CHANTELLE PIKE

Quirky people... we love 'em. If there's anything that gets us going, it's the slightly bonkers musicians out there, walking on a fine line but staying on just the right side of eccentriticity. In a world of dull-as-dishwater songwriters, we get bored very easily indeed, so when someone comes along with an angelic voice, songs that actually mean something and a penchant for an excellent tune or two, we can't help but takes our hats off. Chantelle Pike is one such person, and we put it to you that you're quite the quirk.

"Ha! Well that's understandable I suppose," she laughs, "I've had my fair share of quirkiness. The person I've been writing songs with for years now, we have that kind of spark together and whenever we start working on the music again there's a real buzz to everything. We lived on a barge together for about a year, just floating and writing songs, so I guess anyone doing something like that will end up with a bit of a quirk!"

Well, that's certainly one way of avoiding complaints from neighbours - I'd imagine the swans find it rather pleasant. We certainly did - the current E.P. house four tunes, each concerned with subtlety, nuance and a tune you can really hum, setting her apart from so many humdrum writers. It's no surprise then, that her musical tastes are so well grounded.

"From as about four years old, I've always been into Elton John, especially his early work. Then from there I got into the likes of kd lang and Patsy Cline, Fleetwood Mac... I do listen to newer music, but it just doesn't affect you in the same way."

The songs on the E.P, we discover, are recordings made after many years of songwriting, it's taken until this long for her to actually get them down on record - so what finally pushed you into it?

"Well I've been writing songs since my teens," she begins. "I used to play in a few bands, and through that I met a guy who needed me to sing for a new comedy song he'd written. After that we ended up writing songs together, which we've been doing for seven years now. It's so much fun writing with someone else. But I'd always been threatening to record them, but for various reasons it hadn't felt right. Then I met Mark (Gardener formerly of the band Ride), and working with him was incredible - it just really felt like we got the best out each other."

It certainly sounds that way, but for all the songwriting talent, it sounds as thought we've caught a beginning-to-doubt Chantelle at just the right time.

"This award is an honour," she assures, "and to be honest it's come at just the write down (sic). I have been feeling a bit strange about everything recently - It's hard trying to be a musician, and it seems like when singer songwriters actually do make it and get big, everyone just starts slating them!"

It doesn't help that she lives in Oxford, we'd offer - Oxbridge seems to be overrun with singer-songwriter... "I know!" She laughs, "there are so many people playing the same sorts of things, and it can be really hard to stand out and to be heard."

We have a feeling that with the talent we've heard, Chantelle will get there in the end. With our award under her belt, she's toying with a rather strange idea. "I'm thinking of just packing up and travelling around with my music, sort of living out a bag. I'm not sure why, it's just sort of something that I feel like I need to do."

Quirky indeed, but we wish her all the best, and can't wait for more music!

(Playmusic Pickup Magazine - June 2007)