Claire Birchall

 

I first saw Clair Birchall back round 2017, when I saw her perform with her backing band, the Phantom Hitchhikers, and after seeing them I went out and got there latest LP at the time, Nothing Ever Gets Lost. Was a cracking release, amazing swampy rock n roll, and Claire’s killer voice up front made me want to hear more. Fast forward a few years, and I saw Claire again at the Tote, when she performed solo, with a guitar, keyboard, synth and drum machine. It was quite different to the other time I saw her, but still a fantastic show, and like the first time, while it was completely different musically, I still wanted to hear more. April 2020 saw the release of her latest LP, Running in Slow Motion, a one women production full of synth pop, and was left startled that such a big sound can be made by one person and a 4 track.

Munster: going back to the start, were you born and raised in Geelong?

Claire: a bit further down the coast, Torque, but Geelong was the closest big town.

Munster: a lot of your early material is just under your own name, with no band mentioned, did you start out with a band or with any other players, or did you begin playing music just solo?

Claire: well I was in a band in high school, we did a few battle of the bands, I was pretty young back then. I started doing my own thing when I was 16. I brought a 4 track and started writing and recoding stuff at home, also busking in the centre of Geelong, with my acoustic guitar, and started gigging under my own name. I played my debut gig at the Barwon Club when I was 18, also under my own name.

Munster: you mentioned the 4 track, so are all your early releases bedroom recordings?

Claire: yeah. I still do that now, my latest record Running in Slow Motion was recorded on the 4 track as well. It’s still working, touch wood. I take good care of it, I do love it.

Munster: so the 4 Track has gone the distance? 20 years?

Claire: Yeah.

Munster: how many instruments do you play?

Claire: Guitar mainly, I started on piano when I was really little, my parents got me some lessons. My dad played guitar so he showed me some chords when I was young. I also play a bit of drums, bass, I dabble in other things, I like to pick things up and have a go. I got a mandolin as well, whatever I can get my hands on I try and have a go at it

Munster: was it a case of you knew how to play all the instruments so you thought sod getting a band I can just do it myself?

Claire: Yeah, but also I was living down the coast in a small town so I didn’t know many people that played music. Plus it was a really exciting thing, to get the 4 track and being able to record stuff myself and sound like a band all on my own. But when you start doing shows there are limitations. so that did give me the kick up the arse to try and find some people to play with.

Munster: your discography is an interesting mix, there’s a fair amount of releases, a few LPS, a few singles, and some releases on cassette, which I love as a tape hoarder. I remember buying one off you when you opened for Kim Salmon.

Claire: I’m still fond of the cassette, I think it’s a nice little thing to continue to do, and do a release every now and then. With that release, I put that out because I was doing the tour with Kim and the LP wasn’t quite ready to come out yet, so I really wanted to put something out that was on the LP for this tour, it did pretty well. Strangely cassettes are getting a bit more popularity, a bit of a resurgence

Munster: that was a great gig, I remember you played a range of instruments, guitar, keyboard and some synth. Was pretty amazed you could get that big a sound with just one person.

Claire:  I’ve got an old synth, and an old 90s drum machine for the backing tracks, so a huge learning curb moving on to the synth pop stuff. I’m kind of over reading manuals now (laughs)

Munster: what process went into making the new LP Running in Slow Motion?

Claire: I didn’t really have a plan that I was going to do a synth pop record. I was playing with my previous band, the Phantom Hitchhikers, who was a five piece, everyone was getting busy doing other stuff, so we found it difficult to get everyone together for a rehearsal, so I got the 4 track out and had a muck around. I had a few song ideas kicking around. I added a few Casio keyboard and drum beats. I recorded a couple with the Casio and not many with guitar, and I found it refreshing working that way. Instead of beginning on guitar it gave me a spark to do more of that stuff, and the more I got into it I got the drum machine out, so some of the songs I recorded two or three times before I got the sound I wanted. So it took a while but that’s the beauty of recording at home you got all the time in the world, its not costing you anything, apart from tape (laughs).

Munster: so the electro thing just came about, there was no plan?

Claire:  yeah it really did, a total accident but the more songs I recorded the more I got into it. Just doing it with keyboards and drum machines really. Fortunately one of my work mates runs a fantastic record label called IT records, I thought maybe I should show it to Kate, maybe she’ll like it, and thankfully she did.

Munster: not surprising as your music’s always been a good mix of different styles.

Claire: yeah I don’t like to get stuck in a box with just one type of music, and sometimes that can happen playing in a band, you sort of start to write song to suits the band. That’s why I love the freedom of doing solo stuff. I got a broad taste when it comes to music, I like alt country, but I love raucous rock n roll, soul, punk and some synth pop. So yeah I don’t like to limit myself, or stop the creative flow, you know if you get an idea for a song you don’t want to think “oh no that’s not the right kind of thing”, you just got to go with it, whatever comes to you.

Munster: you play live both solo and with a band, and its funny, how some people play with a band, and they also play solo, and you notice at the solo shows they play smaller venues and have less people there, where I think with you, it doesn’t matter, band or solo the venues and crowds stay the same size.

Claire: yeah, and I mean it’s been really fun doing a few bigger shows here and there, doing the synth thing with a big PA, like “ah yes that’s the sound I want”. I’ve managed to get some big fat sounds and backing tracks. It sounds pretty big for just one person

Munster: going back to tapes, I read making mix tapes was a project of yours during lockdown?

Claire: yes, spent a lot of time sitting in the backyard having open fires, getting drunk, and making mix tapes to pass the time. Also made a few video clips, made a few live videos that I put on Facebook. In more recent lockdowns a new band has formed, True Sound. We’ve done one gig so far and a few more on the horizon. A three piece, with a keyboard, guitar and drum thing going on.

Munster:  I was watching the video’s you made, and was amazed at how cool they looked, considering it was a home project during lockdown

Claire: especially The Song for the Man on the Moon, it took so long. I even made the space suits. So all homemade, a huge undertaking but a good thing to have, having a big project like that, something to do in the boring hours of lock down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-P0ex-Bsso

Munster: how did you come to join Kim Salmons band?

Claire: I’ve been a massive fan for years, and seen him play for years too. Oddly enough the first time I saw him was when he played at the Torque footy oval when I was 15. So I completely spun out when I got this random Facebook message, when he said I know “you’re really busy but was wondering if you’d like to join my touring band, I got a tour coming up”. I completely lost my mind, I even squealed a little bit. I thought how can I respond and not sound like I’m going crazy over this. “Oh that sounds really good” (laughs) he came to some of my shows and went to his place for a bit of a play, sort of audition, and I was freaking out, thinking there’s no way I can do this. I thought I did terribly, but apparently I did alright, and I’m still in the band.

Munster:  does he give you directions on what to play on the songs, or does he give you room to do add your own touch?

Claire: some songs we kind of play the main riff, like Swampland, we got to play that riff. Some songs I can go off recordings, I was working out stuff by ear. Then sometimes he would say I’d like some keyboards on this song, so I’d listen to the original and there would be no keyboards, so I had to come up with my own thing. So thought oh I hope he likes this. But I’ve been doing alright.

Munster: and you also run a record shop, a Dixon’s branch?

Claire: yeah I was working in Fitzroy, and we moved to Northcote during the last lockdown. That was insane, such a big job, took us the whole three months, but new shop is cool, was a good move.

Munster: do you have a favouirte Fall LP?

Claire: no

https://clairebirchall.bandcamp.com/