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“Dream Dolls” Genica-Pussywillow & Sleeplikewolves

Katiejane Garside

“i write on them and scratch on them, they don’t cry and they don’t bite back, they’ve ‘seen some’, the most important thing is that they stay together, one doesn’t work without the other, ‘genica-pussywillow’ the photogenic blonde stands 16 and a half inches tall, all fully pose-able with a dangling arm and disconcerting eyes that really do follow you around the room, her smaller sister ‘sleeplikewolves’ stands at 12 and a half inches tall with great child baring hips and a fully rounded stomach, both these dolls have ‘go to sleep eyes’, and to complete their history my dreams are transcribed onto their bodies.”

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by James Sutton

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photo by James Sutton

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HotPress.com - Natural High

20 March 2001 Colm O'Hare

Natural High

How Katie Jane Garside left Daisy Chainsaw, got lost in nature and found her way back to music with a new attitude and a new name queen adrenna. By Colm O'Hare

Once described by Courtney Love, no less, as one of the chief progenitors of the short-lived riot grrrl phenomenon in the early 1990's, Katie Jane Garside certainly made her presence felt. As the former lead singer with Daisy Chainsaw, her guttural vocal howl and raging stage persona made a lasting impression on the London scene at the time. But just as the band were on the brink of success she opted out and went to live a solitary life, spending seven long years in the Lake District.

"I just decided to jump ship," she says. "If I hadn't left it would have killed me. But like a rat I found my way onto a floating piece of wood. For a long time I heard only the true music of nature. My little scribblings or warblings can never compare to the majesty of the howling wind, a starry sky or even a blade of grass."

Reuniting with former band mate Crispin Gray and reincarnated as Queen Adreena, Garside returned to the fray last year with a blistering single 'Cold Fish' and an album, Taxidermy. It was, she says, an inevitable move, despite her long sabbatical from music.

"I'd been back in London for a while and everything was upside down and inside out. I hadn't seen Crispin for seven or eight years and he moved around the corner from where I was living. He walked in wearing the same stuff that I was wearing. It felt right. There was a synchronicity there.

Sitting in the offices of her Dublin record company on the day her band support The Foo Fighters, Garside (who has been described in some quarters as the new Kate Bush) looks decidedly fragile and distant. Does she worry about her mental health or her emotional stability?

"I've had my moments," she relates "But if I've gone crazy then I was born crazy. I've had some extraordinary black holes but I feel more and more transparent these days. Nothing can cling to me any more.

Has she ever attempted to cure this condition chemically.

No, never. I want to know what's behind that door. I want to know what's under those floorboards, even if it's not pretty. To take chemicals would close the door on infinity and that would terrify me.

"Besides I've got the best drug on the planet. I've got the sky and the mountains and I get to do a tap dance on stage and show my knickers. I don't need any more than that."

Taxidermy is out now on Blanco Y Negro

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03/2005 - BBCi Nottingham "Getting weird with Queen Adreena"

Nigel Bell Raw and basic - that's the Queen Adreena sound. And another thing - you wouldn't want to meet them down a dark alley. Who are Queen Adreena? Katie Jane Garside - Vocals Melanie Ann Garside - Bass Crispin Gray - Guitar Pete Howard - Drums It's not been the best of times for Queen Adreena. Eighteen months of hell is pretty much how lead singer Katie Jane Garside describes it. But the band has come through it and now they're back out on the road promoting the single FM Doll. They play Rock City on 17th March when there'll probably be a handful of new tracks thrown it; they've got a new album due out later in the year. Scary, weird, intense, uncompromising - Queen Adreena are all of these things. Listen to Katie Jane tell Nigel Bell about:- Trials and tribulations of the band Inspiration from friction Recording new material in ten days FM Doll A band of few laughs Difficulty of being objective about their live sound Interview: (Nigel Bell) Interviewer : Well it's been a while since Queen Adreena have been in Nottingham. We're glad to say they're coming back again, 17th March is the date for your diary. They're coming back to Rock City. And it is a pleasure to say, hello Katie Jane Garside. How are you Katie? Katie Jane Garside: "[she laughs] I'm fine." I: So tell us. What have Queen Adreena been doing since the last time you've been to Nottingham? KJG: "We've been in a bit of a bottleneck to get through. It's been a difficult 18 months, but I think it's probably worth it in the end." I: So what's been the problem? KJG: "Oh, it's one of those things that always surround bands, which is too many people getting involved." I: So you can't do the newie(?), 'cos there's too many people fiddling in the background? KJG: "[she laughs] Yeah. So we've cleared all that away and recorded the album in 10 days or next to recording it in 10 days and I think that's pretty good." I: Does the problems that you've had in the background...Does that have any positive aspects in terms of being able to introduce it into lyrics and giving you musical inspiration? KJG: "I've used friction in my life, to define my final reference, to give myself boundaries, 'cos if you have something to kick against you can almost pit yourself against those things and make them work as a springboard. We've made a 16 track album and that's unusual for us, because we've kind of fought for each of our metaphorical children, we've kind of figured they all should have a chance, so we've put the lot on this record." I: But in that 18 months when things weren't so good, was there ever a point where you were thinking, 'if this isn't just worth it, let's not call adreena on the head'? KJG: "No not in itself. What happens when it kinda goes chaotic on the outside, as you batten down the hatches and get cooking you know..." I: Well you've come out the other side, hopefully fitter and stronger. That's what you have to say KJG: "[she laughs] Yeah, yeah. We learnt a thing or two, yeah." I: So are you pleased with what's come out? FM Doll is the first product people are going to be able to hear. KJG: "Yeah, yeah I think I am, you know. I'm listening to record, the whole album this morning, really for the first time with an idea that I can distance myself from it, rather than just be so caught up in it that I wouldn't be able to hear it, and um, I think it breathes, I think it lives and FM Doll is the first one to get away. We actually recorded that a couple of years ago, but because of stuff that happened in the interim, it didn't get a proper release, so we decided to run with that and let it have a proper airing, because it felt like it hadn't really had a go, had a fair chance really." I: Now, it's not an easy subject to cover, is it, FM Doll, all about murder? KJG: "No, it's about the murder of beauty queen, JonBenet Ramsey. She struck such a psychic cord for me, in a way she sort of polarizes...I mean it's such a tragic story." I: Does the rest of the album have such similar kind of themes? Is there a light side to Queen Adreena?

KJG: "We've been talking quite a lot about...Theres a painting by Henri Rousseau, I think the painting's called 'War' and theres a picture of a horse galloping across a battlefield practically dancing over the slaughter with what looks like an adult stroke child just laughing or screaming hysterically on the horses back and there's something of that that runs...and to be honest runs through Queen Adreena's life I think anyway. We find ourselves in such a devastating time. If you want to step onto the light side...If you are going to talk about what's going on, it's inevitable in everybody's work really at the moment I think."

I: So we're guaranteed a barrel of laughs at Rock City, then, on the 17th.

KJG: "[she laughs] Yeah, we are."

I: Has the live setup, apart from the new songs of course, has the style of the band changed much since the last time you were in the city?

KJG: "I don't know how to talk about that really. Because I'm so close to that. At the best of times I'm not very good with perspective. I live in a pretty subjective world really."

I: In the terms of the way that you're gelling now, the fact that you've been together so much longer, does that help you on stage in terms of you know what everybody else is doing second sense, you don't have to worry about anything?

KJG: "[she hums] I don't know."

I: Are you worried somebody's going to go off on a tangent?

KJG: "I don't think Crispin will break out into Freebird if that's what you mean. We make music. I don't think it's my job to reflect on it too much. I'm too much in the thick of it."

I: Well Katie Jane, your fans will appreciate it whatever. I'll be looking forward to the 17th March, Rock City. Good luck with that, and good luck with the album when it comes out later in the year!

KJG: "Thank you, Nigel, very much."

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photos by Gary Lloyd

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photos by Gary Lloyd

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found hidden on KJ's webside

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Crispin Gray interview

Speed: Why did you choose to call yourself Queen Adreena?

Crispin: Actually, I think it's just a dream that Katie had, the singer of the group. She dreamed of someone named Queen Adreena, a British warrior or something like that.

Speed: When did you meet for the first time with Katie, Daisy Chainsaw for the group?

Crispin. : I met by ad in Melody Maker, a magazine that does not exist today. She was the first to have answered me.

 Speed:  ​​And then to Queen Adreena, how did you meet and Pete Howard?

 Crispin. : I scored "Drummer wanted" (looking drummer) on the back of my jacket. It's not that Pete has noticed, but another guy who knew him. Then he said "I'll find you Pete." I do not know if Pete really wanted to do it to be honest but ... (laughs).  Nomi is Welsh, (laughs) that's really all you need to know about her, she is Welsh, and she speaks Welsh. But in fact I do not remember how I met her.

 Speed: How is your latest album different from other?

 Crispin. : Well, it is rather the first album we did we love in truth. We do not really love others as they are, say, polluted by managers and other horrible individuals in the music industry. So we hope one day to make an album that we really love since we will have done ourselves without anyone in the music industry to lead us.

Speed: What you get inspired to write songs and to compose? Who writes and composes, anyway?

 Crispin. : It puts all our grain of salt really. Katie writes the lyrics. But what are they talking about, I do not know actually, but Katie should know. I would say that I just love to make noise. (laughs).

 Speed: And now, what is your favorite band?

 Crispin. : I like the Cramps. You know, they made this song, Tequila ... And I also like the Chambers Brothers who made this great song, "Time is come today". If you do not know you should listen, it's really great.

Speed: You were discovered by Marilyn Manson. Was he an artist that you’ve enjoyed before?

Crispin: To be honest with you, I had heard two of these songs, and briefly. So I do not really know him. He came to me the day of an awards, a magazine which I'm sure you've never heard. And he said "oh I remember you! ". In fact he had seen Daisy Chainsaw at Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, it must be at least 300 years ago. Then he said he remembered us, except him, he said with his voice right out of hell (laughs)!

Speed: Do you have plans for Queen Adreena now?

Crispin: I would say one thing at a time, but we would really like to make an album that we love without manager or anything ... It would be fantastic!

Speed: How would you define Queen Adreena?

Crispin : I will not do it. I will not even try.

Speed: When you are on stage, your goal for the public, what is it?

Crispin. : The interest especially. I hate the idea that might annoy someone. And I think it's great if the sound is good and everything, but it must necessarily have more energy. Something that catches your attention, and ALL of your attention.

Speed: Have you ever played in France?

Crispin: Yes I think we played Rennes Transmusicales festival.

Speed: And what do you think about the French public?

Crispin: From what I can tell, it is quite nice. But you know, it's only two hours that we're here! (Laughs). When we played in Rennes, which is a big city with a university, the public had come from all over France. But it looks nice!

Speed: Thank you very much for this interview and good concert!

Crispin. : Thank you, see you soon !

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