Euphony Festival Preview: Claudia
Ahead of their performance at Euphony Festival, we caught up with Claudia to find out more about the band, their music and what fans can expect from their set. With a growing reputation on the North...
Ahead of their performance at Euphony Festival, we caught up with Claudia to find out more about the band, their music and what fans can expect from their set. With a growing reputation on the North East music scene and an exciting future ahead, they joined us for a quick chat about their journey so far, the importance of festivals like Euphony, and what’s next.
You’re joining the line-up at Euphony Festival this year. What attracted you to the festival, and what does it mean to be part of it?
We were initially attracted to the festival as we have previously collaborated with Milly (the promoter @nicpromotions) on other projects such as our first headliner gig, so we know she’ll take care of us! Euphony has also had some big names play in the last couple of years and so we think it’s the next step in our musical journey!
For anyone who hasn’t seen CLAUDIA live before, what can they expect when you step onto the Euphony stage?
Anyone who hasn’t seen us first of all should, but they can expect a high energy on stage! We write and play heavy, catchy riffs that get everyone head-bopping and sometimes even moshing. We’ll also joke about a bit as what is a set without a couple of laughs?
Every festival has its own atmosphere. What are you looking forward to most about playing Euphony?
I think Milly is just very good at booking great bands, so the atmosphere will be give what you get. We’re looking forward to (hopefully) having an interactive crowd, they’re the best kind really. An audience who actively wants to participate in your show is one worth keeping an eye on and one to be extremely grateful for.
The North East has a thriving grassroots music scene. How important has that community been to your journey as a band?
The music community around here has been so very important to us, we quite literally wouldn’t exist without it. There’s nowhere quite like the North East, because everyone just wants to see you do well and in turn you want the same for everyone else. It’s never felt like a competition to have your music played or to score the right gig. So many class local people just believed in us and our little dream, and with the right amount of practise/hard work/help from those around us it’s come true!
Your music has a real energy to it. Where do you think that comes from, and how does it translate into your live performances?
The energy definitely comes from my rage. I, (Ozzy) have a lot of thoughts about the world we currently live in and sometimes I can’t always express it healthily, so writing songs is the best way for me to do it. I feel as though there’s no better way to express your emotions, and I think it helps to mellow me out a little in my regular life when I’m not playing music. Writing the song and performing it on stage are two very different things, so sometimes it’s hard to know how it’s going to manifest when you perform it live for the first time. It takes a couple of go’s to get it right.
Is there a particular song you’re especially excited to play at Euphony, and what makes it one you’re looking forward to sharing
Peer Pressure! It’s our newest unreleased song that we’ve been working on for a while now and are quite proud of it. It tackles being blasé about social norms or societal pressures, especially when you’re a woman in music. There’s unspoken rules about how you can look and act when you’re on stage, and I wanted to challenge those in this song.
Festivals are a great chance to discover new artists. Which other acts on the Euphony line-up are you hoping to catch yourselves?
Definitely Leazes! They’re only getting bigger and smaller festivals like this are the best way to see them before they reach even higher bounds. We’re still kind of new to the festival scene as this is only our 2nd year doing them, but the best part is getting to watch the other acts you’re playing alongside and seeing what you could become in the next year or so. It’s really inspiring for songwriting too.
When you’re writing together, what does the creative process usually look like? Does someone arrive with an idea, or do songs evolve as a band?
Songs usually start with me. I’ll go away and come with a riff and some words, otherwise there’s really no premise for a song at all; However, we have had the odd song created when we’ve been all together in one room, so I suppose it just depends on how strong the current idea we’re all working on is. If the idea initially comes from me, I’ll bring it to the next practise session and just ask the gals “Hey, what do you think of this?” and I’ll give them a little rendition. Sophie (Our drummer) will start playing a beat to match my pace and Lili (Our bass player) will play the root notes and then add extra notes or even a little funk sometimes. Tweaking is done from there and a finished song usually takes a few weeks, but it’s all worth it if what you have in the end is your complete band vision for a song!
Once Euphony is over, what’s next for CLAUDIA? Are there any new releases, gigs or plans that fans should keep an eye out for?
We’re currently working on an album, but that could take a while. Like I said earlier, good songs take time to perfect! Maybe a single or two will come out, we should probably actually get in a studio for that though. Gig wise, we’re pretty much gigging every weekend across Sunderland and Newcastle very frequently, but I’ll shout out our Co-Headliner at Vixen Bar in Hartlepool on Friday the 28th of August! We’ll be playing with 24 Hours in Paris and supporting us will be Frogeggs, two of the best bands in Sunderland right now! (in our opinion to clarify).
Finally, if you could give people one reason to make sure they catch CLAUDIA at Euphony Festival, what would it be?
We’re named after Claudia Winkleman and the first song we ever wrote is called Head and Shoulders. Need I say more?
Grab some tickets now https://www.fatsoma.com/e/3tliq7lg/euphony-festival-26
