This edition of the Chatterbox Redux podcast
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More from them in a bit. Chatterbox. When the
stars talk, they talk to Nick and Sue. And welcome
back to the Chatterbox Redux podcast with Nick
and Sue and today our special guest is Ella Clayton.
This is Nick and Sue with Chatterbox giving you
all you need to know about musical entertainment.
Oh, yeah! Chatterbox! And now in Chatterbox,
we're just lucky enough to welcome Ella Clayton.
Ella, how are you? Welcome. Hello. Thank you
for having me. I'm very well. Great to meet you.
You're welcome. Great to meet you. Right, we've
got a single, As You Are, and an album, Could
It Be You? Yeah. Well, we've both listened to
the single. I've heard it a few times. You've
just heard it for the first time, so haven't
you? So that all sounds good. So we'll chat about
them in a minute. Wonderful launch at the hundred
club, but before we do tell us a little bit about
yourself I mean, there's a page and a half here
of press release, but let's let's do have it
in your own words How you got here what you listen
to as a kid what's been played at home? Just
some of that stuff just to give us an idea of
what your influences might have been the makings
of. Yeah, so I grew up in a music loving household.
Both my parents play music, not professionally,
but we all, my brother and sister included, played
together in a very sort of on trap way as children.
And I think my parents put me on stage in a pub
when I was eight years old. And I was singing
at school without realising, getting into trouble.
It's just like in my bones. And then started
playing open mics and small gigs in my sort of
late teens, early 20s. And then I met my producer,
Lester Duvall, and we made my first album together,
Murmurations, which came out in 2022. That led
to sort of festivals and some of the songs were
placed in films and things like that. And then
I made my second album with Lester and that came
out Friday, just passed. And yeah, it's been
really exciting. I've got a tour. Coming up,
starting this Friday, I'm going to Leeds, Manchester,
Nottingham, Norwich, and then we end in London,
in my hometown, with the biggest headline show
I've ever done. I'm really nervous and excited,
but yeah, it's at the 100 Club in Solo. Why is
it called the 100 Club? Excuse me, I don't know.
It's been called it ever since I can remember.
Why is it called the 100 Club? Do you know why?
Oh, why? I have no idea. Okay, I think we're
about to find out. Why is he called the 100 Club?
Well, it won't be that. Why are you looking that
up, Ella? Are you ready for this, Ella? I'm ready.
It's called the 100 Club simply because it's
located at number 100 Oxford Street. Well there
you go. Originally known as the Feldman Swing
Club and live music began there in 1942, renamed
the 100 Club in 1964 by Roger Horton. So it's
been called the 100 Club 62 years anyway so it's
got quite a history. Yeah it does, it's got such
an iconic history. And now you know, that's brilliant,
you'd be telling everyone, and please do. On
stage, first thing you say. Anyway, back to you.
Yeah, if you could go on tour, what band or artist
or duo would you like to go on tour with? Oh,
there's so many. Big Thief. Do you know the band
Big Thief? No, but I will do an interview. Yeah,
they're one of my favorite bands making music
at the moment. Adrian Lenker is their songwriter
and she's absolutely prolific. She's released
something like four solo albums and the band,
I think they might have just released their sixth
studio album. So I think her songwriting is absolutely
like she's going to be remembered as one of the
best of our generation. I'd love to support them.
Do you know, I'm really manifesting a support
tour and within reason I'd go on the road with
anyone. Do you know what I mean? I just really
want the experience. I'd love to tour outside
of the UK as well, in Europe. But yeah, Big Thief
would be my number one. That's good. I'll just
read you some of these things here about some
of the shows you've been in. There was some Netflix
series here, you had something rather to do with
that. My song was featured on a game called Dead
Man's Phone and it's like a Netflix interactive
game and then it was also on a film soundtrack.
called Sweetheart. The film is a beautiful sort
of coming -of -age narrative. Yeah, my song was
in there. Don't you go underselling yourself
here, will you? You know, it's pretty good, some
of this. How do you feel that your song's been
played in a film? Oh, it's wonderful. It's, yeah,
it's absolutely amazing. I'd like to do a lot
more of it. Yeah, I mean, I was... Speaking to
someone earlier and just talking about sort of
musical influences, I think a lot of my music
tastes that sort of didn't come from my parents,
from what they were playing, the stuff that I
discovered myself was a large part down to movie
soundtracks. And it can sort of totally elevate
a film. So to have my music in... you know, to
accompany the visuals of a film would be amazing
to reach new audiences. Yeah, absolutely. So
got to eat somehow, you know. So got this lead
single from the album. So the album could it
be you and lead single as you are. So I got the
date of 24th of April, which was just gone, isn't
it? Yeah. So already available kind of thing.
Is that right? Yeah, it came out on Friday. yeah
uh the 100 club tell us a bit more about that
the date on the 100 club uh when when you're
doing the the big like thing there so yeah so
that's on the 28th of may Yeah. I'm glad you
said that because I will get confused because
we've got 28 to make 28. I'll just get all over
the place though. Thank you. 28 to make. Brilliant.
What can we expect next from you? I mean, yeah,
she's just got the album out, but what can we
expect now? What's planned? Because you obviously
don't... I mean, your third album, is it? Something
like that. So is there another album already?
Are you one of those people, seeing the songwriters,
that's always writing something, you think, oh,
I'll get that down and then... Are you one of
those people? Yeah definitely, it's like a sort
of compulsion in my mind, it's like an overdrive
all the time. I definitely have periods where
I'm, you know, you need to sort of like top up
your experiences so that you can then write about
them but I'm always writing things down and I
try and practice songwriting as a sort of muscle.
So could you be sat on a train and then there's
this so a couple of sentences come to you and
you just have to be writing down. Yeah I do or
if I hear some interesting conversation on the
train and someone says something quite juicy
I'm like oh write that down or yeah all sorts
of things dreams conversations with friends you
know landscapes nature all sorts of things. Cool
cool you've already been Talk about venues, is
there a venue where you, the 100 Club's pretty
nice for this launch thing. What venues have
you got in mind as part of your musical career
you'd like to play at? Is there any places you'd
think, oh I'd love to play there? Albert Hall?
Yeah, but you're not the artist here. Albert
Hall is iconic, it's an amazing venue. I think
for me, my... One of my dream venues is the Roundhouse.
I saw Alice Phoebe Lou play there last year and
it was absolutely electrifying. I also love the
Union Chapel. It's another North London venue.
It's a church but I've seen some amazing gigs
there and I have played there but only as a support.
I'd love to come back and do a headline there.
Oh, there's so many. I mean, I'd love to. I'd
love to play. I'd love to play in New York. Yeah,
I just. Well, we wish you every success with
this, of course. Tell us about some of the other
album tracks, because we want the whole album
here. Perhaps we'll stick one or two more in
when we edit and put the thing on the Chatterbox
radio show. Tell us about some more of the tracks
and maybe some stories behind them. I miss strangers.
I wrote that one in lockdown and I didn't have
the chance to sort of sit on trains and spy on
people and I really missed that and there's a
line in it about like looking at a beat -up pair
of trainers and you know wondering at the multitude
of lives that they may contain and Yeah, just
that sort of, you know, the sort of interactions
you can have with strangers that totally transform
your day. And while like, you know, spending
time, I was lucky enough to sort of spend that
lockdown with people I really loved, but there
was like something missing for me in that sort
of, you know, unexpected opportunities that come
from meeting strangers. And I loved the way we
ended up recording it in the studio. It was a
total surprise. Alex Crawford, the guitar player,
ended up coming up with this. Oh, who's that?
It's Twinkle. She's been rubbing around my legs
and she has to say hello to everybody. Hello
Twinkle. Yeah, she's fine now. But yeah, now
she's met you. Now she's met me. She's chill.
Yeah, so that song in the studio we ended up
recording in a completely unexpected way and
it was really exciting and brilliant. This edition
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to tangle And two to present a radio show So
here's Nick and Sue Your musical duo This is
Nick and Sue with Cheddar Box Giving you all
you need to know about musical entertainment
Cheddar Box Cheddar Box Which other song shall
I choose? Please Me is the opening track and
it's one of the more soulful songs on the record
and I guess it's it's a sort of love song for
people with anxious avoidant attachment styles
and Yeah, it starts off quite sort of guarded
and spiky. And then the sort of turning point
in the song is in the chorus when you sort of
realize like maybe you're not so choosy and,
you know, avoidant, maybe you're just holding
out for something that's really good. Are the
songs that you write, I appreciate you, you get
things out when you hear them, you get ideas,
whatever, I get that totally. But your songs
generally... True stories with a connection to
you. Are you telling a story yourself or something
that's happened to you? Or you just get those
ideas down and you could do a song that way.
Yeah, it's a mix. It's a whole mix. Most of the
time the spark of inspiration is related to myself.
Like something that's happened to me. or a feeling
I'm trying to work out or, you know, something
that's happened in real life around me, whether
or not it's directly me or someone else or whatever.
But then I think the process of songwriting for
me is almost trying to get out the way of myself
and just let it be whatever it wants to be. And
sometimes that means kind of removing myself
as as much as possible and other times it means
like tapping into you know excavating the sort
of deepest darkest bits of myself that I'm I'm
trying to hide um so it can vary yeah these song
as you are I think in all sorts here what's the
song about what do you what did you take from
it what was the You just take it away with you.
You just get away. It's a male's perspective
perspective and it's the female that's doing
the song and It's to do with a male. I can't
explain it. Is that correct or wrong? Oh No,
I mean, it's there's no incorrect. I love hearing
Different people's sort of interpretations of
it. I think of this song as a sort of friendship
love song and just about this sort of, like,
marvelling at the chances of crossing paths with
someone that you end up valuing and loving so
much. It's just like, yeah, those moments with
friends, I don't know, in the second verse, it's
all like, you're rollerblading in the park and
just having a laugh and it's like... can't believe
that we met and that this is, you know, in this
lifetime we get to spend all this lovely time
together. It's a bit cheesy, but that's what
the lyrics are about. There's that thing I used
to say a lot in interviews, wasn't it, about
songwriting, this saying that's like going to...
a song's like, it's a bit like going to an art
gallery and you look at someone's painting and
there's, you've got a hundred people there and
they've got a hundred different interpretations
as to what the painting is about. A song could
be the same as it's on your frame of mind, how
you feel. Totally, totally. That's the beauty
of it, you know, that's the... And you're the
first person that's asked me what I thought of
that song. Really? Brilliant, yes. Well, you
know, because I have my reasons, obviously, and
like, ideas about what it is. But then when I
release it, it's not mine anymore, you know,
it's like, pass on and then it's whatever you
feel is. It's not a really good way of looking
at it. I see also among the venues you've already
played in London, the St Pancras Old Church,
to speak to a lot of people that have played
there on the way up, which is brilliant. It sounds
like a must -go. It's not exactly far from a
railway station for us to get off and go to.
That's pretty obvious it's in the name, dear.
Yes dear, thank you for that. Even you'll find
that one. so uh no it's just it keeps cropping
up that one it seems to be like one of the places
to be in london is you know making your name
being heard there there's some pancreas old church
and they're they're people each of you they're
people that are like like you know having a big
launch or they're supporting somebody or whatever
so yeah it sounds like it's one of the venues
to be in london anyway so uh yeah it's brilliant
it's a gorgeous church um right next to some
pancreas station and um And I played there like
three years ago, did my headline, but then I've
played there since as a support act. Okay. Yeah.
Where's the venue we're going to next week? Oh,
that's right up high up Victoria. It's two stops,
two stops away from there actually. Yeah, it
is. We would change, get on probably Euston,
get on the... Probably Victoria Line there. Two
stops after that. So it's close, but not close
enough for what we want to be doing. What's the
venue? I'm going to have to look it up now. We're
seeing Bobo in at their record launch next Friday.
And do, do, do, do. The pub anyway, but it does
lots of music out there. Bobo. Good guy. Must
mean it to be a hall or? Better than a hall,
darling. Like a cathedral. it's cathedral yes
it's st paul's cathedral dear all right it's
all part of it open anchor it's actually islington
yeah oh the open anchor i know yeah you know
brilliant yeah it just sounds like there's a
whole like floor bath or something there's a
whole area which is done for the music so it
sounds like a really good music venue that's
what they're one of three acts so we've interviewed
them a few so sometime you'll be seeing us come
to you as well so there you go we will we will
we've been talking to them for a while we got
to they like become music friends so yeah we've
We're actually going to their launch. So there
you go. If you could write a song, who would
you write the song for? Would you like the person
to sing it? Oh, okay. Like a musician to sing
one of my songs. But you could also write a song
for that person. Yeah. Who would I write a song
for to sing? I'm now blanking on every single
artist I've ever listened to in my life. How
about going dead or alive? Dead or alive? That
sounds good, doesn't it? Let me find a way of
getting them. Dead or alive. So... I think it
would have to be... I'm gonna go with Alice Phoebe
Lou. She's an amazing... singer, songwriter herself,
and she has covered songs in a really cool way.
So whether I wrote something for her or whether
she covered one of my songs, I feel like she'd
do it in a really interesting way. Okay. Is your
next interview four o 'clock? We've got no one
at four? Yeah. Okay, right. Because I could chat
for ages to you, but we do it again sometimes.
It's fascinating. We ask if you can keep us updated
with your new songs when they come out. This
is where we're going next, because we're going
to do the social media bit. So if you've got
a website, then I just get the press releases
off that. So social media time, Ella. So what
social media have you got, and how can our listeners
take a look and, yeah, find a bit more about
you? So I'm on Instagram, TikTok, Substack. Substack
is my favorite sort of mode of communication.
I write newsletters, and you can sign up. through
my website, but I'm on Instagram, Ella Clayton,
TikTok, YouTube. My website is www .ellaclayton
.com and you can find my tour dates there and
a link to buy my vinyl. I've got the new record
on 12 inch eco mix vinyl and it's on Bandcamp
as well. And basically if you can think of a
social media, I'm on it and you can just search
Ella Clayton and you should find me. Okay, I'm
far too well for TikTok, but I'm sure most of
our listeners are on that. There was one I haven't
heard of. There was one, I'll write that down,
substack, never heard of that, I've written that
one down. Oh yeah, well, it's like a newsletter
thing, so you don't have to have the app to,
it goes straight to your email, basically. Okay.
So you'd get like an email with like a little
letter from me and some information. Nice, well,
it's been great meeting you, so wishing you every
success, especially with that launch at the 100
Club on the 28th of March, which in case people
forget where it is, it's at number 100 Oxford
Street. It's a great little fact to know, isn't
it? It's a great little fact. When did you say
it was open? 1947 or something? 1942 we've got
here, and now it's saying as the Feldman Jazz
Club Wait for this. It's the world's oldest continuously
running independent music venue. Yay. Wow. There
you go. And the 100 Club in 1964. There you go.
And now welcome Ella Clayton's album launch of
Could It Be You with the full band. That's brilliant.
There you go. Ella, I really enjoyed chatting
to you and I hope we can do it again some time.
Good luck with everything and the whole lot of
it and all the rest of the interviews for launch.
Now we've chatted, we'll be looking out for some
more stuff from you anyway, so there you go.
We know who you are now. All right, Ella, thanks
a lot. Cheers. Thanks so much. Enjoy your change
this week as well. Bye. Thank you. Bye -bye.
You've been listening to the Chatterbox Redux
podcast with Sue and Nick and today our special
guest was Ella Clayton If you're interested in
becoming a future guest on the Chatterbox Redux
podcast, or the radio show Chatterbox UK, you're
welcome to submit songs, books, or whatever it
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podcast. In the meantime, take care, we thank
you for your company and we catch you then. Bye
bye. This is Nick and Sue with Chatterbox giving
you all you need to know about musical attainment.
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