Lauren Mayberry & The Art Of Reusable Cutlery
Would you rather have the ability to speak all languages fluently or communicate with animals?
I only speak English, plus a little French and German, so would love to be less of an idiot when it comes to communicating when travelling, as well as all the films and books and music you could discover. BUT I would also love to be able to explain to my cat that the bin lorry isn’t actually coming to kill her…Intellectually, I choose languages. Emotionally, I choose cats.
How do you think the rise of music streaming has affected the traditional album format?
I’ve noticed a change in how I listen to music for sure, and that’s as someone who surely should have a vested interest in the survival of the album as a concept. When I was a teenager, I had to save up to buy a specific record when you only knew the singles. Sometimes that was great and that’s how I discovered some of my favourite artists but if the album was awful, you were stuck with it anyway until you had enough money to buy something else and I don’t know if that’s something I romanticise. I bought Now 40 compilations all the time because I wanted all the chart hits and I suppose that’s what big pop playlists are. I understand all the negatives that artists outline about streaming in terms of literally and metaphorically devaluing music but I think it would be hypocritical to pretend that, as a teenager, I wouldn’t have been excited about being able to access so much music so easily… I’m not sure where the balance is.
If you could attend a party in any historical era, which era would you choose?
New York in the Warhol Factory era.
What's something (that no one talks about) that you would tell an aspiring musician?
Travelling with a little packet of reusable cutlery and a packet of chilli flakes in my backpack really changed my life.
Do you have any superstitions?
For someone who isn’t big on religion or fate, I do have quite a lot of superstitions. Little traditions like saying good morning to magpies or “white rabbits” on the first of the month because my mother always did that. Won’t leave the house without a goodbye kiss, just incase that’s the last one. Maybe that’s coming from a morbid place but I like to think it’s more about living in the present than fear of the inevitable.
Is live music more important than recorded music?
I suppose live music is the original source that has always existed and will always exist. I don’t know if it’s more important but I do find myself extra moved in live gig settings, even by something I found emotional on an album. It’s primal, experiencing something so personal in a setting that is so communal.
