In the UK we are so over-run with electro it’s surprising that we don’t blast out an electro bleep or squeak mid sentence! So, now we are introduced to Rochelle – an electro-pop three-piece hailing from West Yorkshire. So what makes us pay attention to Rochelle over any of the bazillion other supposed electro crossover acts?

Well lead singer Lydia has oodles of sass for starters, not to mention her memorizing vocals that encapsulate such a seductive allure that even Alan Carr would blush after a chance encounter. Tracks like single ‘Fer De Lance’ infuse sophisticated pop dashes with a notable dance edge to produce nuclear results – hey Fat Boy Slim obviously agrees as he’s just signed them up to his Southern Fried Records label.

Fused caught up with the Rochelle to talk Hovis, Southern Fried Records and socks!

It says on your press release that you are the best things to come out of Yorkshire since Hovis, what other great Yorkshire based things float your boat at present?
Thom: Sharon’s Den on Cardigan Road in Leeds is really floating my boat whenever I’m in Leeds. They make the best bacon and egg baps in the whole world, which are an awesome hangover cure. The baps are literally the size of a human head!

Did you originally have four members?
James: Yep, it’s true we were once a four piece… But as De La Soul say ‘three is the magic number’.

How did you get involved with Southern Fried Records?
Lydia: When we moved to London we played more industry attended gigs, and we met the guys from Southern Fried at Notting Hill Arts Club last year. We’ve built up a really good relationship with them and their background in electronic music works really well for us.

How has it been so far working with them?
Thom: So far we have been working towards our first single ‘Fer De Lance’ with them. They have been really supportive and have opened up a lot of avenues for us, which wouldn’t have been possible before. We have been able to work with some amazing re-mixers for the single [The Whip, Chewy Chocolate Cookies and Proper Villains], as well as working closely with a street artist called Adam Koukoudakis for the single’s artwork. The thing we really loved about Southern Fried is the close relationships they have with their artists that you don’t get with a lot of the larger labels. Recently Nathan and Katy from the label came over to watch us rehearse, before coming back to our house and cooking us a meal. Anybody who wants to come around to my house and cook for me is brilliant in my eyes.

Did you have a few record labels to choose from?
James: Our management were originally talking to Parisian label Kitsuné, who we’d been dealing with on the remix for the Thieves Like Us track ‘Drugs In My Body’, but on meeting Southern Fried we decided it was better for us to have the first single out on a label that was closer to home. The great thing is Kitsuné are putting out the remix we did at the end of April too, so that should lead nicely into our own debut.

As a relatively new band you are inevitably going to get compared to other bands by reviewers and industry bods – what comparisons do you predict, or as a band do you love or loathe?
Thom: I think the obvious comparisons are going to the associated with other strong female fronted artists such as Blondie and Kylie. I think we would be happy with either of those comparisons as they have obviously both had incredibly successful careers and have held on to their spirit and integrity over a long period of time. I can also imagine comparisons being drawn up with more current bands such as CSS and New Young Pony Club. These kind of comparisons don’t really bother us to be honest, as people need a reference point to gauge whether they might like your music or not before they check you out.

Do you think relocating to London is a necessary step for a young band in order to succeed in the industry today?
James: Bands like The Pigeon Detectives and Arctic Monkeys have proved that it’s possible to make a stand, and almost make the music industry come to them by celebrating their roots, and making the most of local support. On the other hand, moving to London allows new bands to network within the industry, which is perhaps not possible in their hometown.

So judging on your involvement with Adam Koukoudakis you are pretty in tap with street level talent. Are there any other creatively minded people you recommend us to check out at present?
Lydia: Yeah we’re really lucky to know people around us that are arty and who don’t mind getting their hands dirty for the passion of it. Our friends in Leeds are a good example, always willing to muck in and help out. For our video for ‘Fer De Lance’ we worked with our friend Matt Maude – part of Left Eye Blind Productions – who did an incredible job on a shoestring budget. If you can work together to create things and make things happen it makes the journey a lot more interesting and personal.

Tell us about the new video.
Lydia: We were very close to the project and saw its creation from day one to the very end. It took months of planning and fine-tuning by Matt and his team of talents to make sure it could be made on literally nothing. The idea is that we’re all drones trapped in a futuristic world of repression. The dancers start to glitch and things start to go wrong. We’re finally free of that world and as the lights fade out we somehow get transported into a party land. It was fun to make – we had our friends not only in the video but working with us. It was shot in 2 days – intense but great.

Everyone has a ‘Fer De Lance’, a vice that makes you feel like letting go, or a sense of a certain feeling taking over. Hopefully with the added magic of the video people will experience that too.

Fer de Lance is out on Southern Fried Records

Words: Kimberley Owen