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Photo credit: Sarah Gelmi @ftografs

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Interview with
MAL DE MER

(1st December 2021)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Photo credit: Sarah Gelmi @ftografs

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How did the band come together? Is there someone who is a “driving force”, or do you all make decisions together?
I started Mal de Mer in 2017 when I met John at WAAPA and we had a musical chemistry that I had never come across before. We’ve had an incredible group of musicians hop aboard over the years, but it has always consistently been me and John’s project. I’d say I’m the ‘driving force’- I’ve self-managed Mal de Mer from day dot, and I am working every single day doing the behind the scenes stuff that goes into running the band. I definitely involve the band as much as I can, while trying to balance that with not overloading them. When it comes to writing, recording and mixing our music we are all pretty evenly involved decisions wise.  In terms of creative vision when it comes to visuals I definitely bulldoze a bit, oops- I’ve got a vision, I swear! But I love my bandmates so damn much because they are always up for the (sometimes very weird) ideas I throw at them. – Saskia

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
Our sound is a groovy fusion of stuff, best summed up as lyrical funk-pop. It’s here for wherever you’re at, whether you want a good dance or a good cry- we’ve got you covered. We’ve got this amazing group of artists pouring their ideas into creating something that’s hugely dimensional, it’s a unity of so many influences. I think that’s very tangible from an audience point of view, we offer something that can be appreciated from a lot of different angles. – Bella Waideman 

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today? 
My writing in Mal draws from a few different artists and players, especially as our music is constantly shifting, even within one song. A combination of Parcels, Isaiah Sharkey and Mark Lettieri all play a part in shaping the sound I bring to mal, and are really influential artists to me as a player. – Ashton Weaver 

Your new single ‘Do You See Me?’ has just been released/! Describe its origin and evolution. 
The bones of this track was introduced by Saskia, who has recently become a synth whiz and brought us this killer chord progression and melody. I immediately knew it was a keeper and when myself, Sas and Bella went down south, during a late night jam sesh we thought up Bella’s bass line and my catchy little synth melody and it just kept growing from there. – Julia Wallace

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Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
Look we’ll say this- definitely keep your eyes peeled. We’ve got a new single coming out in February, a project in the works, and we’re really excited about it all! – Saskia Fleming

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
We’re pretty focused on writing, recording, and the visuals for our next project at the moment, so we’ll be easing off live shows until January. Our single in February will definitely come along with a big fat single launch that we’re really looking forward to, and some new merch that we’re really excited about!

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
For me it would have to be Frank Zappa and The Mothers! Whether they were rocking out to a packed Palladium or giving audience members their instruments while they would sit back and watch what unfolds, it is clear that anything was possible at a Zappa show, and they were constantly looking for ways to create unique situations on stage. With the unique combination of extraordinarily tight ensemble playing as well as crazy improvisation, performing with these guys would be an experience to cherish forever. 

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The best thing about playing to a live audience is our fans. A few weeks ago we played a gig and the sound cut off- I was really stressed at first, before I started hearing the crowd singing one of our songs back to us. It’s an incredible heartwarming feeling. My personal career highlight in Mal was supporting Kirin J Callinan. He’s one of my heroes and I feel very lucky to cross that off the bucket list. – John Harvey

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Follow MAL DE MER
Spotify – Facebook – YouTube – Instagram

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Press Release 24th November 2021 (below) HERE

MAL DE MER
announce new single + video
‘DO YOU SEE ME?’

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AMNPLIFY – DB