01Profile
A Sarah Meth Photo
Sarah Meth
Musician — London
03Interview
Describe your style in three words?
Sad, sometimes saucy,
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Probably Bjork at All Points East a few years ago. There was a thunderstorm without any rain happening in the distance, and you could see lightning in the sky behind her whilst she was singing with about eight flute players on stage. It was all very surreal.
If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
LCD Soundsystem and Broadcast. I remember being insanely jealous when my dad took his godson to see LCD play at Brixton Academy when I was about ten. I’ve always wanted to see how James Murphy assembles the musicians around him to create the sound system he does through a live setup. As for Broadcast they’ve become a big influence of mine lately, I think their songwriting is just as interesting as their sounds are.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
'90s trip-hop has definitely influenced me. Bands like Portishead and Massive Attack both have such distinct soundscapes. It’s taught me to not be overly precious with the recording quality for certain things when you’re making music if you want to make your own world of sound. The '60s/'70s folk revival has also really influenced me. I always thought folk music was boring until I discovered people like Karen Dalton and Sybille Baier. I’m a big believer in songs creating space and I think those artists prove that less can almost always be more.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
James Baldwin or Ian Dury. They’re both such unique writers...I reckon I’d come out of it a lot better with words.
Of all the independent venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
I played at Omeara a few days before we went into Lockdown in March. I like how the audience are slightly raised on a slope going up towards the back. So at the end of the show when the lights came up we could just see a sea of people. It felt really special to play there and the sound was also really good.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Shuggie Otis. He wrote, produced and played most of the instruments in Inspiration Information when he was 21, and that was his third album. He’s one of those geniuses that didn’t get nearly as much recognition as they deserved until their later years. I think he writes songs that are musically so complex beneath the surface but they never come across as too showy or tricksy. He also has a really beautiful voice.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'DARE' by Gorillaz. My dad played 'Demon Days' on repeat when it first came out. When I was really young I used to sit in the back of his car and just improvise over all the songs to myself. I think that’s kind of how I learnt to harmonize… Then a few years later when I was around nine or ten I went and bought a copy of it for myself from HMV.
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Prototype' by Outkast.
One record you would keep forever?
'Funeral' by Arcade Fire.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
“You had to choose a side to lose, and divide yourself in two.
The way you were, long before, you were a walking civil war
But you forget where the road goes, and tonight it shows”
From 'Tonite It Shows' by Mercury Rev.
A song you wished you had written?
'God Only Knows' by The Beach Boys. It’s the perfect pop song.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Uptown Top Ranking' by Althea and Donna.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to listen to?
'Fai Yen' by Ream Daranoi.
The song that would get you straight on the dance floor?
'Suzie Thundertussy' by Junie Morrison.
Best song to end an all-nighter?
'Baltimore' by Nina Simone. (I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like this song.)
Any new bands you are into at the moment?
'Nights Away, pt. 2' by Sam Akpro. I think Sam’s songs are really instinctive and intuitive… It just feels pure.
'Kreflo' by Lisa’s Changed. I’ve watched them evolve and grow from my early teenage years. Their first release was a completely self made album which I think is really special.
03Interview
Describe your style in three words?
Sad, sometimes saucy,
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Probably Bjork at All Points East a few years ago. There was a thunderstorm without any rain happening in the distance, and you could see lightning in the sky behind her whilst she was singing with about eight flute players on stage. It was all very surreal.
If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
LCD Soundsystem and Broadcast. I remember being insanely jealous when my dad took his godson to see LCD play at Brixton Academy when I was about ten. I’ve always wanted to see how James Murphy assembles the musicians around him to create the sound system he does through a live setup. As for Broadcast they’ve become a big influence of mine lately, I think their songwriting is just as interesting as their sounds are.
Which subcultures have influenced you?
'90s trip-hop has definitely influenced me. Bands like Portishead and Massive Attack both have such distinct soundscapes. It’s taught me to not be overly precious with the recording quality for certain things when you’re making music if you want to make your own world of sound. The '60s/'70s folk revival has also really influenced me. I always thought folk music was boring until I discovered people like Karen Dalton and Sybille Baier. I’m a big believer in songs creating space and I think those artists prove that less can almost always be more.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
James Baldwin or Ian Dury. They’re both such unique writers...I reckon I’d come out of it a lot better with words.
Of all the independent venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
I played at Omeara a few days before we went into Lockdown in March. I like how the audience are slightly raised on a slope going up towards the back. So at the end of the show when the lights came up we could just see a sea of people. It felt really special to play there and the sound was also really good.
Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Shuggie Otis. He wrote, produced and played most of the instruments in Inspiration Information when he was 21, and that was his third album. He’s one of those geniuses that didn’t get nearly as much recognition as they deserved until their later years. I think he writes songs that are musically so complex beneath the surface but they never come across as too showy or tricksy. He also has a really beautiful voice.
04Playlist Notes
The first track you played on repeat?
'DARE' by Gorillaz. My dad played 'Demon Days' on repeat when it first came out. When I was really young I used to sit in the back of his car and just improvise over all the songs to myself. I think that’s kind of how I learnt to harmonize… Then a few years later when I was around nine or ten I went and bought a copy of it for myself from HMV.
A song that defines the teenage you?
'Prototype' by Outkast.
One record you would keep forever?
'Funeral' by Arcade Fire.
A song lyric that has inspired you?
“You had to choose a side to lose, and divide yourself in two.
The way you were, long before, you were a walking civil war
But you forget where the road goes, and tonight it shows”
From 'Tonite It Shows' by Mercury Rev.
A song you wished you had written?
'God Only Knows' by The Beach Boys. It’s the perfect pop song.
Best song to turn up loud?
'Uptown Top Ranking' by Althea and Donna.
A song people wouldn’t expect you to listen to?
'Fai Yen' by Ream Daranoi.
The song that would get you straight on the dance floor?
'Suzie Thundertussy' by Junie Morrison.
Best song to end an all-nighter?
'Baltimore' by Nina Simone. (I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like this song.)
Any new bands you are into at the moment?
'Nights Away, pt. 2' by Sam Akpro. I think Sam’s songs are really instinctive and intuitive… It just feels pure.
'Kreflo' by Lisa’s Changed. I’ve watched them evolve and grow from my early teenage years. Their first release was a completely self made album which I think is really special.