Hello, please introduce yourself and your music to the uninitiated.
We are Melodica Melody and Me, a four-piece band from South London pioneering the charango and melodica. We play folk music with Latin American influences and sound as fresh as a baby’s breath.
Tell us a bit about your latest release?
It’s a track called ‘Imperfect Time’ that will feature on our debut album that we’ve been recording in our home studio in Streatham. It’s a wistful little number with some guest trumpets and piano so the sound is really rich and full. We’ve been touring with Coco’s Lovers to celebrate the release and it’s been going down a treat live so we’re really pleased with it so far.
What was your best ever gig?
We’ve played some big shows at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire with Johnny Flynn, and the Union Chapel with Bombay Bicycle Club which we enjoyed a lot. But I’d say for me my favourite has to be the gig we just put on as our single launch for ‘Imperfect Time’ at the Hoxton Bar and Grill recently. It’s always nice to sell out a venue and a combination of some great support acts, good sound and a particularly special atmosphere made it our best yet.
What’s the worst thing about being a musician?
A combination of the amount of hours you spend sitting on motorways travelling to gigs, the disgraceful food you always end up eating before shows and the look in your father’s eyes when he realises you’re not gonna’ get a proper job any time soon.
What inspires you?
We’re always inspired by other musicians we play with and listen to and I guess the sounds of our local area has been a big inspiration to us growing up.
If you won a billion pounds what would you do with it?
I’d buy myself a guitar and give Rudi back his.
Which of your songs is your favourite and why?
I’ve got different favourites when it comes to performing and listening to recordings, but I’d say I enjoy playing ‘Ode to Victor Jara’ the most at the moment. The lyrics tell the story of the Chilean poet, songwriter and activist whose life and cruel murder inspired the band, so it’s got solemn moments but a lively instrumental section that always gets people dancing – so I think it has something for everybody.
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to release our debut album this winter and do some more touring, hope to make it abroad too – that, and get a proper job.
Finally, we’re always looking to expand our musical horizons. Do you have any recommendations of bands or artists we should be looking out for?
A band we played alongside in Manchester recently called United Vibrations are incredible, they might not meet the folk criteria for you guys but won’t disappoint anybody when you see them live.