Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Drahla
Leeds has no shortage of guitar music. If anything, it has a surplus. The red-brick terraces that line the suburbs and the basement practice rooms that lie below them are full of the stuff, spilling over with attempts to replicate shoegaze and chaotic odes to the city’s post-punk past. Drahla are certainly indebted to the latter, but there’s something about their sound that transcends comparison to their peers or predecessors.
It might be Luciel Brown’s vocals, definitive, delicate and detached, floating effortlessly above screeching saxophones and lawless guitars. Or it might be the words she gives voice to, fractured phrases afforded new meaning in her delivery and intonation. It may well be the instrumentation that underscores her declarations, at once dense and minimal, off-kilter but never off-putting.
Really, it’s a combination of these elements. It’s the unmistakable sound of a band that have really taken the time to hone in on their intricacies and idiosyncrasies, nurturing them and pushing them to the forefront. The group’s formation has been refined and realised, too, with the recent addition of guitarist Ewan Barr filling out their shimmering art rock sound.
The band have devoted just as much time and attention to touring, their expeditions across Europe allowing them to polish a live presence just as stunning as their work on record. Even when they’re taking to stages barely one foot off the ground at their local working men’s club, Brown’s vocals are sure to leave audiences in a daze.
Drahla are set to show off their unparalleled consideration for their craft once more on their sophomore record, angeltape, set for release this spring. Until then, get to know them a little better below.
Quick-fire Questions with Drahla:
1. What’s your favourite comfort movie?
Rob: “Begotten.”
Lu: “I’m more comfort TV. I like ’90s Mr Bean.”
Mike: “Hook.”
2. What was your 2023 album of the year?
Rob: “André 3000 – New Blue Sun.”
Lu: “Second that.”
3. What’s your favourite venue in Leeds?
Lu: “Wharf Chambers, probably.”
4. What’s your lyrical process?
Lu: “Drawing from things I’ve already written – poems, notes, etc.. and then expanding on them/reworking them into a lyrical format.”
5. What’s the worst song ever made?
Rob: “‘Rabbit’ by Chas & Dave is pretty appalling, but I’m sure there’s worse. Anything on Capital FM?”
6. What bands are you most excited about right now?
Rob: “Blue Bendy.”
7. What’s the best pub in the world?
Lu: “I think the best pubs are best kept a secret. Somewhere with a fire for sure, though.”
8. What’s on your rider?
Rob: “Carrots straight from the ground in a plastic bowl.”
9. Who were you listening to as a teen?
Mike: “Iron Maiden, The Research.”
Lu: “A lot of varied stuff, but was really into N.E.R.D.”
Rob: “Wheatus and Mortiis.”
10. What’s the last record you bought?
Rob: “Yusef Lateef – Eastern Sounds, Frank Sinatra – Plus Two, Roy Eldridge – Rockin’ Chair.”
Mike: “Rainbow – Rainbow Rising.”
Lu: “Ella Fitzgerald – Ella in Berlin, Rush – Hemispheres.”
11. Who’s the best Beatle?
Rob: “Pete’s best.”
12. What are you reading at the moment?
Mike: “Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad and Nina Simone’s Gum by Warren Ellis.”
Rob: “Set Meals. A. For Two Persons. Choose any Two Dishes from No.64 – No.206 (special, king prawn or duck dishes, £1 extra). Spare Ribs. Young Chow Fried Rice. Prawn Crackers. Spring Rolls – £22.”
13. How do you take your coffee?
Rob: “Strong and black.”
Lu: “Like special agent Dale Cooper.”
14. What’s your go-to pickup line?
Rob: “Bend your knees, keep your back straight.”
15. What’s in for 2024? What’s out for 2024?
Rob: “Drahla, in and out.”
