Musician Tallulah Rendall

Another year, another round of X Factor wannabes on the way. In the current blur of identikit, manufactured singers, it can be tough to find someone  with real artistic integrity, genuinely doing something different that makes you sit up and listen.

Step forward Tallulah Rendall. The ferociously talented singer-songwriter is releasing her second album, Alive at the end of this month. Described by the Standard as their ‘top up and coming artist’, Tallulah’s gorgeous melodies come with a bit of a difference. After releasing her debut, Libellous, along with a hardback art book, Tallulah has handed Alive to a host of artists, including a cartoonist, a sculptor, a writer and a dancer. Each has collaborated on one song, creating their own interpretation of the music.

The London Word caught up with Tallulah to find out more about the inspiration behind her latest project, her dream dinner dates and why she loves Stoke Newington.

Tell me a little bit about you, and how you started out in the music industry…

“I started writing when I was 14 and this has just gone from there. I played in bands in Manchester and then when I moved back to London I decided to just focus on my own songwriting rather than co-writing. The band I play with now have been with me for about six years and they have become family. I will write the song but each person writes their own part so it definitely feels like a collaborative experience rather than me militantly telling them what to play. Luckily, normally each of their initial ideas I love!”

 Any particular career highlights so far?                                                                   

“There have been some great ones, from touring in Japan, New Zealand and Oz last year, to performing on the  fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square as part of the Anthony Gormley project; to singing at Shirley Bassey’s 70th; to releasing my first album Libellus as a book.”

I love the fact that you released  Libellus along with a book of art. Where did that idea come from?                                                                                                            

“Thank you, it’s lovely to hear that. To answer your question – I love books! I love the smell of a new book – that is probably a little weird, but I am sure you know what I mean. My mum used to run nightclubs in the ’70s so, as a kid growing up, our basement used to be filled with old vinyl.  

“I loved the artwork and the Gatefold sleeves and decided I wanted a record presented like that, but as not many people buy vinyl anymore, creating a book seemed the next best thing. So I asked a close friend, Beshlie McKelvie to create the paintings for each song and then approached different photographers to find an image to also match the track, and it just grew from there.”

What was the inspiration behind your latest album, Alive?                          

“Whilst we were touring Libellus, people used to come up and tell me how much they loved the idea of a musician creating a book and the intimacy that it allowed the reader, so I thought ‘well it works let’s do it for the next record’, but I wanted to expand on the idea.  

“When we were in New Zealand we toured with Amy Richardson Impey who is Miss Pole Dance New Zealand – she is an incredible aerial and pole artist. She had choreographed performances to two of my songs and as she danced I thought, why not collaborate with different artists from different mediums? Give them each a song and allow them to create whatever they wish. I am an independent artist and create whatever type of music I wish so it felt fitting to allow those that I was collaborating with to have the same level of freedom with their interpretation of my music.”

Who have you collaborated with this time round?                                            

“Sculptor and organiser of The Alternative Miss World, Andrew Logan; Music Painter Kilford; painter and designer Beshlie McKelvie; artist Jonathan Bishop; animators Jelly Brain; photographers Charles Moriarty and Nilu Izadi; cartoonist Gray Jolliffe; writer Danae Brook; jewellery Designer Bex Rox; dancer Amy Richardson Impey and graphic artist  Joanna Czajka.”

Where was the best gig you’ve ever played?       

“The best band vibe on stage was our single launch for Blind Like a Fool at Shunt. Latitude 2009 was fantastic – we had a real spinal tap moment though and got lost and ended up outside the festival and had to take a boat across a lake to get to the stage and then Jay pulled a complete whitey which resulted in chronic band laughter mid song.”

And the worst?                                                                                                                                   

“I sung at a friend’s birthday party once a long time ago and I was not very happy at the time and was feeling really unconfident about the songs and myself and I was just crap and the audience were really not into it. It was generally shit and I walked off stage thinking ‘right that’s it – I am never doing this again’. I got very drunk and quit for about a week – but I couldn’t walk away. So here I still am.”

 Which artists (musical or otherwise) do you admire and why?                       

“Patti Smith – I love her honesty and passion. Currently, Laura Marling – she is a great songwriter. And Alexander McQueen was amazing – his shows were theatrical shows of perfection.”

Which five people (alive or dead) would you like to invite to dinner?             

“Off the top of my head, Patti Smith, Jeff Buckley, Angus Young, Trent Reznor, PJ Harvey. Would be a bit of a weird dinner party though – if everyone was having an introverted day it might be a bit crap! So I might have to throw Bill Hicks in there as well to shake it all up.”

What else do you have coming up in 2011?                                                                          

“I am really excited about the fact that I have just persuaded Foyles Bookstore, on Charing Cross Road, to stock my book so we are doing a signing and a performance on April 12. We are then off to Berlin and New York for shows and then we will be touring the UK in May. Hopefully some festivals, then back out to Oz for a tour in September or October. I would love to do more shows in Japan and Europe so we shall see.”

What is your favourite area of London and why?                                                   

“Stoke Newington and Newington Green. I have been living there for the last four years and I love it. There is a great sense of community which in London I always think is hard to find. There are lots of great little nights and most of the people I know in town live round there.”

What’s the best gig venue in London (as audience or as performer)?               

“We performed at The Tabernacle last week at the pre-album launch – it was a chance for everyone involved in the project to get together and celebrate the fact we had finished and had this beautiful book to be proud of. I had an exhibition of all the artwork and we performed the album – the vibe was amazing and I really enjoyed the night. I would love to play Shepherd’s Bush Empire – that is definitely my mission!”

How would you spend a perfect Sunday?                                                                    

“Eating a huge roast, drinking red wine with friends walking on Hampstead Heath and drunkenly jamming – we used to do that in my old flat in Newington Green – but definitely not enough. The best is just getting everyone on an instrument whether they can play or not.”

www.tallulahrendall.com