They're Southampton’s answer to old fashioned rock ’n’ roll Americana. Band Of Skulls – made up of Russell Marsden, Emma Richardson and Matt Hayward – have been around since 2009 and supported the likes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Muse and Jack White’s The Dead Weather. Now, as they get ready to release their third, album we caught up with bassist Emma to talk about the band and her seriously gorgeous artwork…
You guys have an American feel to you - but you're from Southampton. Explain please…
We’re a British rock band, through and through. But I think we are influenced by American bands, and especially the bands which were influenced by American blues back in the day, you know? Led Zeppelin and Queen – they went to America then brought it back over.**
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Do you look for Americana fashion influences when you're over there?
Definitely, there’s great vintage stores in America. It’s great. I’ve got two pairs of snakeskin boots from there. LA is the best – there's are lots of vintage stores there.
**Do you find that you get a better reception in America than to UK? **
Americans definitely ‘whoop’ a lot in the quiet bits. They get very excited.
**How did you meet the rest of the guys in the band? **
[Matt and Russell] had a friendship going on for a long time, and I met Russell at Art College. Then, he invited me to rehearsals. I didn’t play bass at the time, but I played guitar and they needed a bass player, so I just started playing with them. I think I had two weeks to learn a set because there was a show coming up and I sort of just agreed to do it.
What’s it like being the only girl in the band? Are there times where you just think, ‘I cant handle anymore boys?’
It’s cool. It’s not that different, really, from being a boy in a band to be honest. I grew up with two younger brothers, so it feels like a similar situation, I suppose. I’m not too much of a girly girl, so it doesn’t really affect me.
Can you us me a bit about your artwork? I know you’ve done some of the band’s before…
I have! But not on this album. We used the sound waves of the new song Himalayan and turned it into a computer-generated image, so it’s a three-dimentional piece of artwork. It looks like the record, you now? It feels gold and silver and bold. It works.
Do you get a chance to work on your art while you’re on the road?
No – I always carry a sketchbook with me and I always draw and when I come back home. I’ve got a studio space in Southampton – where I live now – and, yeahm I usually try and get a body of work together and put on a solo show if I’ve got time. I’ve got a show on at the moment. Its called Feast.
Is it a struggle to go on tour for so long?
Not being able to be clean all the time is hard. Generally overindulging on the alcohol side of it, too. There’s not too many bad things – to be honest it’s mainly missing things like family and friends. That’s kind of the worst of it.
**What’s the first thing you do when you get back from tour? **
It’s literally the real normal stuff. Cooking a meal in my own kitchen, and actually being home and having normal sleeping hours. And after about a week, I go down to the studio and do some painting. I recoup for a week, eat some fruit and veg and then, yeah, get down to the studio.
Band Of Skulls album Himalayan is out on 31 March.
Follow Jess on Twitter @jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.