The Cork --- An English Cut Publication Zero Issue | Page 58

Their band mate shares this resourcefulness. She’s a frugal packer: “I

The romantic notion of musical inspiration is that it can strike any-

think it’s from years of having to drag my suitcases through airports and

time and anywhere — in the shower, while walking the dog — and in any

on and off sleeper buses.” She even makes her own stage clothes when she

form. But the reality is that the muse is more likely to descend when you

can’t find what she wants, albeit only uncomplicated tops — with hook-

actually sit down to write. “You do get ideas that crop into your head,

and-eye fastenings, no zips. “They’re only for show. I don’t think Tom

and then it’s a building thing,” says Cracknell. It helps that she normally

would be too impressed with the patterns and construction,” she laughs.

has writing partners. “I find it harder to write on my own,” she says.

While Cracknell was in and out of bands until aged 15, she nearly

“I get distracted. If I’ve got somebody else to bounce ideas off, I find

landed a different stage role after growing bored of not getting a deal,

that the most productive.” Although, for the new Saint Etienne album

doing a year at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and some

that they’re currently writing, because Bob has had a baby, they’ve been

fringe until she met Bob and Pete. She also had dramatic pedigree

working on ideas separately then bringing them to the table to chew

via her father Derek, a prolific assistant director who worked with

over. “People in other bands do find it weird that we write songs to-

Stanley Kubrick and on James Bond films such as Live And Let Die. “I

gether all the time,” says Cracknell. “But when you’ve been together

remember being really fascinated by the bit where Roger Moore is tied

such a long time, you’re so in tune. Plus there are no egos, so it’s easy.

up above a pool of sharks, dripping blood,” she says, re-enacting her

No one gets uppity if somebody says, ‘That’s good, but why don’t we

younger self’s sharp, shocked intake of breath. Nowadays, her setting is

try this instead?’”

less exotic and more rural and, because of the nature of her job, work

Saint Etienne might be fast workers when it comes down to it —

comes in waves. “If you’ve got a record out, you suddenly have a whole

“We’ve always been pretty swift at recording things” — but their long

spate of activity: interviews, photo shoots and gigs,” she says. “Then

players display a remarkably long shelf life, as evinced by the Foxbase

it can be very quiet for a few months. But it’s good because it’s varied.

Alpha gigs. Is there some intangible art to music then that separates the

There’s always something coming up. And until then, you can have a bit

crafted from the merely manufactured? Or is it a science — a clever one,

of downtime and be really lazy, just looking after the children.”

sure, but ultimately just a formula? “We did a bit of writing with a

Far from a temptation to let the grass grow under her feet, the coun-

company called Xenomania, who’ve had so many hits: Girls Aloud,

tryside in fact provided direct inspiration for Cracknell’s solo album Red

Sugababes and Pet Shop Boys, among others,” says Cracknell. “They

Kite, which she released last year. “The songs were very much about

were quite formulaic about it. Clearly it works. But I don’t know about

the area that I live in,” she says. “It was quite pastoral, because I’m

the longevity. I think our fans, who’ve been with us for years, they get

surrounded by fields and trees — that was quite important both lyrically

what we’re about and they get that we feel quite passionately about

and just sort of feel-wise.” The region also proved surprisingly handy on

what we do. It’s got to be right — down to artwork, everything.”

a logistical level: the album was recorded in her neighbour’s barn, within

Perhaps another element in Saint Etienne’s longevity is that they’ve

two weeks. “We hired equipment and set up a temporary studio, so to

never done too long a stint of touring. “The most we’ve ever done is two

abandon it all would mean to take the whole thing down again, take it

and a half, three weeks,” says Cracknell. “I think that’s when you start

away and come back again,” she says. “The people I was working with

getting on each other’s nerves and losing the will to live. And being

[including the Manic Street Preachers’ Nicky Wire] were also living in

away from writing and recording too long doesn’t help.” While the band

the house, so we kind of had to do it in two weeks.” The time pressure

mates don’t live in each other’s pockets, thus not breeding the contempt

was conducive to creativity. “I love a deadline,” says Cracknell. “Give

born of over-familiarity, they are in fairly constant contact, although

me a deadline and I can become very creative! My children are like that:

disappointin gly there isn’t a Saint Etienne WhatsApp group. Maybe

they won’t do their homework until the day before it’s due. Or maybe

it’s fitting though that their preferred mode of communication is rather

it’s just human nature? I don’t know.”

more retro: “There is a thing called the telephone, you know.”

56

THE CORK

THE CORK

59