“Art first above everything”: The Lovely Eggs on twentieth anniversary, touring, and independent venues
“It's just so important to put art first above everything,” says Holly Ross, half of Lancaster DIY duo The Lovely Eggs. Twenty years since they formed, the pair are still going strong.
“And being in about twenty years, me and David haven't had time to think about, you know, Why the hell are we still going? What are we doing? And it's because we've always put art first, it's always been at the forefront of whatever we're doing, you know? And I think if people did that more it might fix things a bit. But the problem is people put money first, usually. And that’s why people make bad decisions in being in a band or closing things down.”
Formed by married couple Holly Ross and David Blackwell, The Lovely Eggs are a stellar example of just that– putting art first. Having embarked on creativity-led missions not limited to sending out their own scratchcards out with records, making their own instruments, and running a book club, the punk-rock two-piece’s never-wavering passion is admirable.
Twenty years and a child later, the pair are soon embarking on another leg of shows, including twentieth-anniversary shows at the end of the year as well as appearances at a series of festivals, including independent London festival Footsteps.
“We've just kind of built our band around our life, and we've built our life around our band. I didn’t want to have to be that person that gives up everything that they are to be a mother. I don't think you should have to,” she explained.
“We had him twelve years ago. We just got a van and bought some seats off eBay and got them welded in, and we just said, right, he's coming with us, and that's what we've done since.”
“We really didn't think we'd be going for twenty years. We just thought it was like a bit of a way to travel, really, and meet new people and get free beer. We were never very serious about it. But like, it's coming to, like, twenty years later. And like, do you know we're still doing it, whether we like it or not. We can't go back now.”
How have you guys been doing over the past few months, and what are you working on at the moment?
Well, we're always working on something. So we've been working on new tunes, and then we've also got a 20th anniversary later this year, because we've been going 20 years, so we've been thinking of stuff to do for that, and we've been announcing some shows at the end of October. So just that. And then the just day to day ness of being in a DIY band, you know, posting out stuff that people have bought, and booking shows and making music and stuff like that.
So just to introduce you guys, you have this really fantastic, psychedelic, punk rock sound. How would you describe your music to people who haven't heard it before?
Well, I think it's quite difficult to do that, especially if you are the person describing your music. But sometimes we say it's like reading Richard Brautigan whilst listening to Black Sabbath. I think that's the only description that we've found.
That works well. And where did the name come from? The Lovely Eggs?
When we were first going as a band, I used to live in Paris. So in 2005, I was living in Paris, and a pigeon flew down and laid two eggs in an abandoned nest. You know those spiky things on window sills that are put there to stop pigeons? Some sort of bird had built a nest on the spikes. And we thought that was really great that despite them saying that you can't be here, that they were there anyway. And then we really liked that idea of triumph against adversity, and that this pigeon just went ahead and had these chicks, you know, on top of these spikes in a nest. So when we're thinking of what to call ourselves, we thought we'd call ourselves The Lovely Eggs, because literally, the week before we flew out to New York to play our first ever gig, the eggs hatched.
It’s a great name. So you guys dropped your album Eggsistentialism last year. Do you want to talk a bit about that release and what that means to you? I've read it was the product of quite a tough time for you.
It was actually one of the biggest tough points for us. We have this recording studio and rehearsal space called Lancaster Music Co-Op that David's worked at for more than 20 years and I used it when I was 15 years old and had started being in a band. It's a brilliant resource, really, for people in the town to play loud music, because normally at home you can't really do that if you live in a terraced house or if you've not got a garage to play in. So, we'd been fighting for ages for that because the council evicted us. So Eggsistentialism, in part, was born out of the frustration of spending five years of your entire life having to fight for something that should really naturally exist, and having to almost become a different person just in order to save it.
I've never worked a real job for the past 15 years. And I don't want to, but you know, then, when you're dealing with people like the council, you have to start ending emails with ‘best regards’, and all of that shit, and acting in a responsible way that you don't want to have to, and you shouldn't need to.
So when it came to writing an album, we just thought, what are we going to do? Because we've got no energy, no strength left, nothing left in us at all to even think about being creative for, because it was all about fighting for the Music Co-Op and other things. So in the end, we just wrote Eggsistentialism, which was just like a diary entry. And each song is about different stuff. It's all very Lancaster based in our hometown, but I think anyone can take anything out of it and apply it to their situation. It's all we knew at the time. I think we'll never make another record like it again, because it was very peculiar to that environment.
And do you think the process of making that album helped you to move through that time emotionally? Was it an outlet for you?
It's quite good to speak the truth, do you know what I mean? It was good to say stuff on that, how we felt, which often you can't, or people aren't aware of what's going on. And so it's quite nice to get it out in a song, to be like, for the record, this is the shit that I'm feeling.
How are things going now with the Lancaster Music Co-Op?
Generally it's alright, but we won't be happy until it's actually opened. And I'm working with organisations like city councils. It’s just fucking hard work, it’s been a nightmare. They don't make it easy, and there's a lot of bureaucracy, so it's just trying to wade through the shit load of bureaucracy to get open, but hopefully we'll be open by the end of the year. That's the aim.
I hope it all goes well. You guys have got some festival appearances coming up, and then obviously your 20th anniversary shows in Cardiff and Manchester. How are you feeling about those and what do you enjoy the most about playing live?
Living in the town where you were brought up is in many ways brilliant and in many ways awful. You know, it's brilliant because you have a community in your roots, and even though it might do your head in a bit, it's your hometown, and you know it like the back of your hand, and you can't walk down the street without seeing someone you know and saying hello. It feels comfortable. But then at the same time, it's so insular. Nothing ever changes. There's no good bands coming through, or there's no good art and stuff like that. So I guess what we like about touring is that we get to leave quite a lot during the year. We meet new people, and we see different stuff and that. And then we come back. And we've also made a lot of friends who've come to our gigs, and then they turn up again. So it's like reuniting, really, with a bigger community than your hometown offers. So that's what we love about going on tour. And we just like playing the shows. They're good fun. We've dedicated our lives to being debauched musicians, so it's all we know, really, and we enjoy it.
Having creative people and creative communities around you is so important, yeah. What would you say is your favorite place you've managed to travel to throughout your twenty years?
Oh, gosh. Well, we always like New York because we are obsessed with America, really. Whenever we go to America, we always have a great time. And we're always fascinated by the architecture and the culture, and subculture and everything about it is just interesting to us. Then the Brudenell Social Club is one of our favorite ever venues, because it's just such a great place, and what Nathan's done with it is amazing. And, I mean, in terms of crowds, Brighton is always a brilliant gig. It's always great. Bristol's always a cracker. And Manchester– everywhere is good. It's always nice to have a change.
100%. So, Footsteps Festival, which is coming up very soon, will be taking over lots of independent venues across London. For you guys, how would you say independent music venues and grassroots spaces have impacted your journey as a band?
Well, we couldn't have done it without them. I think they’re massively important, I think it's hard to put it into words. You could all be in your bedroom saying, Let's form a band, or let's gather. But if there's nowhere to gather, and you can't be in a band with anyone or perform to anyone, it's like an idea that just becomes an impossibility. And the more they're getting threatened, the more sad you get about that. Lancaster’s got less independent venues than it used to.
And what can people coming to see you at Footsteps Festival expect from your set?
Oh God, always expect the unexpected with The Lovely Eggs, that's what I would say. We've played a lot of times down in London, and it's always really, really good. So it'll be good to get back down there again and see people and just play the tunes.
What's up next for you? Any other 2025 or 2026 plans?
We’re doing the festivals over the summer. And then we've got a twentieth anniversary tour coming up in October.
Listen to The Lovely Eggs here and book tickets for their show at Oslo Hackney on 23rd May as part of Footsteps Festival.