Toby and Pip, thanks for agreeing to talk to us, how are you?
P: We’re very well thank you – we had our second child at the end of last year so quite busy with parenting among other things!
First of all, congratulations on your gorgeous song “Little Lady”.
T&P: Thank you very much!
Its inspiration is from your baby Josie, how did the process start for the song?
P: Toby is the primary songwriter so he came up with the initial idea of having a song for her & wanted to write something energetic & emotional.
T: Yeah, that’s right, I wanted to explore what it means to become a parent & brought the song to Pip who came up with a nice Ukulele part & put together harmonies for the chorus & we developed it from there.
You also shot a video using a second a day. What was a funny moment from this?
P: Yeah, Toby’s great with his gadgets & apps! He started doing the one second every day filming the day she was born & hasn’t stopped. We’ve had lots of funny ones… I don’t know if I could pick one.
T: I always found it pretty funny doing the teeth-brushing ones – it was often when I’d forgotten to do a second that day but they were always pretty funny.
You have also had quite an adventure, helping an orphanage in Cambodia, what are your favourite moments from that?
P: Ah yeah we had an amazing travel trip around the world which we had been planning & saving towards for a few years. The Cambodian orphanage was great – it definitely gives you a sense of perspective when you see how little some people have.
T: Absolutely, the children in the orphanage were amazing – such happy kids despite how little they have. They were so welcoming & kind – the Cambodian people are great – it was the second time I’d been there. We are so pleased to be able to help the orphanage & getting to hang out with them & play music was amazing. So funny what songs they knew & what they didn’t know as well – no knowledge of famous bands like the Beatles but they were loving Passenger’s ‘Let her Go’ & songs by Ed Sheeran which they all watched on one shared phone that had Youtube. They got so excited & their faces lit up when we started playing & singing ‘Let her Go’ on guitar – it was really special.
You have been making music together for ten years, how does a typical writing session begin for you?
T: It varies, sometimes I sit down with the intention of writing a new song, sometimes I just noodle on the guitar until somethings sounds nice. Sometimes I channel a strong emotion into a song & this can happen quite quickly – we have a new song coming out this year that I wrote in about half an hour after an emotional two hour phone call with a friend who’d had a terrible few months. Sometimes I finish the song & bring it to Pip for Ukulele & harmonies, sometimes I’ll bring her a verse or chorus & she’ll make suggestions or give feedback
Pre covid you played gigs, what’s a funny moment from being on stage?
P: Toby & I sometimes get particular words mixed up from certain songs so we’ve had some funny moments where we’ve had to try to stop ourselves laughing when one of us gets it wrong.
T: Ah yes, we have tried to prevent that recently with amusing acronyms. Sometimes we have rude ones which helps us remember things but that also can make us giggle!
Covid has affected the creative industry in a big way, what’s kept you motivated?
T: I think having the time to write & focus on our recordings & music video editing has been good. Doing some livestream shows has helped keep us motivated too.
P: We’ve been setting more time aside to focus on practising & learning new cover songs which has been good to keep us motivated & we always have a fun time doing it so that helps.
What artists are getting you excited at the moment?
T: I am loving Allman Brown’s new album – I think he’s great. I also am really enjoying Phoebe Bridgers who I recently discovered – she’s got an amazing voice.
P: I’ve been enjoying ’The Shires’ who I only discovered last year, as well as Welshly Arms who are a bit more rock n roll but one of my favourite bands.
You’re both guitarists who are your favourite guitar heroes?
P: I wouldn’t call myself a guitarist, but having got into Ukulele I really enjoy Ukulele Orchestra versions of popular songs – The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra are brilliant!
T: I have a wide range of musical tastes but have definitely been influenced a lot by Eric Clapton & John Mayer so I guess those two would be heroes of mine guitar-wise! I also spent many hours learning Turin Brakes & Radiohead songs when I was a teenager so probably should give them a shout out too!
What’s next for you?
P: We have a couple of new singles we’re in the process of making which we will hopefully have ready to release soon.
T: Yes, we’re excited about the next singles! We have also recently got an artist residency with a new social media app & are doing weekly livestream shows on there – the app is called Tango & you can download it & tune in to our hour long show every Sunday night at 9pm – we’ll be doing that every week for the next couple of months so hope to see you there! :O)
