She Drew the Gun‘s new album ‘Behave Myself’ is on repeat here at LOUD WOMEN HQ, so we asked Phoebe Lunny (of Lambrini Girls) to have a chat with SDtG’s powerhouse Louisa Roach …

Thanks for taking the time to speak to us at LOUD WOMEN! The new album is amazing, it’s going down a storm! To kick things off – from listening to the album, there’s a powerful message conveyed here. Was this a concept you’d established from the beginning of creating it?
I didn’t set out an idea initially, once I started adding more songs to the list, you kind of get a feeling of what’s happening with the songs and where they’re going and that feeds back into the songwriting again. We started to create a stronger idea and it started to take on a life of its own.

Your songwriting style is really distinctive. What’s your process when you start to write a song?
I like to stay open to any possible way of writing a song. Sometimes it’s literally a poem that I start writing and then I start adding to it. Once I’m happy, I’ll then turn it into a song; I start adding layers. Other times I’ll just start with a guitar and a melody – I won’t even have words for it yet, and it will take a while to find what words will fit into it. Sometimes I can be inspired by something I have read and I want to write a song about it. I tend to approach it from different angles, so I’d say I don’t have a set way of writing at all. 

Would you say from the album there are a few songs that really stand out for you?
I think one of my favourites is ‘Behave Myself’; as it does represent the album and that’s what I’m most proud of. ‘Origin Song’ is also one of my favourites on it too, they both seem to sum up the album for me. If I had to choose one, it would be ‘Behave Myself’, it’s got a bit of everything She Drew the Gun does; it’s got the poetry and message and meaning and poppy chorus as well.

The whole album is very socially charged. If someone who had never listened to you before stumbled across ‘Behave Myself’, how would you want them to feel after listening to it?
A couple of people have been messaging me about this song, which is the best thing ever. Someone told me it’s made me realise they’ve been following the status quo. Someone else messaged me to let them know they are listening to it every day and it’s making them feel empowered. Someone even uses it for their walk-on music when they’re going on stage. There isn’t a set way I would want people to feel but if it’s making people feel or think about who they are and who they want to be, then that’s the jackpot for me. If it’s moving people and making them feel something, then I’m doing something right.

Your latest single, Next In Line, highlights the injustice for anyone who pushes against the grain. If the tables were turned, and you could decide who was next on the list, who would it be?
Definitely anyone who’s involved in the Tory party would be number one on my list! That’s an easy one, a no-brainer. The song is about how the mainstream pushes out marginalised groups to make the majority feel okay, whilst blaming others for the downfall of society. So many people have been the victim of this and the list keeps going on and on, and that’s what the song is about really.

The album is a melting pot of influences here! Next On The List specifically, has a real 90’s vibe. What were your musical influences for that?
We listened to a lot of The Chemical Brothers when we were putting the tune together, we had a mini Korg so we spent a lot of time messing around on that. We put GarageBand on and got the drummer playing a 90’s beat. That formed the basis of the track. We also dug out all the old 90’s tunes for a bit of extra inspiration, as that was the ballpark with exactly where we wanted.

What has been your favourite venue to play so far on tour?
The Brudnell in Leeds is always great. We played Kobalt in Newcastle and that was really fun – it was the last one before I lost my voice on tour too. They’ve all been great though!

Throughout your career, has there been a gig that’s ever stood out to you more than the rest?
The one that always stands out was when we played Glastonbury, it was an extra special one. There have been some great ones in London, The Garage was great. Manchester has always been dead good, and the hometown in Liverpool gigs too are always enjoyable. 

What’s next in the pipeline?
We’ve got to finish this tour, after that, it’s a bit of a blank page because everything’s been so uncertain and finally being able to get to this point. We’re not too sure what’s happening after. I got married just before the tour at the beginning of September so hopefully at some point the honeymoon will happen! 

She Drew The Gun have just announced a new UK tour, set to begin in February next year.