Interview, Sweet Jane

Artist: Sweet Jane
Source: Paddy Murphy

Hot from touring with Glasvegas, Sweet Jane have been gaining quite the reputation for wonderful live shows packed full of sophisticated melodic tunes.Drop-d caught up with vocalist Lydia Des Dolles to talk about all things music, the Dublin music scene and something her mammy won't won't like to hear her saying......

Drop-d: Tell us Lydia who are Sweet Jane and how did the band come about?

Lydia: Sweet Jane are myself (Lydia Des Dolles), Danda, Ruairi Paxton and Andy Parkes.... Danda and I essentially started the back at the beginning of 2007, he had some songs and he needed a female vocal for them. When we heard the outcome of those songs and the positive response, we started the band with some friends. Then things got more serious when Ruairi and Andy joined, I think we realized the potential of the band.

Drop-d: You've got some really cool gigs coming up with some majorly cool bands, wanna plug them and give us some more info?

L: Well, the last time we toured with a band was Glasvegas around Christmas, March 31st we're in Dublin with A Place to Bury Strangers, we toured with them last year so we are so excited to play with them again and Dead Confederate. Then we're in the UK with Delta Mainline and Guile, and we're doing Alan Mc Gee's Death Disco in London with St. Deluxe in May. We've got some headline shows coming up ourselves and we're waiting to confirm a UK tour with a pretty huge band right now, but I can't give to much away on that just yet.

Drop-d: Personally who's you own biggest influence, who made you wanna be in a band? Same question but as a collective band?

L: I think I was originally influenced by records my Dad played when I was a kid, y'know, Billy Joel, Roberta Flack, Ella Fitzgerald, The Eagles, The Faces, and then I really only got into music in a big way around the early 90's, the whole grunge era. Hole and Courtney Love played a big part in my early teens, then I went a bit sour and got into metal in a big big way, alot of bad metal. I missed out on the whole Britpop era when I was a kid so when I found it I was really able to appreciate it and learn from it. I guess right now, main influences would be bands like, Royal Trux, Darker My Love, Fleetwood Mac, The Kills, Black Mountain, Ike & Tina and Rolling Stones.

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