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interview with Katie Jane Garside (Queenadreena) text by takehiko hosaka (HMV)

March 10, 2008

— This will be Queenadreena’s first visit to Japan, and your first since Daisy Chainsaw days. How many years has it been since your last visit?

Katie Jane Garside (hereinafter referred to as Katie): 　It’s been 15 years.

—So now that you’ve come back to Japan for the first time in 15 years, have you noticed any changes when comparing Japan 15 years ago to Japan today?

Katie Many people have asked me that question, but my impression is that when I came to Japan 15 years ago, I didn’t feel much power or presence of Japanese women. A female journalist who interviewed me 15 years ago asked me, “What is your role as a female performer?” At the time, I was surprised by the question itself. That’s because I had never thought about it because I was a woman. But at that time, it seemed important for women’s voices and statements to be heard by everyone in Japan. 　 But when I came to Japan this time, I felt that Japanese women themselves were expressing themselves by making their presence felt. I thought that was the biggest change. When I asked the people around me about it, everyone said, “That’s right.” So I think the biggest change I felt was the change in women’s consciousness. I felt that strongly.

— I see. So, what did you feel when you performed at “British Anthem 2008” for the first time in 15 years?

Katie: When I’m on stage, I become a different person. I’m myself and at the same time I’m not myself.

— I imagine there was a large number of male fans at the concert venue…

Katie: I see… Well, as an artist, I don’t think about who is watching from the floor, so I don’t know… If I think about that, I feel like I’m not fulfilling my role as an artist. So I’m sorry… I can’t answer that question well… As a performer, I can only capture the audience in my mind as birds singing… That feels very comfortable in itself. But I can’t see or feel anything more than that on stage…

— You’ve been consistent in that style since your debut, but will that kind of live performance be something that won’t change no matter what you do in the future?

Katie: It’s not a live performance, it’s what I am. I really become a different person at a live performance. It’s something that switches by flipping a switch. It’s like putting my usual consciousness somewhere else and becoming nothing. This is not only for live performances but also for songwriting. It forms everything about me as an artist, so it’s very hard to imagine it changing in the future. By the way, I’m currently doing another project called Ruby Throat, which is a quiet band musically. I’m playing with a guitarist called Chris Whittingham. He grew up in Hawaii and is half Japanese. So, even though Ruby Throat and Queenadreena are different in music, in terms of being an artist, the energy and tension that I emit is the same. It’s just that the music is different. So if my approach to music or performance changes, I don’t think it will ever change unless I’m struck by lightning and become a completely different person.

—So as long as Katie Jane Garside exists, her performance and style will not change wherever she goes.

Katie: That's right…

— Up until now, Queenadreena’s works have basically been ones that forcefully confront the listener with their expressions, but this time, on the contrary, there is a very strong feeling that the listener is immersed in the work from the perspective of the listener. I wonder if that is because the work naturally and vividly expresses what has been sleeping inside of you.

Katie: Really? Thank you. As an artist, of course, I think it’s impossible to look at it objectively because I’m the one who created it, and I think it’s natural that subjectivity comes into it, but it’s true that I can look at it a little more objectively because it’s been 10 years since I made it. That’s why Crispin and I were so surprised. “Why did we throw away something so good 10 years ago?” It’s a very strange feeling. It’s like I’ve just discovered a hidden treasure.

— You’ve released three albums as Queenadreena, and you have a new one coming up. Was the reason you released this album that you wanted to summarize your activities up until now?

Katie: I thought of the previous albums as a trilogy. And when this trilogy was over, Queenadreena itself was over. In my mind, I thought that the band would end with the third album, “Butcher & The Butterfly.” I had been talking about that with Crispin for a while. It was like, “This band is over, but I hope we can work together again in about five years.” This is what I really thought. But in the last two or three years, I’ve formed my solo project, Ruby Throat, and I’ve felt a great sense of liberation. To put it in an analogy, it’s like having a water tank on your head, and water isn’t coming out of the faucet, or maybe there isn’t even a faucet. But now there is a faucet, and water is coming out of it, and I can pour water into the tank again. I’ve been able to grasp the possibilities of what I can do myself. So I thought I could start Queenadreena again. In that sense, I think it was effective to put all the demos that were left behind in the past, wipe out all the previous activities, and start a new Queenadreena. But now, I think that the past three albums were a learning process for me and the band. So I feel like the next album might be the real Queenadreena album.

— Considering your career so far, it must be a tremendous challenge to forge ahead into new territory after so many twists and turns.

Katie: 　I think the reason I've been able to set my sights on new horizons like this is because I've learned how to continue making music. Up until now, various things in my head had been preventing me from moving forward. I think I was narrow-minded as an artist... But as I said before, the biggest thing was realizing that nothing new can come in unless you open the faucet and let the water flow. And if you stop that flow, you'll just end up repeating the same thing over and over again, right? I think the powerful thing is that I've discovered that this isn't the case.

--- Could you tell us what kind of work the new album will be, which will likely be a new frontier for Queenadreena?

Katie: I think it's dangerous to talk about the new album when we haven't even started yet... but what I can say now is that it will be very simple, with only a few sounds. Crispin and I are coming up with the overall image, but I think the form will change again when a powerful rhythm section joins us. In fact, we've already started rehearsals. I think that's where the magic will be born. So, my current image of the new album is like a wild horse galloping up a hill (laughs). I guess that's the image I have...

--- Thank you very much. Finally, please give a message to all the people who have become your fans through Queenadreena, including your long-time fans from Daisy Chainsaw.

Katie: I'm the type of person who prefers solitude... I'm not the type to have contact with people... And yet, I’m actually happy and shocked that so many people are listening to my music… In a way, there was a time when I didn't know how to interpret it. I'm still afraid to get sentimental about it... But I'm very grateful that everyone is passionate about it. When I think about what I have inside me when I create my work, it's nothing other than my own passion for music. I think that kind of passion for music is wonderful. I really want to thank everyone for their feelings, their passion for us... Yes... Thank you.