Hiya folks thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
It’s a pleasure, thank you for having us!
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
We all grew up playing and listening to music most days so pursing it as adults just felt like a natural progression for us.
Introduce us to the members and your musical history.
There’s five of us in Clemencie: Grace (lead vocals), James (lead guitar), Miller (bass guitar and synth), Molly (synth keys and backing vocals) and Joe (drums). We’ve been playing together for a couple of years now but the band was officially launched in January 2022.
Name me your 3 favourite albums?
An impossible question but we’d say ‘Woman on the Internet’ by Orla Gartland, ‘Blue Weekend’ by Wolf Alice and ‘Cub’ by Wunderhorse.
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
Grace: Sunday Girl by Blondie was the first song I ever learned the words to. I chose it from my parents music collection to sing for a school performance and I remember practicing it over and over again in my lounge. I must have driven my parents insane haha.
The music industry is the hardest industry in the world to progress in, how do you feel you are doing?
We’re enjoying the process a lot. Each day is more exciting than the last which is super encouraging.
As you develop as an artist and develop using socials what ways do you get new ears on your music? Any tips?
Playing live is the best way to gain new fans in our opinion because of the personal connection you get to make with an audience. We’ve found the best way to engage new followers online is by sharing clips of us performing and posting candid moments of us just having fun as a band.
Tell us two truths and a lie about you?
The vocoder used in Formal Wear used to belong to Genesis, Clemencie is a synonym for grace, Molly and Grace used to have singing lessons with the same teacher for 2 years but didn’t meet until joining Clemencie.
Do you sign up for any conspiracy theories?
Oh, the Loch Ness monster for sure.
Ahhh good one…Did you buy anything you don’t need during the pandemic?
Joe bought a banjo? Guess we better start writing our country album…
What was your worst experience on stage?
It was one at one of our biggest shows to date and we had just started the set when James’ pedal board died and we couldn’t get it working again. Slightly nerve-wracking but he handled it like a pro.
Tell us something about each member that you think people would be surprised about?
Joe met JLS in the Maldives, Molly used to be a competitive gymnast, Miller can do the worm, James is qualified to handle asbestos and Grace is naturally blonde.
What makes you stand out as a band?
Our energy and chemistry on stage combined with our sparkly synth pop sound.
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it?
We do! Our debut single ‘Formal Wear’ is out now. The track discusses the disappointment of realising that the person you used to date now only exists in the memories you have together. You want to comfort them and share in grieving the relationship but it’s fruitless as you no longer know each other.
Talk me through the thought process of the new tune.
We wanted to kick off releasing music with something fun. Formal Wear started on the piano, but we all really enjoyed bringing it into the world of synth pop.
What was the recording process like?
Very special! We spent as much of our spare time as possible last summer in Bert Jansch studio with our good friend Milo Ferreira-Hayes. Finally recording songs we’d played together for over a year was so rewarding and we really immersed ourselves in the process which has only made us prouder of the final track.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
Less is more.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Once it’s out in the world there’s this sense of relief that it belongs to the listener and that it’s unchangeable – so hopefully no haha.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
The release party for Formal Wear is on 16th March at Crofters Rights in Bristol. The ticket link is below and we’d love to see you there.
BUY HERE
PRE SAVE HERE // FOLLOW ON THEIR SOCIALS HERE