Like a fish out of water...

Their story involves a dramatic moment in the London Underground. Call it luck or the forces of universe stepping in to take control but on one spring night after jamming with friend and drummer Dave Roberts, guitarist Nick D’Amico was waiting on the platform of Camdentown tube station when he spotted a semi-drunken crazed-looking girl singing to herself as she walked towards him. As she came closer, a man bumped her towards the tracks in front of D’Amico who dropped his guitar and grabbed her arm moments before a train pulled in. After a much deserved ‘thank you’ was delivered and a series of musings between the two about the greatness of Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain, Karen O and The Stooges occurred on the train, the future singer for what was to be The Volitains had been discovered...

The Volitains unleash their debut EP Underground on the Sunday, June 27.

We caught up with lead singer Candice Ayery, ahead of their London performance this Thursday, June 24, at Camden Rock, Camden Town. She provided us with some pretty cool answers to our questions...

Who’s who in the band and what do you play?
Dave Roberts on drums Nick D’Amico on guitar James Hosking on bass Candice Ayery on Vox

What’s the story behind the band’s name?
We took the name off a fish that breathes out of water. I really like the idea, ya know. We all feel a bit like a fish out of water sometimes, but this one has a kick. It can survive out of its natural habitat by being a little bit weird and a little bit different, bit like the band really.

What is your motivation behind Volitain’s sound – and what do you hope the audience will experience?
Raw power! I can’t speak for the rest of the band, but for me personally I want the audience to experience the music as we do, feel the peaks and the trophes and get a real enjoyment from it.

Carnage basically, sexy carnage! I want writhing, dancing, singing and smiling. It is completely unadulterated but very cathartic. “Welcome to the church of The Volitains, I’m its vicar, let me baptise you with music."

Looking at your website I can’t help but think Candice bears a slight resemblance to Debbie Harry? What are your opinions of the godmother of punk?
Wow! That is a compliment indeed. Debbie Harry is fantastic. Very iconic. She is such a strong female talent and has had real longevity. That’s incredibly rare these days, so I have the utmost respect for her.

Who inspired you to become a musician?
Hmmmm… that’s an interesting question. I’ve always enjoyed and wanted to sing since a very young age. I can remember singing from the age of five. It wasn’t until I was an indie kid at the age of 13 listening to Elastica and Blur and thinking this is what I want to do. I remember watching Blur and just thinking they were the best thing! I want that! I want to be that! As I’ve aged, I’ve extended my taste and got really into Bowie and Iggy pop. I remember seeing Iggy at a festival in the park and just thought he was brilliant! A paedophile made out of leather. I wanted to touch him! Really inspiring performer and something I wanted to emulate, but the real push was when I was 18. An ex of mine, he was a guitarist, and although I wanted to be in a band, I didn’t quite have the balls. It was him who basically laid it on the line: ‘You can do whatever the fuck you want if people don’t like it then so what?! But if you waste time not doing the one thing you desire then you will regret it.’ So I took the plunge, thought ‘fuck it’, and haven’t looked back. There are many people in life that you may or may not let down, but, at the end of the day, you live with yourself. To let myself down by not doing the thing I want would be the worst thing.

How do you write your songs… does it start from sound or an emotion?
A bit of both really. What will happen is Nick will send me a track or an idea he’s been working on. I’ll start listening to it and get a feel for it, what it makes me think about and what it reminds me of so I can start to build a story. I’ll then listen to the track over and over to get a melody, start humming it to the tune and then build lyrics so maybe I will get a line and from that build a story. I am basically a storyteller, but the stories are very reliant on what I’m feeling at the time or how I’m being influenced by the sound of the music. Music and lyrics are unavoidably personal. There will always be a chunk of you in it.

What’s your current favourite Volitains’ song you like to perform live?
Oooh it’s a toss up between Joy and Lovely bones. I really like the swing and feel of Joy, and I like the song in the sense of you’re losing joy as a person and you’re waiting for it to come back. Lovely Bones is really powerful, though, and incredibly sexy in its sound, so I get a real kick singing it.

Tell me about the Underground EP?
Underground is one of the first songs we started working on together, and it’s stayed with us. It’s quite different to the rest of our set, and the structure of the song is conventional so people seem to respond really well to it. It’s always good to know that people are appreciating a different sound. It’s got a lot of energy and drive, and it’s quite an aggressive song that’s basically saying here I am, an unstoppable force get out of the way or be pushed (which in an ironic and more literal sense relates to how Nick and I met).

What was it like working with Leifur Einarrson for this EP?
Lex was great to work with, very chilled out and very constructive. If he thinks you can sing it better or add a harmony, he will tell you which I liked. He didn’t make us feel pressured and was patient with every detail.

What did you learn from that experience?
That if you want it to sound its best then it takes time and patience. I also learned how much of a scary dictator I am when it comes to my voice. If it doesn’t sound perfect, I’ll keep working on it until it does.

Will you have an album coming out soon; can you tell me about that too?
Well that’s in the pipeline at the moment so there isn’t too much to give away but it will be a more developed sound. We are really coming into our own sound now, so I would expect the album to be nothing short of more sex fuelled bluesy punk.

What criterion for you makes a good tune?
The energy of it, what you feel when you listen to it and how it makes you want to move. Also the lyrics, it’s all very well something sounding good but you want lyrics you can sing and connect with.

What have you learnt most about being a musician?
Patience, diplomacy and how to tolerate large quantities of alcohol.

Can you tell me about any difficulties you have had in realising your dream as a musician and how you have overcome them?
I think fear is the only difficulty I’ve had, and I confronted it head on. Once you’ve pushed the boundary you can push a little further and then again and again until you’ve forgotten what you were afraid of in the first place.

Has the band achieved what you hoped - or how has it evolved for you?
It has evolved and it continues evolving. I’m excited to see where it ends up. It is still very new, so we have lots more that we want to achieve yet. This is just the beginning.

Is music your full time profession or do you have to work another job to make ends meet?
Being a musician will not make us money as quickly as we would desire it to, so in the meantime, we have jobs. I work in a bar and a call centre not the most fun, but a gal has gotta earn to buy stage clothes. I’m also doing a degree in psychology with criminology. I love fucked up people! I can’t help it, but, they are so very interesting.

Being stretched professionally there must be a lot of pressure on you, how do you deal with stress?
I’m pretty upbeat and boisterous so don’t get stressed too often, but, honestly, when I’m stressed I have to go somewhere and just contain myself, be alone for a bit. If not that then find someone and whinge at them, and I mean whinge, a tsunami of whinge.

Tell me about your fans, what are they like?
Brilliant, all crazy or at least a very large majority and lovely sexy mess of Camden and Shoreditch.

Do you have any bizarre fan moments you can share?
Not yet but working on it….

How do you deal with nerves before a performance? Do you have a routine that gets you psyched up?
Wine normally helps. I don’t tend to get nervous before I go on, not unless something is wrong, but if I am I try to just not focus on it and focus on making the performance even better. I use the negative energy and turn it into something constructive.

Any embarrassing moments on stage you wish to share with our readers?
Not yet, hopefully I won’t have any!

Can you tell me some background information about yourself – what’s the town like that you grew up in?
I grew up all over Sussex, so there isn’t really one particular place. I was born in Eastbourne, which has been described as the elephant graveyard of the UK. There is an awful lot of the older person there, but that’s not to put Eastbourne down. It’s a lovely little coastal town, and I have fond memories of being a kid and running around on the beach.

Where did you go to school?
My last school was Warden Park Schoolin Cuckfeild

How old are you?
28 - but I look about 12 so it’s ok.

CANDICE AYERY ON THE SPOT

How would you describe Volitains’ music in three words?
Sexy, feisty, delicious

What’s on Volitains rider?
Whiskey, vodka, more vodka, and peanut M&Ms

What’s the most excessive rock n roll thing you’ve done?
Couldn’t possibly divulge such information, not because I don’t want to, purely legal reasons.

What’s the best ever gig you’ve ever attended – apart from your own?
Iggy and the Stooges at Get Loaded In the Park. I jumped over a fence and stormed the stage. It was amazing!

Who’s the most famous person on your phone?
Cassius from Skunk Anansie and Nick Cave’s son.

What was the first album you ever bought?
Gosh, no idea it was soo long ago, I do remember buying The Bangles cassette at age 9.

What’s on your iPod at the moment?
Everything, but I keep listening to Nirvana at the moment, In Bloom and Heart Shaped Box

What electrical item could you not live without?
GHD’s

Who’s your favourite author or painter?
Favourite painter is Klimt, although I like Jamie Hewletts comic art work. Favourite authors... erm too many to mention; but I do like J.G Ballard and Hunter S Thompson.

Where are you most happy?
With good friends

What was your favourite lesson at school?
Art definitely

What did you learn at school outside the classroom?
That school can’t teach you everything, somethings you have to pick up as you go along.

What song do you like to sing in the shower?
My Funny Valentine – the Elvis Costello cover

Describe a perfect day for you?
Sun, food, friends and laughter. Simple.

What’s your favourite London Underground station and why?
Tottenham Court Road. I like the mosaic tiles, but, of course, Camden Town has a special memory as you may know. It is where Nick and I met by chance during a dramatic incident which eventually led me to being in the band!

What’s next for The Volitains?
The world.