R13: You made the decision to move from Glasgow to London, what do you feel is so special about London?
Andrea: Sometimes I feel like I just know something, and this was one of those occasions, I had been looking for someone to write with in Glasgow without success, and just got the feeling that they were in London, then a little string of coincidences led me straight to Jared.
R13: You're playing at Club Bohemia next month; do you enjoy playing at more personal venues like that?
Andrea: Yes absolutely, I like everyone all crushed together (I think I was a sheep-dog in a previous incarnation) and I like to be able to reach out and touch people, it's just nicer to be able to comfort someone if they cry, and although I like the sense of empowerment I get from being on a high stage, it can be a little distressing not to be able to hold onto someone if I want to.
R13: How has the band developed with the change from Living With Eating Disorders to Colt and did you worry about confusing any fans because of it?
Andrea: I think we have developed more of a sense of belonging now we have a name we are happy with, and yes, my main concern was the fans - I didn't really care much about anything else. I think the label were concerned that we were just throwing away a press worthy name, but it had to go, and my main objective after the change was to reach as many of our fans as possible to let them know – I think most people know, I called all five fans...
R13: Are horses special to you or just representative of the band somehow?
Andrea Horses are very special; my favourite companion of all time was my horse, she is in Glasgow living with someone else now, but I will still be here for her if she needs me. I like the way they move, and the weight they carry, and how their tail can swish nice, and their hooves, I like to touch their hooves. I just love them, and that little dip where the side of the neck meets the shoulder, well I love to put my cheek in that little dip. And their temperature, and density, and speed, just everything about them is so perfect that it captivates me - That Lloyds advert with the horses jumping on roofs makes me cry.
R13: You seem to have some pretty loyal fans, such as those who run fansites and frequent your forum, is it important to you to make time for the fans?
Andrea Yes, very important and I take it seriously and have quite a strong sense of responsibility for them, in fact I would refer to a lot of them as friends who I have met through the band, rather than fans. We have the best fans in the world; I think everyone says that – though I know I'm right.
R13: What do you think makes your music so attractive to the fans?
Andrea: I have no idea what makes anything attractive. That you can relate to it perhaps, that it makes you feel less alone? I'm not sure, I guess it helps that we are honest and not trying to be something we are not.
R13: Your shows come across as very intimate, do you feel as if you're baring a lot of your soul to the audience?
Andrea: Yes, each show really drains me and I need a few moments to come back down to earth when I walk off stage. I like it that way though, I really do want to live each show like it's the last – just in case it is.
R13: What's your biggest vice?
Andrea: This is a bit odd, but I like to take dead animals home, actually I like to take any animals that can't get away from me fast enough home. I have a really bad habit for picking up anything injured or dead, and a couple of weeks ago I was stopped from bringing a dead squirrel into the house. I don't know why I'm like it, but I have been ever since I was a kid – mother to all waifs and strays... and rotting carcases.
R13: If you could go anywhere in the world to escape everyday life, where would it be?
Andrea: You know my dad asked me something similar over dinner a couple of nights ago, and I found it really difficult to just pick one place. I think it would have to be near water, or so far away that I was in the middle of the desert. Scotland or Nevada, I know they are a world apart from each other but sometimes I crave the mountains and Lochs, and sometimes I crave dry barren sand – though I realised yesterday that I would be happiest just travelling up and down GNER's rout between London and Edinburgh. I'm so happy on the train just listening to music and staring out the window - and there is a constant supply of tea and biscuits, so you just can't go wrong.
Jared: Inside the mind of comic genius Chris Morris.
R13: What song would you have there with you?
Andrea: For my train journey I would choose Pixies 'Where Is My Mind?', I accidentally timed it so perfectly once that the hills outside the train window dramatically dropped out of sight and I could see all the way to the horizon over the ocean - just at the right part of the song.
For rainy Lochs I would choose the Cure 'Cold' – nice and dramatic, and for the desert I would choose Sparklehorse 'Spirit Ditch'. I can almost hear the sun.
Jared: Moonlight in Vermont by Captain Beefheart played in reverse at 1/4 speed.
R13: You played a Self Injury Awareness gig and publicly acknowledged that the old name was connected to problems you may have had, do you find it hard that fans know about these personal details?
Andrea: No I don't find it hard that the fans know, sometimes it's a challenge when someone who isn't a fan gets the wrong idea and thinks it's some sort of gimmick, but I've never had a problem with a fan. To be honest it's more of a relief that they know, it's nice not having to hide it for once.
R13: If you were able to use the band to champion one cause, as so many bands are now doing, what would it be?
Andrea: I don't know, it's too difficult, when I think about choosing one cause, I worry about what else I am leaving out. If I could stop all cruelty to anyone or anything in a vulnerable position then I would. Fur perhaps, I don't think fur has a place in fashion, and obviously SI awareness.
R13: You say you hadn't planned for Living With Eating Disorders to be a gigging band from the start, how big would you be happy for the band to get now?
Andrea: I think I would be happy no matter what happened to us, as long as we don't need to compromise our sound then I am happy for it to soar to all sorts of levels, it would actually be fun to see how big it could get - especially now I don't feel as though we have the wrong name.
R13: Do you still have to work to support the band?
Andrea: Yes, the band is an expensive and time consuming hobby, at the moment it is purely for the love.
Jared: Yes, I still have the day job. Unfortunately it leaves me with far less time to be creative and this bothers me somewhat but until the band starts making money I'm stuck with it. Maybe trading my non-critical organs on the black market is the way to go – anyone want a pair of eyebrows?
R13: Where does your musical ambition come from?
Andrea: Probably my parents; there was always music in the house, Dad was always playing guitar and singing, and there was lots of vinyl and music videos for me to look at, and one of my favourite things to do was go out with mum in the car for a drive and listen to music – I still love that, and now that I live in London I miss having a car. When I was a teenager my biggest escape and rescue was to go to gigs, and the best way I could think to show my appreciation was to make music myself.
Jared: I stole it off Bowie just after he did the "Let's Dance" album. I don't think he noticed. He's got enough anyway – that man shits ambition.
R13: Onto another popular art form, what is your favourite film?
Andrea: Oh there's lots, I love 'The Princess and the Warrior' – I passed out in the cinema it was so good. I love 'Carrie', and the music is just perfect, I love 'Secretary', and I really love the Harry Potter films, especially 'The Prisoner of Azkaban'. I still haven't seen the most recent one, but Jared downloaded the trailer for me, and I got so excited I had tears in my eyes. And my safe films (you know those ones that you keep going back to for comfort) are Pink Floyd – 'The Wall', and 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'.
Jared: ? Currently, it's 'Heart of Glass' by Werner Herzog. The entire cast were hypnotised during filming bar the lead character – it's a fascinating film and beautifully shot.
R13: Your song 'I Talk To God' is one of the most striking on the album for me; do you have any particular faith?
Andrea: Not really, I went to Catholic schools but I wouldn't say it was the highlight of my childhood, but it has left me with a habit of "talking to god" when I really care about something – and I think if you want someone to hear you, they will hear you, you don't need to be in a special building to be heard. Probably the less I say about religion the better.
R13: What was the last gig you saw?
Andrea: The last gig I saw was the headlining band at our last gig, that doesn't count does it? The last gig I bought tickets for was Deus at Shepherds Bush Empire and I felt like giving up after it, there was no way in my mind that I could ever be that good.
R13: What should we be expecting from Colt this year then?
Andrea: We have a few more live shows to do in March and April, then we would really like to concentrate on writing the next album, a few little elements have started to materialise, but Jared and I haven't had the time to sit down together to complete the equation, so I am still looking forward to seeing what it might sound like.
Thanks for your time and congratulations on the stunning album.
Thank you too. xxx