Oxford-based rock duo Little Fish are rapidly becoming one of the hottest prospects for UK music. Having supported the likes of Placebo, Them Crooked Vultures and Blondie, this band are going just going from strength to strength.
Vocalist Juju Sophie talked about how it all started: “Nez [Greenaway, drummer] and me have been friends for a long time. We met after a night out at a fish and chip shop. I was being rowdy and bad mouthing drum solos in songs.”
“Nez took to the drummers’ defence, which culminated in a mutual desire to meet up and jam out our differences. It was only after a few years of knowing each other as friends that we decided to form a band.”
Little Fish’s debut album “Baffled and Beat” was released in August on Custard Records. The album was produced by legendary pop producer Linda Perry. Perry is partly responsible for Pink’s “Missundaztood”, Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped”, and Gwen Stefani’s “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.”
Linda Perry came to see Little Fish perform in Oxford: “After the show that Linda came to watch she flew us back with her from Oxford to LA where we were invited to work in her studio and record some tracks. I suppose she wanted to understand us more. It was after this week with her that she offered us a record contract,” Sophie said.
“In all honesty, it was pretty intimidating,” Sophie says about recording Little Fish’s album in LA. “It was our first time in a big studio and to go straight in and record an album, it was hardcore.
“Linda Perry is a tough taskmaster, so all round it was a challenging experience. But having the experience of all this, being away from home and being respected as an artist, that was pretty amazing.
“We could, by the end, certainly have got used to the place and we learned an awful lot about the music and the world that goes with it.”
Prior to the band’s current tour, they headlined the BBC Introducing stage at Reading/Leeds festival. Sophie says: “It was a complete honour. The invitation to headline the stages came to us completely out of the blue so having not expected anything we had so much more to be excited about.
“It was nice to feel welcomed and noticed by the BBC as they are a very big and powerful institution.”
However, would they ever be inclined to ‘do an Axl’ and turn up an hour and a half late?
“No. Not unless there has been some tragic accident or something of that sort. I find this behaviour pretty rude. It is disrespectful to the people who have taken their time and spent money to come to see you play as well as to the people organising the event. Fuck that,” Sophie said.
Little Fish’s current headline tour ends in their home town of Oxford at the O2 Academy 2. Sophie explains that it’s going to be much more than a homecoming show.
“We have had so much support from our home town, from people who have come to see us play shows to the promoters, the local music magazine Nightshift, and radio programmers at BBC Introducing.
“We can’t wait to come home as it will be like playing a show to our friends and family. Big party.”
Little Fish’s debut LP “Baffled and Beat” is available now from stores and iTunes. For more information check out their MySpace.