Diablofurs found a bit of a gem in Dani Reay. The bass ace knows how to put on a performance as well as pulling off the style. Flamboyant on stage and every inch a star off it here she talks about coping with Mediterranean hair, a love for sneakers and why she avoids purple make up at all costs.
What are your first memories of how you wanted to present yourself on stage, and how you got your look?
“It’s a constant work in progress. When I first started playing live in my first ever band I just wore whatever I wore. I still do that but as I get more self confidence in my body image which is happening it will affect what I wear. What I wear on stage now is generally just a slightly exaggerated look on what I wear off stage.”
With your make up do you buy particular brands or do you change things up and experiment?
“I don’t buy expensive make up. I don’t wear foundation because it dries my skin out. So I just do eye make up. Most of the time I just tend to buy Rimel just because it’s there and it’s relatively cheap.”
Have you got one item of make up that you absolutely love and that you always stick to?
“I don’t leave the house without eye liner. There’s also an eye shadow which I’m running out of and I haven’t seen it since. It’s unbranded, it’s a really shit cheap make up palette.”
So you tend to go for more natural colours rather than the full goth look?
“The first person that taught me how to use make up was using purple and I thought it looked repulsive on me. I normally tend to go either slightly panda eyed or the sort of colours you’d normally associate with a smack addict. It’s so bizarre, on so many posed shots I tend to look like I’m on smack. So yeah, that’s my image.”
What about your hair? Are you one of those people who spends ages on your hair or is it just basic maintenance? Obviously you don’t colour it.
“No, it’s too dark to colour and I don’t want to bleach it.”
What about product?
“I’m a big fan of John Frieda’s frizzy stuff, being partly Mediterranean my hair just does curl and it curls in a mass of knots. So I use the frizzy shampoo and conditioner and also their hair serum as well. I’m a big fan of Lush stuff as well.”
You said your stage clothes are a vamped up version of your everyday wear if you like so where do you source you clothes from?
“I have a lot of old clothes that are ripped up to shit. I went through a phase of getting plain white tops and painting them. Those sort of things I probably won’t wear out on the street. Often it’s things that have been given to me by friends or things I will find in retro shops. I don’t tend to buy expensive clothes.”
What about boots and shoes?
“I love my sneakers. I love DMs and wish I could afford more. I also love heels although I don’t tend to wear them around the band because I’m in a band of short arses. I do love heels though, they flatter my legs so much.”
You’ve got a cool look but who would be the best person to play you if they made a film of The Diablofurs?
“Someone like Natalie Porman would be cool, just because of the image she had when they made Leon. Her dress sense in that was impeccable, it was brilliant.”
As you get older are you going to stay bad ass with ripped up clothes and stuff or are you going to become just a regular old person?
“It’s a tough one because despite myself I am starting to get in to some slightly more refined clothes. I do like to look smart occasionally which is a little bit scary because I never used to do that. I like to think I’d stay bad ass but I think I’ll end up being somewhere in between. I’m at that point age wise when I’m going to start to age as well, I’m getting the odd grey hairs. I’m going to be dying the shit out of my hair. It’s a case of looking as cool as fuck without dressing like a teenager when I’m 60.”
Snaps and chats: Gary Trueman
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