{"id":50680,"date":"2020-12-11T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=50680"},"modified":"2020-12-11T10:15:07","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T10:15:07","slug":"pretty-preachers-club-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/pretty-preachers-club-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Till We Die: Pretty Preachers Club"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image from Pretty Preachers Club<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We Spoke To Martha McKay Of Pretty Preachers Club About Life As A DIY Artist, The Pros and Cons and much more! <\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The duo from Glasgow formed during the initial lockdown and it\u2019s been a real rollercoaster of a ride for them since. In a short time they have built a strong audience, had coverage from a variety of publications and released three singles<\/a><\/span>, a number of covers and their debut EP, \u2018Going Nowhere Fast\u2019<\/i><\/b>. Their sound drifts in the indie bedroom pop genre and is driven forward by angelic vocals. This is matched by their clear talent for honest, emotive and straight from the heart songwriting. They have a fantastic way of bringing an audience into their world and experiences, creating common ground for listener and creator to sit upon. What is more impressive is the duo\u2019s DIY approach to their music, from the ground up they work on Pretty Preachers Club<\/a><\/b>, acting as their own publicist, managers, social media managers and much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We caught up with one half of the duo Martha McKay to discuss life as a DIY artist, the ups and downs and their experiences so far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, was operating as a DIY artist a conscious decision or was it something that PPC fell into naturally? <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: It\u2019s definitely a bit of both. We have had to record and produce everything ourselves on limited equipment as we don\u2019t have the funds to hire a recording studio. But I feel like that\u2019s the best place to start! It really makes you appreciate how much hard work goes into recording and producing music. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s the attraction of going DIY for you and what are the benefits?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: The freedom for sure. I love the fact we can work at our own pace and have the complete freedom to do whatever we want with the music we write\/ produce. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you feel there is a rise of DIY artists and if so why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: Absolutely! Due to so many free online distributors, releasing music has never been so straight forward. This is filling the diversity gaps in the industry in the sense that it makes music production available to everyone, not just those with money. It\u2019s really exciting to see so many up-and-coming bands and artists from different walks of life. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the advantages and disadvantages of operating as a DIY artist? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: Advantages- There aren\u2019t deadlines which is quite relaxing. We can work at our own pace and don\u2019t have anyone telling us to get stuff done. For example we wanted to postpone our EP release date by a month just so we could spread stuff out and so it would be closer to gigs we have planned in the new year. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disadvantages- All the different software and equipment can be a bit overwhelming at times but we are slowly getting used to it. We recently bought new mixing software and it\u2019s very confusing. We do (to an extent) enjoy exploring and trying it all out though.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I love the fact we can work at our own pace and have the complete freedom to do whatever we want with the music we write\/produce.”<\/b><\/p>Martha McKay<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Do you feel acting as an independent artist has allowed you to be more creative? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: 100%. We have complete freedom to create whatever we want and because we work together we often come up with ideas the other person wouldn\u2019t have thought of. We aren\u2019t restricted to a certain genre either so we love being experimental and trying out loads of different things. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you feel there are so many DIY scenes popping up around the UK? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: I think 2020 has had an incredible creative spell on a number of people. There are so many incredible new acts and bands. This partially comes from lockdown, artists using their abundance of free time to be imaginative and write lots of new material. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes a solid DIY scene and how do you get involved? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha<\/b>: Support and solidarity is definitely what the grassroots\/ DIY music community is all about. It\u2019s like a big family of people who stream\/ buy each other\u2019s music and attend each other\u2019s gigs. It\u2019s really a comforting thing to be a part of. I think the best way to get involved is by visiting local independent music venues as often as you can, getting involved with artist\u2019s facebook groups and make sure you\u2019re in all the WhatsApp chats. That\u2019s the best place to start.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Listen to ‘Long Hot Summer’<\/i><\/b> (Cover) here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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