INTERVIEW WITH PHANTOM LIMB
247 Magazine’s Helen Rossiter caught up with Phantom Limb after their homecoming gig at Bristol Fleece and ahead of their Cornwall date…
Out of the hundreds of gigs I’ve been to in the last 15 years, there aren’t many that have left me silent and speechless from the opening song. In 2010 I saw Bristolian band Phantom Limb play in their home city, as part of a charity benefit gig. I’d not heard of them before – but the stage presence and pure vocal quality of front woman Yolanda Quartey had me hooked. With a mix of country and soul, and a unique modern twist – they return to their Westcountry homeland this spring for a long-anticipated tour promoting their second album – The Pines – released last month by Naim Edge Records.
The new single Gravy Train has hit the ground running since its release on February 27 – after a debut on BBC Bristol’s Introducing Session in January, giving eager fans an early taste of what’s to come. It’s a feel good tune, filled with a vintage American-style nostalgia – think homemade lemonade on a country-house veranda. Gravy Train was partly made on the road, then in rural France, before being produced by Marc Ford (The Black Crowes) in Signal Hill; California. I’d heard Phantom Limb had gone to the US to record a couple of summers ago – with Yolanda and guitarist Stew Jackson moving onto Nashville to play to the locals. They were so at home, would they ever return? “California was about the most fun I’ve ever had in my life,” says Yolanda.
The audiences were open – and their quirky undertones of gospel and country fitted naturally into the room. And how was Nashville? “We noticed with the audiences that we did not have to have a disclaimer explaining what our influences were and why – there was an understanding between us that was simple – the music was just understood, “she added. But they love the South West of England too much, especially Bristol – where they began gigging out of in the early days, reaching out down to Devon and beyond.
Yolanda was just in her early 20s when she wrote Phantom Limb’s first self-titled– album which was written over some time and featured a lot of heartbreak themed songs. In the beginning, she sung lead spots with Nitin Sawhney and Chase & Status, spent the summer of 2008 touring with Massive Attack, wrote for Will Young and performed backing vocals for Adele and Dizzee Rascal.
She says: “The band was supposed to be a treat to ourselves. We did it for the sake of loving music, with no agenda. It was a free expression of music. But what we did made us sit up and pay attention – because it was good.” “Being older helps. Writing something with a few years under your belt makes a real difference. We have had time to marinate and absorb the things we love.”
“Working with Mark Ford and not producing your own album also definitely made a huge difference. We weren’t a million miles away from the place we reached musically, but it helped us get there.”
I wondered how with this year promising to bring them more exposure than ever, the Phantom Limb’s ego’s would change – But it seems Yolanda and the band have their feet firmly on the ground, playing however they want rather than forcing the music. She says: “It is even more so now a free expression of music. You want to be able to say what you want to say, how you want to say it – people want to take away your freedom – but the more you get to know the scene – it’s almost like a rebellion.”
See Phantom Limb play Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff on March 5 and Ride Café, 45-46 Tavistock Place, Plymouth, on March 15.
