Molly Warburton

Molly Warburton Interview





Elegant acoustic songstress Molly Warburton plays Kendal Calling Festival this weekend. Of her music the festival says “expect original funky pop tunes with a few covers thrown into the mix for good measure. The classic line up of guitar/vocalist plus bass and kit. This is one busy gigging lady and when you hear her voice you know why straight away.”

Lucy Lamb sat down with Molly ahead of her Kendal Calling performance to discuss Snoop Dogg, battling through the hard times and dressing up as Sandy from Grease


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How’s your summer been so far with touring and festivals?

Really busy, I’ve done Kirby Lonsdale Festival, and one in London too – Paradise festival.

What was that like?

Pretty chilled…that was last weekend, it was just in one bar, with loads of people playing all on one day. Then I’ve got Kendal Calling this weekend and then Forgotten Fields the following weekend which is like Kendal’s Sister festival.

You’ve been billed as one of the local highlights for Kendal this year, alongside Lake Komo and The Lancashire Hotpots (to name a couple) how does it feel to be recognised on that level?

I love the Lancashire Hotpots! I love how their songs are a bit strange but hilarious…they’re really good. But to be on the regional highlights with them is pretty good to be fair and lake komo are doing really well too, I’m definitely going to watch their set on Friday.

Have you got a big crew supporting you this year then?

Yeah, all my friends are coming up with their banners at the ready, and my boyfriend’s band The Woodsmen are playing as well first thing on Friday so we’re all going up on Thursday night to support them.

So this year at Kendal Calling you’ll be joining the likes of Kasabian, Elbow and Snoop Dogg, but who are you most looking forward to seeing?

Snoop Dogg of course! But it’s going to be a really big year this year, if it’s your first time at Kendal you’re coming at a great time…there’s so many big acts this year! The fancy dress is pretty good to see as well, last year the theme was space but the weirdest one was a guy wondering round dressed as a tent.

Did you dress up last year?

No I didn’t last year but I did the year before, the theme was films so I went as Sandy out of Grease. I wore a leather skirt and a pink jacket, but I had shorts on underneath so I could get out of the costume pretty easily …when it gets to the night it’s like ‘nah I don’t want all this on any more’!

Are there any other festivals you’d like to go to?

Beat Herder looked really good and I’ve heard another good one is Solfest.

If you could play anywhere in the world, with any artist, who would that be?

My big thing is Jools Holland. I’d really love to get on the Jools Holland show and then Glastonbury of course. But I’d love to play with Fleetwood Mac, I’ve just seen them the other week in Dublin and they were amazing. They’re top, and then my other one is KT Tunstall, she’s my fave…got a little bit of a girl crush for her. She’s just great to listen to whatever mood you’re in! There are so many to choose from though, I’m a big fan of soul. Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald would be great to support…Freddie Mercury…The Beatles…so many!

What’s been your best moment while on the road?

The funny dancers, you get a lot of them! You kind of get used to them.






And where’s the best place you’ve ever played?

Kendal Calling, it’s such a good festival. But then I played in Sage up in Newcastle which looks like a giant slug which is a really good venue, and also Scala in London, and of course GoBurrito! I played at GoBurrito as part of Lancaster Music Festival and it was absolutely rammed in here, there were so many people!

I also loved playing for The Lakeside Sessions in Kendal, we just sat by the lake and did a video for them. This year they’re doing them around a camp fire so we can get toasting the marshmallows in between songs.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned since you began as a singer/songwriter?

To be honest the biggest thing is just to carry on through anything! When fights have broken out in rougher venues…or when you get weird dancers you have to put on a bit of a front. You never know who’s going to be there so no matter what the gig is, you’ve got to do it and perform to your best standard. I think that applies to everything in life though, like when you’ve had a bad day you have to keep going!

That’s very inspirational! So when you’ve had a long day or a bad day, what do you find keeps you going?

Cups of tea. When we went to America we found that don’t really drink tea over there. I don’t mind a cup of coffee but not all the time. It got to a point where I just had to go and find some tea bags, it must be the northerner in me. Tea is really important…proper Yorkshire tea, you know?

A few years ago you shared some Koppaberg with me from your rider while playing a show at Lancaster Uni (cheers!) but what’s your favourite drink?

Well, whatever Snoop Dogg gets me you know! But I’d probably start with a beer, and I’m quite partial to a bit of gin so a Gin and Lemonade to keep me refreshed and then probably a bit of red wine.

What’s next for Molly Warburton? Where do you see yourself in five years time?

In five years time, I’d like to be playing Jools Holland…that’s my dream. I’ve always said I wanted to play his show before I’m 25 and I’m 19 now. I’m building up to it but it’s harder than it looks!

Molly you’ve been fantastic, thanks for chatting with me! I wish you the best of luck, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for you on the Jools Holland Show.

Interview: Lucy Lamb - Lucy Lamb

BBC Bestival date for Molly Warburton


Molly Warburton. Picture by Ben Warburton.

Molly Warburton. Picture by Ben Warburton.




















by
Gemma Sherlock


gemma.sherlock@jpress.co.uk

published 15:00 Sunday 24 May 2015


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Carnforth singer Molly Warburton is on track for a glittering career as she is spotted by the BBC.

At just 19-years-old Molly has already made an impact on the live music scene.


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With a tour of California under her belt, Molly is a popular hit with her blend of folk and rock music.





Her talent has been spotted by the BBC who have offered her a spot at this year’s Bestival festival and is hotly tipped to be on Glastonbury soon.


This year at Kendal Calling Molly will be performing on the main stage and will be at the new ‘Forgotten Fields’ Festival in London this August.

Molly’s debut album ‘Molly Warburton’ released earlier this year was recorded at Eastcote Studios in London favoured by Adele and Mumford and Sons.

Following the release of ‘On the Run’ the first single and video from the album, Molly wanted to identify new raw talent to make the video for her next single ‘Bones’.

She offered a prize of £1,000 for the best video to support the melody and approached universities, colleges and film schools to offer upcoming video makers the chance to win both the cash and the opportunity.





Molly said: “The response was incredible, it was so popular that entries came from as far afield as the Philippines.

“I was so impressed from the response we had, all the entries were all very good.”

The top five videos selected by Molly and her band were loaded on her YouTube Channel, and the most liked went through to the final round judged by Oliver Nias of Obstacle Films, Noel Thompson, the highly regarded BBC anchor-man and producer and Molly herself.

The winner was Eric Moor. - Gemma Sherlock

THERE’S just no stopping north Lancashire songwriting prodigy Molly Warburton.

The beginning of this month saw the 18-year-old release her self-titled debut album, with a special launch event in her home town of Lancaster.

And she will be rounding it off this weekend with her and her band’s biggest gig to date.

‘Molly Warburton’, released officially on February 1, features 12 new self-penned tracks, and is Molly’s first full album, although she has released several EPs over the past few years.

“It’s been a year since we released the last EP,” said Molly, “so it’s taken me a while to get all the material together – I’d say it was about six months writing.”

On whether she has a favourite track on the album, Molly picks ‘Nowhere’, explaining, “I think it’s quite a slow song and has more meaning than the rest of them.

“Also, when we recorded the album it was the last song we recorded, so it was quite a nice way to finish.”

Molly and the three other band members recorded the album at East Coast studios, in London, over a one-week period, which she describes as ‘pretty tiring’.

Molly currently plays several times a month in London as well as her regular gigs in south Cumbria and north Lancashire.

But this Saturday will mark an important milestone, as she and the band have been picked to support Bombay Bicycle Club at Scala, in London, after the indie band discovered her music online.

“This is easily our biggest gig so far so it’s very exciting,” Molly said.

The first single from the album, ‘On the Run’, is out now, and the album is available to download from iTunes and Amazon.
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Molly first started having an interest in music at the age of 13 years old, listening to acts such as The Pogues, The Corrs and other folk/pop artists.

After taking music as a subject at school and after writing her first song at the age of 14, her taste diversified with artists including Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Fleetwood Mac. - Katie Dickinson