We grab 10 minutes with talented songstress, Beth Orton, on her upcoming London show at the Roundhouse, new music, and the changing face of the music biz.
What have you got up your sleeve for this February UK tour?
I am going to be attempting to seamlessly integrate songs from my last record, Kidsticks, with a wide range from all other releases. I’m coming as a duo, and my sidekick for these shows is playing electric guitar and bass. We are creating some very beautiful layering of sounds, all in all an intimate gig, but not entirely acoustic.
Should be interesting, going from The Plug in Sheffield to the Roundhouse in London. Might that be jarring for you, or no big deal? They're both cool venues, just pretty different...
These extremes are an important part of touring, and what makes it exciting and different each night. It’s always that way. I love the club gigs, and sometimes it can be a bit underwhelming going from the excitement and energy of a gig like The Plug to a more formal setting in a theatre. I do know though that the roundhouse will have a beautiful feel, so I’m beside myself to be playing in the round there, but the immediate intimacy and connection of a club gig like The Plug is hard to match, and I am super-excited for Sheffield.
Will you be performing many tracks from Kidsticks? How do you go about bringing that electronic material to the stage?
I’ve been doing a full band set with electronics and programming, and it’s been a blast. For this tour, I wanted to find a bridge between Kidsticks and my other records, and I think we’ve found that between the two of us. We’re taking the most beautiful atmospheric elements of all my songs from the last 20 years, and stringing them together like short stories or poems.
Are you someone who likes to write while on the road?
I’m always writing. Been like that since a kid. Always plotting! [smiles]
With that being said, is there new material we should be getting excited about?
Yes, very much so. I’m working on some new material. I also have some releases this year of unheard collaborations with some pretty special people...
Finally, what has changed the most in the music industry since you put out your first record
It’s a very different world to release music in. It’s difficult in some ways with the live streaming, and the impact that has had, but in other ways, there’s more freedom to be creative. I don’t know if I should let you in on my secret projects this year because it’s a surprise, but I think it’s a more open minded world than it once was, musically; and I enjoyed that on my last record, and plan to have more adventures to come. There’s room to explore, and make music and release it with the urgency it was created in, and that makes me happy.
Follow Beth on Twitter HERE