Farra Interview

Farra Interview

Fresh from their first UK headlining tour, we chat to singer Ollie Wride of infectious Indie-Pop band Farra about their unique beginnings in music, go-karting and the bands astoundingly catchy debut single, ‘Spotlights’.

Hi Ollie. How are you?
Good! Just working on a song at the moment actually.

Where in the world are you right now?
I’m currently at my home in Yorkshire. The band will usually kind of congregate in London, but I’ve come away for a few days to write.

How did Farra begin and how did you all meet?
It was kind of bizarre, really. We all come from different musical backgrounds. I started off as a writer for Atlantic working for Pop artists. All the while I wanted to have a band of my own and write my own songs, so when that eventually ended I found myself with an entire record and needed to find a band. It was essentially through recommendations from friends. I actually met our drummer Crossy (James ‘Crossy’ Cross) at Euston station [laughs]. Josh, the guitarist, I met at a barbecue. Charis was the final piece to the puzzle; she was actually playing bass for Adam Ant. We all tested the water and it clicked.

Which British artists would you say you’re influenced by as a musician?
We all have our different tastes. We’re massive fans of classic song writing, so The Police, Queen, White Lies. Our tastes also stretch across the pond, we’re big fans of The Killers, Phoenix and M83 as well.

You’ve just completed a nation-wide tour of the UK. How were the shows and what do you love about performing live?
They were great! The tour was amazing. We’ve never done our own UK headline tour before, so it was really a case of dipping our toe into the water. It all connected fantastically. I suppose you spend so long writing songs and trying to come up with ideas, that the reward for all that hardship is the live show. It is the icing on the cake.

Your single ‘Spotlights’ is out on the 10th of June. How was the recording process and what has the reaction been like so far?
It’s a funny one because that song was actually one of the first I had written. It kind of stayed in the back of my iTunes for a while before I played it for the guys. We started playing it live and it just worked so well within the festival circuit last year. We’d done so many different versions of it, we’d recorded it as a band then we went in at the start of the year and tried different arrangements of it. Then we landed an opportunity that came our way with a producer named Craigie Dodds. In this current landscape of music, you have to be mindful of your surroundings and I suppose that’s what a good producers job is – they slot it into place. If we were left to our own devices it would be like kids in a sweet shop [laughs].

What’s it like to have a female bass player? How does she feel about being on the road with all men?
I just think it adds a completely different dynamic. You usually see four guys, or a female fronted band. There’s a magic that it adds, otherwise it would just be heavily testosterone filled. She brings a completely different feel to it. You make up your mind within the first few minutes of meeting someone and you just know instinctively that you’d love to work with that person. On the road and in the studio, she brings such a focus to it. You need that sense of grounding and discipline.

Farra has already supported some huge names including Rita Ora, Jesse J and Ollie Murs. How does that feel?
It’s a nice thing to say you have under your belt so soon, definitely. I think we’ll remember those shows for the rest of our lives. There’s an extra significance there because you go through so much before hand to get to that point and just when you think you’re tiring at the last hurdle, you’re confronted with this situation. You can’t really get nervous about it. The crowds were great and it was fantastic to see how it didn’t feel like the crowd were like “what are you doing here?” We were very much accepted.

What does Farra love to do in their spare time?
I know Josh has recently become an avid Go Karter. He’s become very smug about it, as well [laughs]. On one of the days off on the tour we went go karting and he just absolutely wiped the floor with everyone. Ironically, he doesn’t even drive. Charis, she’s a poet. Crossy is a mixed bag because all of his outside interests involve music and he plays in sessions for other people. For me, I have to be doing something creative. Before I got into music I was an art student, so I do a lot of graphics. I’m pretty boring, actually. I like to go on runs [laughs].

Describe Farra in three words.
Energetic. Enthralling. Exciting. I’ve got for the alliteration there.

Favourite TV program?
Topgear. I could say something else, but it’s rather embarrassing. I was, when I was in college, a massive fan of Diagnosis: Murder [laughs]. Peep Show, as well.

Tea or coffee?
Coffee. I’m having a coffee now.

Night in or night out?
I’d put on a big party for everyone at mine.

If you could have a dinner date with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
I’d love to sit down with Freddie Mercury. Also, Marilyn Monroe. I’d like to get her story.

What can we expect from Farra this summer?
This summer we’re heading out onto the festival circuit. We’re doing Watchet Festival, down in the South West. We’re also doing a festival in Jersey called Big Gig and that’s with Lawson. We’re hoping to go off to Europe, as well!

‘Spotlights’ is out on Tuesday 10th June. Watch the video here!