Theoretical Girl Interview

This is an interview I did for a Fly53/Vice promotional booklet.

THEORETICAL GIRL

Theoretical Girl is not a band. It is Amy Frolic. She writes, records, performs and tours her stark, spiralling, no wave electro-punk poetry music with a singular vision that sounds refreshingly a step apart. Despite featuring on the Digital-Penetration compilation, that the NME claimed ‘defined a genre’, and having a song on the upcoming ‘Future Love Songs’ compilation put out by the equally influential Angular Records Amy remains determined to maintain her vision.

VICE: So, your stuff doesn’t sound like that much else at the moment.

Theoretical Girl: Well, I’ve been doing this now for about a year and a half but I’ve always been tinkering away, making some kind of music. Before Theoretical Girl though the only major other thing I’d done was an all-Girl three piece called Weare6. It was fun at the time but when I stood back it just sounded so derivative. You could hear Erase Erata and The Fire Engines in the songs. I love those bands but I just wanted to do something different, that sounded more unique.

VICE: So, how did you go about chasing something unique?

Theoretical Girl: Well, the first thing I did was stop listening to other peoples music. I haven’t really listened to anything else for about a year and a half.

VICE: Seriously?

Theoretical Girl: Yep. I live alone, in a draughty loft apartment in Muswell Hill, it’s pretty desolate and helps me focus on writing. Just me and Polly, she’s my partner in crime [pulls CD player that is falling apart out of bag].

VICE: What does Polly do?

Theoretical Girl: Well I come up with bass lines and drum parts and any other noises and programme them into an old 8-Track then burn them down onto CD and Polly plays them out for me. I sing and play guitar over them. I’m not really into technology, keeping it simple helps me focus on the song.

VICE: It all works really well live, do you enjoying playing out?

Theoretical Girl: Thank you, err… I used to get really nervous but lately I’ve played some shows I’ve really enjoyed. To be honest I’m far more into writing, just being alone creating. I find it really exciting that I don’t know where the song will go. I’ve got complete control so I can take things apart, change them, put them back together, it’s the biggest thrill, more than playing out I think.

VICE: What about the future? Any plans to get any real humans to keep Polly company?

Theoretical Girl: Well, there’s a girl called Sam who’s a friend who may play some bass and another girl called Anna who used to play in The Ivories who may play some live drums, we’ll see. I’ve also got a single out on Half Machine Records and I’m in the studio soon to put down the next one. I’m also going to Germany in the New Year to tour which is exciting.

www.myspace.com/iamtheoreticalgirl