,
In the mix
Madder than Goldfrapp and funkier than Santogold, meet Cibelle, London's brightest and most innovative musical talent. Camilla Pia meets a woman still suffering for her art
‘ asically Tar/an makes love to Shirley B Bassey but they‘re in a threesome with a hula girl.~ laughs rising electro l‘olk starlet (‘ibelle from her liast London abode. “They have been kidnapped by a l,'l’() from the l‘)5()s and are plonked in the jungle. Monkeys control their thoughts and everyone wears leopard skin swimsuits and martian capes and has Bettie Page fringes and listens to dancehall.’ What are we talking about‘.’ ller forthcoming third album of course. ‘I don't just sit around writing. I usually work with a concept that enters my mind before I start recording. and that is the world that came to me for these songs.‘ ll‘ you think this is a little oil-killer you should
try spending just a few minutes in the company of
this talented. eccentric and utterly charming
chatterbox. (‘laiming to have the ‘attention span of
a llea‘. (‘ibelle was born in Sao Paolo and from the age ol‘ the dabbled in guitar. piano. percussion. theatre. acting. physical comedy and
26 THE LIST ‘28 Sow-2 Oct 2038
40s ja/./, — which she discovered in her late teens — recording her debut aged 20 and moving to Paris for a few months before linally settling in London.
ller me has been a whirlwind thus l’ar —— ‘I feel like I belong everywhere and nowhere‘. she says
— and it has allowed her to pick up a wealth ol‘
varied musical influences (exotica. rockabilly. gypsy songs. electronica and Hawaiian are just a few cited today) and to develop an unquenchable thirst for creative experimentation.
'l live in a house with seven artists and I‘m constantly calling people over to record with me.’ Who has visited recently then'.’ ‘(iabriel l‘rom .Vletronomy. Johnny I‘Iynn. Hot Chip. Adem. Josh W‘ller and Dev Hynes — they're all going to he on the album in sortie way.‘ she adds.
With a mini-tour ol' the l'K planned for this month. is this same collaborative and eccentric approach to music-making applied to the singer‘s live pert’ormances'.’ ‘lt'you've only heard the record you would expect the shows to be
LIVING LA VIDA LAL
Dear List,
Glasvegas just went stellar and I’m cursing myself for failing to catch them on the way up. Spare me the mental anguish of missing the next big Scottish thing in their infancy with some insider tips.
Mags, Milngavie.
We can't better predict the fickle tastes of the record buying public than Rob McElwee can forecast a freak shower Mags. but we‘ll certainly tip our hats enthusiastically to the following. starting with Edinburgh indie folk octet Broken Records — for proof, hit King Tut’s (22 Sep). Despite a critically lauded debut album. Glasgow quartet De Rosa (SWG3. Glasgow, 27 Sep) have yet to take off as fully as their moody strain of post-folk merits, but we wouldn’t bet against them doing so come delivery of their impending second Iongplayer. Ex-Bis frontlady Manda Rin. meanwhile, returns for a second slice of the sugar-coated. shouty electro pop pie with her solo debut ‘My DNA‘. and a show at Stereo (4 Oct) while Popup launch their debut album at the Captain‘s Rest the same night. Alternatively. try some moody, literate, monochrome post- punk Gdansk style (Captain's Rest. 6 Oct), or perhaps some snot-nosed high-voltage fight pop care of Dirty Summer (Cabaret Voltaire. 23 Oct). Finally. those of a post-rocking bent might favour atomic-powered soundscapers Galchen. who play the Classic Grand (6 Nov).
pretty quiet and melancholic but they’re not at all. When I go on stage I get quite wild and noisy and I get special guests to perform with me and ask people in the audience to shake things. make noises and sing along. I think an album is a line you dance around live . . oww!‘ (‘ibelle has banged her head on a table. while scrabbling around on the floor for a phone charger. Are you ()K'.’ '()h yes. To be honest I am not at all interested in reproducing my records on stage. I like experiencing the different l‘lavours. You never know what you‘re going to get with me and I don‘t either.‘ Indeed.
Tolbooth, Stirling, Sat 20 Sep; Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sun 21 Sep. See page 69 for a chance to win Cibelle tickets.
For details of all the upcoming gigs this autumn see Book Now, page 81.