Bella Freud

Name
Bella Freud

What do you do?
Designer

Where are you from?
London

What does Britishness mean to you?
I suppose British means to me a mixture of people in a place. Because people are so different, I suppose one of the characteristics of British people is they're such ornery bastards really aren't they? So kind of themselves in one way. There are so many styles and characteristics that the differentness seems to be a British thing. Certainly one of the things I enjoy about it, anyway.

What was the first song you played on repeat?
I remember the thing that lit me up was first hearing Bob Marley at about 14. Hearing Get Up, Stand Up and just falling completely and madly in love with this music and wanting to know everything about it and Bob Marley. When I like something I play it again and again… I never get bored so I play something maybe a thousand times.

What was the best gig you went to recently?
I have been going to the Hammersmith Apollo since I was a teenager, I saw the Clash play there in 1979. It's not small but it's not too big, you feel connected to what is happening on stage and going to the front is not too daunting. I saw Nick Cave play there a few years ago which was mind blowing.

Where do you think is the best venue in London?
I went to a poetry reading at The Troubador in Old Brompton Rd, Earls Court. It is one of the original coffee shops and was founded in 1954 - it hasn't changed a great deal. There is a cafe/restaurant on the ground floor and the 'Happenings' take place in the cellar with checkered table cloths and a couple of spotlights beaming into the corner where the performances take place. It still has that feeling that you are the one who has discovered it, although it has hosted the greats from Bert Jansch to Jimi Hendrix.