time, her work was accredited to her divine visions of 'Umbra Viventis Lucis' (the reflection of the living Light) or the 'Secret Mysteries Of God', who she said dictated to her everything she wrote. She found a way to speak in a time and place where few women were permitted a voice and she achieved a great deal with it.