Consisting of vocalist/violinist Georgia Ellery and producer/multi-instrumentalist Taylor Skye, Jockstrap are undoubtedly one of the most exciting acts in the UK right now. First meeting as late teens when they attended Guildhall School Of Music & Drama, the two creatives began collaborating, quickly and instinctively finding their sound. This sound in question is truly one of a kind, an avant-garde amalgamation of the pair’s respective influences and artistic approach, Foraying through genres with ease, Jockstrap’s sound is challenging and calculated, ethereal and elegant, divine yet devastating.
Last September saw the duo release their highly anticipated debut album. Entitled I Love You Jennifer B, the 10 track body of work is sprawling and compelling, a diverse and distinctive opening chapter in the evolving tale of Jockstrap. Critically acclaimed and publicly adorned, the LP saw the band reach giddy heights of popularity, and have since toured across the world and continued to finesse their style and chemistry. Both busy with their individual work, with Skye producing for an array of popular artists, and Ellery a member of the spectacular Black Country, New Road, Jockstrap is very much a passion project for the twosome, who are dedicated to progressing the sound and ethos of Jockstrap.
This Saturday, 27th May, the band take to the stage at Wide Awake in Brockwell Park. The one day festival is highly cherished within the industry, with the eclectic line up providing plenty of depth and intrigue. From electronic DJ’s to post punk bands, the variety of the festival is enough to have any music fan desperate to attend.
Ahead of their performance, we sit down with Jockstrap for an exclusive interview to discuss the legacy of their debut album, playing live together, their festival tips, why they chose to play at Wide Awake.
Listen to Jockstrap’s debut album…
Tickets to Wide Awake Festival in Brockwell Park HERE.
Read the full interview…
What have you guys been up to recently?
Taylor: We’ve been touring a lot, that’s the main thing we’ve been doing since the album came out. We went to Australia and Japan, America a few times, the UK.
Playing in those places must have been a crazy experience
Georgia: Yeah it was amazing! I haven’t really done much travelling. We got to see lots of things and meet lots of people while touring. It’s a crazy thing to have people know your music on the other side of the world.
How did you first meet and start making music together?
T: We both went to Guildhall in London to study when we like 18. We were in the same year and it’s quite a small university, so you meet most people quite quickly. After a while, we just started doing it. Georgia wrote a song and asked if I could start producing it, and we went from there?
How did you find this unique pocket that you create in as Jockstrap?
G: It was kind of like that from the beginning. It’s just what comes out when we make music together. I think it’s our tastes and the way we have developed making music, what our processes are. It’s also just sounded like this really!
What is your creative process?
G: One of us will have an idea and send it to the other, and the other one responds to it. It could be a song, a beat, an idea. Then we would work apart on that for a while to refine what we want to put into it and then will come together and edit. Then we’ll make final decisions in Taylor’s bedroom.
You’re both really busy doing a lot of cool different things. How do you find the time to prioritise Jockstrap?
T: It’s a unique thing that we do in our lives. There’s not anything else we do that’s similar to it. It’s not like the other things replacing this, there’s always a want, a need, an urged to do this. It’s not really the case of finding time, we want to give time to it as music enthusiasts. It’s not really annoying to have to fit lots of different musical things in, because we just enjoy doing them basically. We want to be doing it.
How is it looking back on last year’s debut album, I Love You Jennifer B?
G: I’ve not really listened back to it. We do play it live a lot, and that’s a very different experience to just listening to it. I enjoy playing it live. It’s quite difficult to sing, it’s always a challenge.
T: For me it’s quite complex because there’s tons of things that I would change, but also I know that I’m not always the best judge of what’s good and what’s not, so who’s to say I’m right in thinking things should be changed. It makes you want to do things differently in the future, but then on the other hand I’ve seen many examples of artists that I admire having similar feelings. I’m wary of getting too passionate about thinking I know what to do differently, because I know sometimes you can be wrong. I find listening to it on a DSP – you know, it’s not in a logic project anymore – it does sound differently so it’s been good to hear it in that way.
Did you expect as good of a reaction to the album as you received?
Both: No!
G: It was difficult to know how it was going to be received. There’s lots of different genres on it and it’s a unique sound. At the point of us releasing it, we weren’t worrying too much about that, as we’d already put so much of ourselves into it that it was just a relief to get it out. It was very overwhelming when it happened.
Was it a long, difficult process to make the LP?
T: It took a few years. I guess so. We both have our own goals for the songs, so it takes a lot of back and forth to get there sometimes. We do everything ourselves, which can be quite mentally draining. Apart from each other, we don’t really ask for anyone’s advice about what to do. It’s more like us sitting ono it for a long time and feeling a bit uneasy. You need to give your ears a rest sometimes and that can be weeks or months. There’s no quick route, you just have to give it some time. I find it quite uncomfortable being in the middle of that, waiting, not knowing you’re just wasting time or it’s worth while. it was definitely intense to make for us, in context.
We’re really excited to see you guys play at Wide Awake! What drew you guys to want to play at the festival?
G: They were the first London festival that gave us an offer. We haven’t played there before. You can only really choose one London festival and this was the one we wanted to play at!
Who are you guys looking forward to seeing?
T: There’s loads of artists there that we really like.
G:I’m excited to play two gigs in one day for the first time!
What can festival goers expect from your performance?
T: We’ve got a new frequency in the sound monitors, so it should sound so clearly. Georgia is a great live performer, which is something you obviously don’t see on the album. We haven’t played for a while so are still figuring it out. It’ll be fun because it will be quite unhinged, a tester for the rest of the summer.
What’s your tips for a good festival experience?
T: I think you should drink lots at a festival, or take loads of drugs or something. I think that’s what I’ve been doing wrong, I’m too sober. I’ve always missed out.
G: Portable charger, water.
T: You’ve got to make sure you’re seeing good people, that’ll give you the energy to make it through the day.
G: If you’re going with a big group and there’s someone you really want to see both no one else really cares about it, definitely go and see what you wanna see. You’ll regret it if you just follow the crowd. You can always meet other people.
What’s to come from you? Can we expect new music anytime soon?
G: Potentially. We may or may not have been cooking.