aaamusic | On 20, Jul 2010

Little Fish singer, writer and guitarist Juju says that the band’s recent single ‘Am I Crazy?’ is about “the pain you go through when falling in love” but the title could equally refer to the crazy ride the  band have experienced in the last year or so since legendary songwriter/producer Linda Perry heard their demos, flew to the UK to see them play at a pub in Oxford, signed them on the spot and took them out to LA to produce their first album. This has been followed by a hectic touring schedule supporting a who’s who of rock bands including Placebo,Them Crooked Vultures, Hole, Juliette Lewis and, most recently, Blondie. This, plus having three songs on the Rock Band game, a song in the new Hilary Swank movie ‘The Resident’ and a host of great reviews for their live show, as well as Radio 1 play and playlisting on XFM and Kerrang! TV have brought the band to the public’s attention even before the release of this, their first album. The addition of a Hammond player to the Oxford-based two piece has enabled them to replicate the album sound on stage. The album, much of which was recorded live, is released on Custard/Island Records on August 16th.

The songs on the album, titled ‘Baffled And Beat’, are about love, life, betrayal and pain according to Juju. “Our songs are about people. They write away our sickness. They define us by what we are not. They speak of chaos and confusion, relationships, their conflicts and our need for cures. The songs run alongside all that we live; our failings, our contradictions, our hungers, our excesses, our exits, our shadows. A wound opened by betrayal, love, life, is slow to heal. If we bow our head and look to the ground, it is because we are searching for the things we have lost. Mostly the songs speak of the constant strain living has on the nerves, so as to make sense of it. They speak of people with possibilities, of junk in need of hunger and of the pains within us. People waiting on street corners and in cafeterias for love and life to happen, all this knowing that one day affection will burn us and we will make it to happiness. It came to us to sing, to play as the songs ran along with us.’’

Onstage, Little Fish are sensual thunder, drawing you in with dangerous warmth. Most often Juju’s self taught guitar style blazes through as Nez vigorously propels himself and beats his way through the songs. “It’s like an exorcism,” says Juju when the songs come. “They are based on human expression, sometimes things that can’t be said are best left sung.”

JuJu’s voice haunts and mesmerizes in a similar way to Patti Smith. What’s in evidence throughout the band’s music is passion and intelligence, maybe even a little anger, but it’s melodic and true to the song. The Little Fish album is all real drums – half of it is live – no click track, no over dubs. Linda Perry gave JuJu a really hard time in the studio and pushed her with her writing. According to JuJu, Linda is a, “Fearless, bolshie, American rock star/super star who believes in herself.” It’s rubbed off on JuJu helping to create music with serious attitude. “She would send me away to a room and say don’t come out until you’ve got it finished. She told me she has never been so tough on any artist that’s she’s worked with, but she showed me what I have inside of me and brought the best out in me.” Listening to their music you can hear this creativity in all its glory. “I have to be by myself in a room when I’m writing so no one can hear me shouting and screaming like an exorcist. Some people can write in public, but not me. For me it’s a solitary experience, so I can unlock my lyrics and bare my soul and inspiration.”

The name Little Fish is the result of Juju’s daydream “Feel free, I wake up in a head spin. I am me. I am just a Little Fish. I see what I see…”

See Little Fish live at the following dates:

July 23rd              Surrey, Redfest

July 25th              Oxford, Truck Festival

July 30th              Matlock, Y Not Festival

July 31st               Knebworth, Sonisphere Festival

Sep 26th              Gloucester, Underground Festival