In Conversation: Problem Patterns
Belfast’s Problem Patterns released their debut album ‘Blouse Club’ via Alcopop! Records to critical acclaim in October. The four-piece were in Glasgow to support Spook School at SWG3 and I sat down before the gig with Beverley Boal, Bethany Crooks, Ciara King and Alanah Smith to chat through their remarkable end to 2023, beginning with winning a Northern Ireland Music Prize award.
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Congratulations on your debut album ‘Blouse Club’ and also for the Northern Ireland Music Prize award for Video of the Year with ‘Who Do We Not Save’. You performed on the night and am I right in thinking you created a bit of a problem for security?
It’s a seated event and a pair of friends came down to dance for the first song, and then a few others ran down! So security were like “What do we do?” and then they just gave up! I jumped off the stage at one point and ran around doing the guitar solo!
To go back to how you started together as Problem Patterns, I read you had this collective fury about a rape case. I’m just interested to know what was it about using music as an expression of that rage?
I think we had all said for a while that we wanted to write original stuff, but there was no big push. We were all so angry so we thought why don’t we just write about this. We want to talk about how upset it makes us and how the justice system is broken. It doesn’t look after victims of assault at all. No-one was talking about that on a public level, especially in the music scene, where abuse is prevalent. A lot of bad people are getting away with a lot of bad things and we were just so tired of this. The music gets people listening.
Did you all know each other beforehand?
We have been friends for a while, it was our way of processing our emotions. Before we felt a bit helpless when it was just us in our own group chat. Going to vigils and marches we realised that other people were feeling this too. And we wanted to share that expression and hope that it would resonate with others. It’s about using what skills you have, I guess to get the message across and using what comes naturally to you to get that catharsis.
You released your debut single ‘Allegedly’ in December 2018 and it quickly got some attention, which perhaps felt a little strange due to the subject matter.
There was a few others trying to push for change. And we want to see change fully, we want to kick up a fuss about this stuff. And I think that’s why it got a bit of attention as well because it’s quite a direct song. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything. We don’t budge on how we feel about things. We would never take success over the cause. It is a complicated one. On the success of the single, its successful to us if it’s making anything change or makes anyone feel anything good. We don’t want to work with anyone that doesn’t feel right. None of that stuff matters. Our success is to the four of us. I remember moving to Belfast and going to things like Women’s Work, which is a festival highlighting, women with female musicians there, but they were all synthpop which there’s nothing wrong with but it was literally synthpop and girls with acoustic guitars. And again, you know, there’s plenty of space for that, but there was no heavy bands in terms of gender diversity. It’s pushed on a little bit, there’s definitely way more than there was when we started.
You released your debut EP ‘Good For You, Aren’t You Great’ in 2019 but how did you come to the attention of Alcopop?
Jack came over for Output Belfast which is a music showcase. And he had already heard some whispers and had some interest with people pointing us to him. We were flirting on Twitter! He was invited over as a speaker anyway. We showed him the album, invited him to the studio and he was, “I love this”. Literally the next week he sent us a first draft of the contract.
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Onstage I believe you perform as a collective, rather than having a designated front person. Do you switch instruments as well, and was that something you wanted to do from the very start of Problem Patterns?
We’ve said this in interviews before, but the two of us were in a cafe one day. We’re both like, I’d love to be in a band again. We both said I would love to sing in a band. So when we got together with the others we said if anyone has an idea for a song, just go ahead and do it. We can’t and don’t all experience the same things so it’s good to share from all our different perspectives. All four of us are from very different places, have different background’s as well. So it’s just cool to hear from everybody. In terms of the instruments once you’re a musician, you have a vague idea of all the other things that go along with it. There’s room for everyone. We want more underrepresented people to do that. There is a fear of not being technically the best. We get “oh she doesn’t know how to do this and they don’t know what to do”. Women, gender non-conforming people are automatically considered to be less good. But if you create this club where everybody does whatever they want. All the most iconic artists are not playing by the book.
Moving on to the album, the lyrics are just phenomenal. For example on ‘Letter Of Resignation’ at the beginning it’s almost like it’s a mantra repeating “it’s not my job”. Then you go on to shout “You can’t fire me I’m leaving”, the positivity and empowerment of it is uplifting. The themes some seem quite personal, some are quite political but then you do have a huge sense of fun as well, particularly in the music itself. At times you tip on the edge of hardcore, but with other tracks it’s great to dance. Ending the album on ‘Domestic Bliss’ is fantastic particularly because of the energy. But I have to ask, on the outro, is that a washing machine?
It’s a vacuum cleaner!
I’ve not seen you live yet but I have listened to the album and watched the NI Prize Award performance and I have to ask, where does that rage come from?
You’ve heard the news every day. That’s why we’re otherwise so calm. We just keep it all in and it’s surprisingly easy to bring that rage onstage. And I mean, you could be having a nice day then you get to a venue and the sound guy thinks we’re stupid. It’s more of a rare thing that we’ve had someone that we really liked while setting up – shoutout to Joe in Cork!
And with regards to the cover artwork, it’s by the Scottish based artist Nänni-Pää. How did that come about?
We had a pile of artists on Instagram that we all really liked and wanted to work with. And we looked at her work and thought that it really fitted. It doesn’t sound like the album looks, it looks completely different. Plus there are a few Easter Eggs within the art, which is just great.
Final question, what are your plans for 2024?
We are playing so many shows and festivals including Bearded Theory. But we also want to get back to writing because it’s been a while. We haven’t really written anything since the album so it will be fun to get started again.
And will you do your own tour?
It’s theoretically in the works because we haven’t done an actual album tour but it’s so hard being a band from Belfast because basically if you would want to go and do a week you’d have to book a ferry with a van, or hire everything over here. We’ve done really well with these one-off shows. When we played London a few weeks ago, we just borrowed everything which was phenomenal. It meant we could take a really cheap flight over and not carry anything.
We’ve been very, frugal with everything basically. I think a lot of promoters over here and in England and Wales don’t really think about it, because they’re so used to bands being able to drive everywhere. And for us, we’ll get an email saying can you come to Manchester for 50 quid? And can you bring like a backline? So we’re taking an unusual approach to how we get there, checking in and making connections.
Promoters take note – get in touch with Problem Patterns for a gig. You will not be disappointed.
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‘Blouse Club’ is out now – grab it on Bandcamp, why doncha.
Words: Julia Mason
