Allo Darlin’ don’t tend to take many things seriously.
Formed (or should that be stumbled into?) by a group of friends their debut album is one of the freshest indie pop releases to come our way in some time. Charming, self-effacing and opinionated the band are a world away from scene-riding bandwagon leapers.
Half-Australian and half-Kent, Allo Darlin’ centre on the tender voice of Elizabeth Morris. Growing up in Australia, the singer knew what music she wanted to make – and where. “The music scene in Brisbane was really cool but it was more a lot of noise and punk stuff. I just knew that the music I wanted to make probably wouldn’t go down as well” she explains. “I think one of the harder things in getting a band together is actually getting the right people together, and for so many people that’s like the mission. Once you get the right combination of people together the rest comes really easily, and that’s something we’ve been really lucky with. We are very lucky in that we get along really well, but it took some searching – it took a while.”
Asked to contribute a cover to a Springsteen tribute album, Morris asked some friends to help out. A one off recording begat a gig, which begat a tour, which begat an album. Allo Darlin’ quickly spiralled, becoming a full blown band almost by accident. “The space between forming as a band, playing our first show and then recording the album was only like four months to get things together. A lot of songs on the album – I’m sure you can hear it – were written the night before. The impetus was adrenaline, just the thrill of going for it.”
Fresh and witty, Allo Darlin’ reflect the same joyful spirit which penetrates The Slits or The Royal We. Of course, this comes with a price as well. “There’s a lot of mistakes on it” she admits. “We didn’t want to go back and fix anything. If you write music then when you make songs you don’t really expect anyone to hear them. You expect some people to hear them but my kind of goal was to get a song played on the dancefloor at How Does It Feel To Be Loved? – that was my one aim with it. I didn’t think we would go to America three times in one year. We’ve been lucky getting all this attention but I wouldn’t say it was something that we particularly went searching for. Obviously we wanted to do well but it sort of took us by surprise.”
The nascent London scene fostered the young group, with a mixture of old heads and young converts filling their early shows. Yet Allo Darlin’ are keen to disassociate themselves from any scene, admitting to an equally strong love of classic rock such as Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac. “Perhaps in the older generation, friends of mine who were in indie bands in the late 80s and early 90s, they have a complete hatred of any of that kind of stuff. When we did the Springsteen some people were really angry, like saying “he was the antithesis of everything we stood up for”. We’re kind of the right age for that material. Musically it’s amazing and a lot of that stuff has a nostalgic quality, it’s full of memories. It gets us into trouble, we get a lot of grief over it but we don’t care.”
Mixing country, Motown and more with the indie-pop template Allo Darlin’ sound at once both fresh and familiar. The group seem at ease with themselves both live and in the studio, which can led to accusations of twee. However scratch the surface and you find a group of people passionate about what they do, and often quite frankly pissed off at scene politics. At one point on their debut LP the group poke fun at the punks in Camden, and the hipsters in Shoreditch – easy targets, but perhaps prescient. “I think the indie pop scene itself is very cliquey. I love it because our band has been really amazingly treated by people in the scene and we’ve got so much out of it, but I’ve got friends in other bands who don’t do nearly so well” the singer explains. “They don’t get any sort of attention paid to them and I don’t know why that is- it’s something about the mindset. The indie scene can be quite cliquey, to people outside that it can be quite hurtful. I’ve never really understood how it works, or why we’re accepted by all these people. “
Currently readying material for their second album, Allo Darlin’ are keen to spend more time in the studio. Touring across Europe and beyond, the band have discovered like minds at every turn, pushing music forwards and challenging what ‘indie’ even means. “I think maybe to the people who make it or are involved in the music or the labels it’s more about an attitude. I guess like punk, back in the day” states Morris.
“Shrag have the same attitude as we do, or Standard Fare and all these other bands. They believe in independent labels, places for people who come really far to see them. People come from all over to see these pop fests which happen in the UK. They happen all over now, we’re playing one in San Francisco, one in Barcelona and one in Madrid this year. I think that it’s all about the attitude – DIY, people getting involved and making things themselves.”
Get into it, get involved. AlloDarlin’ are on tour now, check the dates HERE.