HANDS OFF GRETEL SKIN
HANDS OFF GRETEL FULL

HANDS OFF GRETEL FULL

It killed me! It was always important to me to launch it totally D.I.Y, to let us have full control and remain one-to-one with our fans. Once we launched it I went on holiday so I couldn’t even see how it was going until I came home.

Oh it felt fabulous! I was shy about it because I thought there was no way we’d get to 100%. How did it feel to successfully crowdfund the album, and not only that, but utterly destroy the funding target that you set? The bigger radio stations haven’t picked up on us yet though, we are yet to invade, it’s just so damn hard! We got played on Rodney Bingenheimer’s radio show ‘Rodney on the Roq’ over in the US and that is so freaking cool cause he broke some of my favourite bands and I feel honoured that he loves HOG! I love that the fans get it, they buy my ‘zines and read my lyrics and I feel like they just understand me so deeply, it’s so wonderful. We sold over 700 pre-order copies and heard nothing but praise since. It’s been amazing! Our fans love it, which is the most important thing. Joe and I are usually running away at this point with a bottle of wine.īurn the Beauty Queen has been out for a little while now. Part of me thinks he might be faking it so we carry all his drum gear down the stairs for him. *Evil Laugh* I still cannot believe Sam is playing the whole tour with broken fingers, he’s not even complained once. Haha! I have no idea, it’s crazy! Some people might believe I’m pushing them all down the stairs… but I’m not. That was definitely a high point for me!Īnd what is it with Hands Off Gretel and band members breaking bones?! After we played the show, Sam pulled me into a hug and said “Dude, we just played the Isle Of Wight festival.” And I could feel myself starting to cry because finally I could feel we were rising and I was starting to get everything I’ve ever wanted alongside people I really loved.

We came third place and played the ‘Hey Joe’ stage and it was just so crazy. We were shortlisted from thousands of bands to compete in front of festival organiser John Giddings to win a slot at the festival. Playing the Isle Of Wight festival was a wild one. What have been some of your favourite moments or highlights in the past year and a half?

Sam stayed on drums and Joe joined us on bass and from our first practice with the new line up I was just so excited, the songs had never sounded better. The songs got a lot heavier and I felt so inspired, most of the songs on the album were written about 2 weeks before we went into the studio. The past 6 months have been the best months yet! When I told my previous drummer it wasn’t working out just before we recorded our first album I thought we’d really struggle to get Sam (bassist at the time) to the point where he could record a full album on drums knowing he hadn’t even touched a kit for 5 years. It seems safe to say that Hands Off Gretel has developed considerably since that last conversation?! Since then you’ve played a lot of gigs and festivals, released an EP and been through a line-up change.

HANDS OFF GRETEL SKIN

Skin Back Alley: Last time we spoke was about 18 months ago when Hands Off Gretel was still very new. September saw the release of the Barnsley-based self-described “clungerock” band’s debut album, Burn The Beauty Queen, a harder, heavier collection than HOG’s previous EP and one that saw the band’s new lineup bed in with style.Ĭurrently in the throes of a UK tour, we caught up with Hands Off Gretel songwriter, frontwoman, guitarist and creative powerhouse, Lauren Tate, from the road. It’s been a remarkable couple of years for Hands Off Gretel, seeing the alt-rock quartet on an upward trajectory worthy of their drive, ambition and – most importantly – superb songs.

Hands off gretel