Chicago – Australian trio Little May has begun to turn heads here in the States, especially with their recently released single “Home.” Originally leaning towards folk, they now gravitate more toward indie rock and blend in beautiful, crisp harmonies. Guitarist Liz Drummond, drummer Hannah Field, and guitarist/banjoist Annie Hamilton have been hard at work on their debut LP, but between it all, they’ve also managed to tour the U.S. and Europe in support of their marvelous EP Little May. Best New Bands caught up with Little May at Bonnaroo. We chatted about their EP, music festivals, and the fact that they’re three musicians, who just so happen to be women.
Let’s talk about your EP Little May. Was there a set direction you wanted to achieve?
Annie: The EP was actually a long work in progress for us. We started writing these songs years before, and it took us about three years to actually record it all. So even though we released [the EP Little May] in October of last year, it was actually a long time in the works, and I think it definitely changed a lot during that process. We recorded parts of songs, ditched entire songs, and recorded new ones because during that time our sound was evolving and we were still trying to figure out what Little May sounded like. When we released the EP, it was a pretty accurate representation of the sound that we started with and what we’ve been doing over the last two years.
Tell me about “Hide.” It seems like someone did you wrong and you caught them in the act!
Hannah: It’s about bad relationships. I guess is the easy way to say it. I don’t know, I guess it’s pretty obvious what it’s about, so let’s just go with that. [laughs]
Does the person who did you wrong know the song is about them?
Hannah: I don’t even think they know it’s about them. We wrote “Hide” when we got lost on our way to Melbourne this one time.
“Boardwalks” is so beautiful. What inspired this song?
Liz: “Boardwalks” was actually the first song we ever wrote together as a band… It’s about leaving a relationship and getting on with life.
You just played at The Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. How was that?
Liz: It was f**king awesome!
Now you’re playing Bonnaroo. Festivals are so much fun! I hear there are lots in Australia. Do you have any favorite Australian festivals?
Liz: Yeah, Splendour in the Grass in Australia is amazing! There’s also a festival we played at for a few years, in Sydney, called Secret Garden, which Annie works on. She does a lot of the design and builds a lot of the festival. It’s really cool. You dress up. Everyone just wears whatever they want. It’s a beautiful festival!
In doing research for this interview, I read so many pieces that focused on the three of you being women. You were often labeled as “fem-folk.” As a feminist, that really irked me. Why weren’t these write-ups simply referring to your music as folk? One article even said you three are “women with real feelings and human dreams.”
All: Oh my god!
Liz: I have not heard that one. That’s terrible!
Hannah: Women with real feelings! That’s a shocker!
I know! I couldn’t believe it. I had to read it again, like did I just read that right? Do you find a lot of conversations focus on you being women in the music industry, rather than your talent?
Annie: I think [being female musicians] definitely isn’t something we really think about a lot of the time. You know, we never really sit down and [are] like, “Oh, we’re a girl band with real emotions!” [everyone laughs] We just write the music that comes out. We do what we do and we play the gigs. That’s our thing. We don’t want to draw attention to the fact that we’re women, but we also don’t want to hide it. It’s just a fact. You don’t see a band full of guys and say, “Whoa, it’s a boy band!”
Little May just doing their thing is definitely a good thing! Keep up with Little May on Facebook and Twitter for news of their upcoming debut and future tour dates. You can download their EP Here.
Photo by Sarah Hess
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
Latest posts by Sarah Hess (see all)
- The Wild Feathers Check One Off The Bucket List - July 31, 2017
- RY X Captivates Chicago - October 24, 2016
- Four New Bands at Day Three of Riot Fest - September 20, 2016
