Indie is a broad church.
Sure, you might think that Spector + Feedback = indie but you’d be wrong. Go back and listen to C86, a release which was far more eclectic and downright noisy than some limp wristed commentators would have you believe.
Born in Brighton, coming of age in London, Shrag are often lumped in with the indie scene. Now onto their second album, the band often sounds more at home with Riot Grrl or even post-punk tags. “The thing with the indie pop scene is that although we’re dubbed indie pop we never quite fit into that category. There’s a noisier, shoutier side to us” explains singer Helen King. “Especially with the twee thing, that label gets used a lot but it never makes sense to us. Someone called us psycho-twee once, which kind of made sense. I’m always confused when people call us a twee band because there’s more of a brashness, a noisiness running contrary to that. The good thing about the indie pop scene is that it does seem to accommodate both ends of the spectrum. We’ve played shows with bands who would comfortably fit into what is called twee, but then there’s others who are far noisier. It’s good, it seems to have room for the whole spectrum.”
Now onto their second album, last year’s ’Life! Death! Prizes!’ was a glorious mixture of clattering guitars and gleefully intoned lyrics. Shrag recall the shambling abandon of The Au Pairs or The Raincoats, two bands who revolted against punk and its leather jacket masculinity. In a British guitar scene dominated by identikit white blokes, Shrag stick out a mile. “In terms of lyrical content there is a lot there, how it feels to be a girl and be trying to be involved in something rather than just being a spectator of it” explains the singer. “When I was at school I had to play the flute in music lessons, while all the boys were learning guitar. It wasn’t expected that a girl would play the guitar. I ended up playing flute for years but I never really liked the flute in the end. Guitar was never an option for me but suddenly there was a way for me to be in a band rather than being a spectator.”
Throwing away her flute, Shrag was formed almost by accident. Five friends in Brighton, a one off show led to a one off single which led to a record deal. Signed to Where It’s At Is Where You Are – check them out, the entire roster is worth hearing – the band have begun to mature into a stunning songwriting team. “The first album was just a distillation of what we had done before. The new album had to be much more coherent, a set of songs which hopefully had some relationship between each other” she explains. “I’m really excited now and we’ve just started writing again. We’re taking ourselves a bit more seriously. It might be our last record, I don’t know – we’ll see what happens. It has to be done in a much shorter time, I mean we’ve only got about six months.”
Time for a reality check: back in the day, indie style was crafted out of sheer poverty. Under Thatcher, benefits were tightened and young musicians were left without a means to support themselves. Hence old cardigans, cheap shoes and what would become vintage. Not surprising, then, that it’s often hard to relate to the new generation of indie groups, all expensive tattoos and loft suites in Williamsburg paid for by interest on a trust fund. With young people across Britain feeling the pinch, Shrag are not alone in struggling to get by. “The thing with Shrag which frustrates me is that we’ve all got day jobs. This band does the opposite of making us any money. In terms of time constraints it can be a bit of a problem and it will continue to be like that” Helen King confides.
Which isn’t to say that life in the band is a continual struggle – one listen to ‘Life! Death! Prizes!’ will have you erupting in giggles. Shrag are a band who have a definite sense of humour, a cheeky wit and charm which invites, rather than excludes. “When we talked about making a new record I wanted to lean more towards the more serious, personal side” she explains. “Things that I find difficult, and try to be a bit more brave lyrically in terms of what I was addressing. But also retaining a sense of what is ridiculous about yourself, and finding humour in there. I still think that is important. Reaching to maintain a balance between taking yourself seriously and also not too seriously. There’s so much about myself which I find slightly ridiculous!”
With half the band in London and the rest in Brighton, communication can be a chore. Shrag are planning to record their third album this summer, and have benefited from the support of others. Part of a new wave of indie groups across the country, the scene seems to take its centre in London. Labels, club nights and more coalesce with musicians finding inspiration in each other and what is unfolding around them. “I’m always predisposed to be cynical but I’m not about this it’s just a group of people who are helping each other out. They’re not necessarily bands of the same ilk but they are incredibly supportive” she enthuses.
“When people call us indie pop I’m sort of a bit surprised, bit then it’s an umbrella term which means that we’re on the same bill as Allo Darlin. We’re quite different as bands but yet it somehow works, it doesn’t feel exclusive in that way it feels inclusive. It’s exciting, it’s people helping each other out. There’s no competitiveness it’s just really worthwhile. I feel that Shrag have been incredibly lucky in the way that we’ve been embraced. I love London, it seems to just sustain itself. There’s always enough people here who are working towards making things exciting and worthwhile.”
Shrag’s new album ‘Life! Death! Prizes!’ is out now.