Regular readers of Essentially Pop will remember their striking cover of David Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’, which they recorded exclusively for us in the wake of Bowie’s death in January. Since then the five-piece from Yorkshire have released their EP, ‘Ghosts’, with their most recent single being the haunting, ‘Horror Show’. We spoke with lead singer, Molly Anna.
EP: We’ve featured you a few times but we’ve never spoken to you – so straight up – who are you! Where do you come from!
MA: Hello! We’re Molly Anna Band – we’re a 5-piece based in Sheffield/Leeds and we make music!
EP: Tell us something about your music – your style, what you’ve released…
MA: Our debut EP ‘Ghosts’ was released earlier this year, and we’re releasing our second single ‘Horror Show’ from it later this month (June 17th). We get told we sound like Tori Amos and Incubus a lot, so I guess we’re reminiscent of some ’90s sounds from a modern angle.
EP: Your most recent release, ‘Horror Show’ is very dark and moving – what’s it all about!
MA: Horror Show is really personal to me. It’s about trying to deal with all of things I had going on at the time (unemployment, debt, break-ups etc.) and pretending I was coping better than I actually was.
EP: Who are your musical influences? And who are your influences in life?
MA: I don’t know where to start with this one… My favourite band is Incubus, so I’m sure they’re a big influence. I also really like hip-hop artists like Eminem, Kendrick and Lauryn Hill, for their lyrics and vocal delivery. Recently I’ve been enjoying the Weeknd. I love how he sings about really dark subjects in a beautiful way.
In real life, I’m surrounded by friends/family who work hard and support each other – an attitude I find really inspiring.
EP: What, if anything, would you do differently, and why?
MA: The list is too long! My life is like one long blooper reel, ha. But to be honest, there’s no point wishing you could have done things differently. I’d have nothing to write music about if it wasn’t for all my mistakes.
EP: On a similar note, if you had the chance to speak to yourself just starting out what would you say?
MA: I think I’d probably tell past-me to start taking myself seriously… I lacked confidence and was scared to admit how ambitious I was. It turns out nobody’s going to take you seriously until YOU do. Could have saved myself a lot of time!
EP: What’s next for Molly Anna Band? Gigs? New releases? Where can we see and/or hear you?
MA: This weekend we’re supporting ex-Long Blondes front-woman Kate Jackson when she brings her tour to Sheffield. We’re also appearing at Live in Barnsley later this month. We have more exciting live things happening over summer that I can’t announce yet, so it’s best to keep checking our website for more info! Other than that, we’re working on some new tunes, and planning a tour.
EP: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview but nobody ever does?
MA: What my favourite episode of ‘Poirot’ is. Which, for the record, is ‘After The Funeral’. Because Michael Fassbender is in it.
Find Molly Anna Band online on their official website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Tickets for their concert on June 5, supporting Kate Jackson, are available here, while you can find out more details about Live In Barnsley here.
MOLLY ANNA IS EXCELLENT
We agree!