Brighton-based (Australia-born) artist Penelope Trappes is bringing her immersive, meditative psychedelia to this years Supersonic Festival. Fresh on the heels of her fifth album, A Requiem, read on to see how Penelope plans on translating the intensity of those songs to the stage…
Firstly, how did you get started with making music, and how long have you been performing?
I began writing music after my daughter was born. I went through a whole metamorphosis and felt enormously transformed and empowered by the experience. I made a pact with my baby that from here on in, I would continue to create and inspire her as she grew. Music has always been in my life, and ever since I can remember, I have always been performing and singing at any opportunity I could find. By the time I got to primary school, I would jump at any opportunity to be on the ‘stage’. On stage is where I feel most free to channel the unknown parts of myself. Performing helps me to access a spiritual aspect of my life in no other comparable way… It is quite otherworldly and very hard to explain.
For anyone not familiar with your music, how would you describe your sound?
I like to think of it as drone opera. It is a dramatic and intuitive experimental journey into the spacious shadows.
If you had to recommend one of your songs to a new listener, which one would you choose?
The dichotomy of my sound makes choosing just one song very difficult. My first single on A Requiem, ‘Sleep’ is probably the best place to start. It is my most confrontational song traversing through a quiet darkness through to an intense nightmare.
You recently released your fifth album, A Requiem. How has the response been so far?
I’ve been thrilled with the response to A Requiem. I’m so thankful that so many people have embraced what is a “heavy” album emotionally and spiritually. To know that others have appreciated the album with its ultra slow pacing and themes of death is infinitely inspiring. It’s all incredibly special and I’m very thankful.
What can we expect from your set at Supersonic Festival?
My Supersonic show will aim to capture the intensity of A Requiem sonically and visually. I will be joined on stage by Klara Schuman on cello with live visuals by Agnes Haus. Within my performance, I hope to become a conduit of the communal energies in the room. All of the stories hidden within each song on my album but played live, and intertwined with a tangible energy exchange with the audience. It will be intense and visceral.
Who else on the line-up are you particularly looking forward to seeing?
For a long time, I’ve wanted to witness ‘Funeral Folk’ by Maria W. Horn and Sara Parkman live. I’ve been told it is an incredible show. I also can’t wait to witness the fury of Witch Club Satan! As fellow witches, they have been an inspiration to me. I’ll be there all 3 days, and I’m basically going to try and see as much as possible… Dawn Terry, SKLOSS, Divide and Dissolve, Backxwash and Water Damage… to name a few.
What else are you up to this year?
I’m currently in the midst of preparing to release something that I’m very excited to share with everyone soon. I will also be going on an extensive tour in Europe and the UK, which I am really excited about!
And finally, is there anything else you’d like to add?
In these times, I’m just very grateful to be able to share my music in a live setting at all! The show addresses a subject that people often shy away from talking about: grief. But right now, I feel that we humans are collectively grieving as we witness such horrific acts at the hands of political tyrants. I look forward to communing with the audience from a place of fierce vulnerability and desperate hope. Together through music we can know that deep inside we have empathy, we care, we rage, we cry, we protest, we hope….
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