Interview : French version & sound here.
Alter1fo : First, Verity (sorry Matthew) I just want to thank you for keeping the picture of my cat for so long…
Verity : (Laughs) Nice of you ! Oh, wow ! Is it you who has a cat called Electrelane ?
Alter1fo : Yes, a tortoiseshell cat. Do you remember ?
Verity : Oh yes, oh my god ! Oh yes, we were so on it, to have a cat named after us. (Laughs) There isn’t an higher honour ! (In french : ) Merci à vous.
Alter1fo : Sorry Matthew for this…
Matthew : No, This is important. (Laughs) We could keep going on this way. (To Verity :) We should talk about your cat. Come on… Introduce your cat.
Verity : Mmmm… Actually…
Alter1fo : We should talk about music now… (Laughs)
Alter1fo : What was the journey that led you to the composition of this album released in October ?
Verity : We started of writing film soundtracks together and then in our spare time, so over the distractions from the deadlines that we had for the films, we started writing for no particular purpose, just for our own enjoyment. And on overtime, we brought up more and more songs and we ended up starting a band because somebody else has to perform one of the soundtracks live. But then we although had all this other material, so it made sense to become a band and then to turn the songs into an album. So it happened quite organically. And without much intentions in the beginning…
Alter1fo : For both documentaries, you had to meet specific constraints set by the film crews. Here, for the first time, you had no constraints other than those you chose… How did the composition process go?
Verity : Well, I think cause, like I was saying, we were writing in spare moments as a break from writing for film. I suppose we write in a few different ways but I do not really know how to describe the process because it comes together, quite quickly really, just following our instincts, because it was done for fun. It was just to enjoy ourselves playing music. I think most of the songs were started from a small idea that one of us has and then we brought it into a song together. It is very collaborative in that way, all the parts, the lyrics as well, we work on it together…
Matthew : One of the fun things about being just the two of us is that everything is collaborative. Because we layering it and playing all these instruments, there is a lot of communication. That is very easy to move forward when it is just the two of you…
Verity : It may sit quite quick at time. Some of the songs were not quick and we struggled over and then others are really quick. Struggling to finish, that is the thing.
Matthew : The start is never a problem.
Verity : Yes, the start is the easier, the most fun bit and the finishing thing is harder. But it is good that we have each other to push us to finish things. I think with the layering, as well, it could really help in the development of the song and take you in a new direction. But also you want to stop yourself at a certain point. Sometimes you find something is better without too many layers and you end up stripping in back. We sort of experimenting with that all the time.
Alter1fo : We were talking about names, and I am sorry because it is an usual question, but I would really like to hear your answer. Why did you choose the name Memorials for the band (Susman & Simms sounds like a law firm – Laughs) and what does the album title mean because you know, the words Waterslides and Memorial seem quite contradictory at first glance?
Verity: That is what we really like about it. We like the fact that the two words do not obviously go together.
We heard about a lesbian march, a dyke march, in Austin in the US and they had as part of the event of their march the Susan Sontag Memorial Waterslides which we thought was really funny and such a brilliant idea. And when we were writing these songs and pieces, we started to name them after waterslides. It was just a way of labeling; it was a joke for us. And then when we came to decide of the name of the band we went back to Memorials. We thought about calling us ourselves Memorial Waterslides and then just kept Memorials and then went for that for the album. We like the idea of things that do not obviously go together. That is some of what we do anyway in our music.
Alter1fo : How did you come up with the idea of using all these tape recorders for composing and also for live performances?
Matthew : The tape recorders we are using live, it’s where we started, because it was just the two of us. We needed ways of bringing extra sounds onto the stage that we could not necessarily play, so we are using different loopers. And the tape looper, because it works a bit more like an instrument, an additional looper, the way it reacts to being mistreated or… That is a side of it. I mean it is something that I have, it will be fair to say that we both have been interested for a while… But that is the first time we have really used it in a « musical setting » , is that fair ? So that’s side of it was really fun to explore and ended up having a bigger influence on the album we came to record it.
Alter1fo : You play a lot of instruments. How do you choose which instrument to play and when ? (during the recording and on stage)
Verity : I think that when we are in the studio for recording it is an easier choice. Because sometimes, we are playing together to record but often we are just adding a layer.
Matthew : One of the reasons we started working together is that we do not necessarily tread on each other toes.
Verity : Yeah.
Matthew : Between the two of us, we cover a lot of ground. But we can cover a different ground to each other. So, in those ways that is quite easy. I mean Verity plays guitar and I can play rudimentary keyboards but you know, beyond that there is no much crossing.
Verity : Yeah, we know what we can play or we can’t play or if he can play something better. But if we have an idea for… I give Matthew an idea for keyboard line or if I have an idea for guitar line or something then we need of each other, we can get each other to play parts that we like. That’s been the fun thing about this as well.
Alter1fo : If my memories are correct, you were the first band to record a choir in Electrical Audio for the song The Valleys with Electrelane and Steve Albini was very excited to record this choir.
Verity : That was Steve Albini said. I’m remembering him saying it was the first time, there was the first time they had a choir in there… And it seems to be a bit an event because the others engineers and people who work there, came in to watch it happening and it was also a bit of some excitement in the studio then…
Alter1fo : In this band, you are only two, but we can hear a lot of choirs in Memorials. How did you come up with this idea and how do you do to play choir live on stage ?
Verity : I loop my voice a bit. We do it as much as we can. On record, it is just layering up my voice, you know multitracking it. It would have be lovely to have a choir but…
Matthew : We can’t afford that… (laughs)
Verity : Live is a different thing. I wouldn’t want to go on stage with a lot of recorded voices playing so, like Matth says, we loop the vocal but it is a different thing.
Alter1fo : A few days ago, I read an interview of Valentina Magaletti, with whom you also play Matthew in Better Corners, and she said that the advantage of working alone, of being in a monologue, is that you know where you are going. But listening to the other person’s answers, being in the dialogue, makes the conversation more interesting. What does composing together bring to both of you?
Matthew : I do not always want to know where I am going… (Laughs) That is my answer… I like being surprised!
Verity : That’s a good answer. I think it can be difficult to… I mean, certainly working alone, I find it very difficult to finish things and any self-criticism that you have can just become overwhelming if you are working on your own. But with someone else, you get pass that more easily. So I think I find it more enjoyable working together. And I think that if we do… If we have an urge to write something and we are not together, we have just to write it and then we can share it. And it is more likely that do not get finished. It will be better because it has other ideas added to it
I feel like both of our songwriting has developed through working together in a way that it would not if we had just carried on our own. I prefer it…
Alter1fo : Your studio work is incredibly rich, and your songs are truly well-crafted. How do you transition from studio to live performance? It’s not easy…
Matthew : No…
Verity : That is very kind of you to say… I feel that we have been playing live for so long, both of us…
Mathew : as musicians. Playing live is very natural
Verity : I mean it is a little bit more raw. There is less finesse, I would say…
Matthew : It is a good thing to learn so very early on, being a musician particularly when you are on tour, when you are playing live, finesse or perfection is definitively… You can’t have that approach that you might have in the studio. It is endlessly frustrating, going beyond that this is good. We just think we have… So, we enjoy it for of what it is.
Verity : Yeah… Everything is quite liberating to play live and to get the energy from the crowd and to improvise in front of the crowd we end up developing our songs. Some of the songs would have changed quite a lot from playing them live.
Matthew : Also we get to visit lot of record shop, that is great, around the world. We are so happy.
Alter1fo : I really like the balance between experimental music and pop songs efficiency in your music. Is that something you want to do, find the balance between them ?
Verity : Yes ! (Laughs). Pop music efficiency is a great way of defining it.
Matthew : Yes ! Brilliant !
Verity : I think that’s what we, that’s the core of what we are doing. I’m gonna remember that to describe what we are doing…
Alter1fo : Why do you like stairwells ?
(Silent then Laughs)
Verity : hum… Why ? We did some recordings in the stairwell but that wasn’t where all of it started. It started actually in France, in Paris. We came to watch the screening of our first
Matthew : soundtrack.
Verity : Des femmes face aux missiles. That’s the right title. We use the English title but it was made as a French film. We came for the screening of that and we were staying in beautiful old apartment, with a stairwell. I took a photo of it and then just started taking photos of them. I think we are travelling such a lot and it’s something that is everywhere but they are always different. They are sort of spiraling aspects, it’s nice but I mean it’s just a bit of fun. (Laughs)
Alter1fo : Can we talk about the artwork ? Who did it and why did you choose it ?
Verity : She’s a friend of us, a very old friend of mine from earlier years of school, called Lara Mousavi Zadeh. We both liked her paintings and I have loved her art since I was a child. So we wanted her to paint a waterslides and she agreed to paint one for each single and she ended up doing a whole serie. So they are eight now. And she took the concept and took it somewhere else. We wanted her : we knew that she would bring something else to it that we wouldn’t know.
Matthew : (To Verity) You have got paintings of her in your house.
Verity : Yes, I have got a few of her paintings.
Matthew : I remember looking at and we discussed how she could probably do this sort of thing we had in mind, bringing her own style to it.
Verity : She did the painting that is in some of Electrelane artwork…
Alter1fo : The one with the rabbit on the Carousel?
Verity : Not the Carrousel, no. It’s a house and there is a deer in front. She has done a lot of imaginary landscapes and the paintings I have of hers at home I like that and so when Matthew saw them, you know, we can both see that she will be up to do something really good with the idea of waterslides…
Matthew : An imaginary memorial (Laughs)
Verity : That’s what she did and we already have asked to do the artwork for our next album. She is just started working.
Alter1fo : Breaking news! Will you do a partnership with waterslides park industry ?
(Laughs)
Matthew : Oh Yes. Give them a chance !
Verity : Has someone have been in touch ? (Laughs) We had an email today like just an IA generated email from a company saying : “if you want to increase your social media numbers… » They are saying over “we loved the work you are doing in the waterpark industry” (Laughs) Yeah, I had a lot of fun on waterslides as a child, so I would love to… But I don’t know if they want our bleakness. (Laughs)
Alter1fo : A few days ago, you played with Kristin Hersh on stage. Can you tell us about this moment ?
Verity : Yeah, it was very very last minute.
Matthew : It was completely unrehearsed.
Verity : Yes, we hadn’t play it before we walk on the stage.
Matthew : Yes, It was an idea from Fire Records and the label boss James, I believe. It was fun. Kristin is lovely and great.
Verity : Yes, Kristin is great. We really liked it.
Alter1fo : After this show in Pies Pala Pop festival, you will come back in Brittany in August for La Route du Rock festival. Verity, you played there two times with Electrelane. I think you have as many excellent memories as I do of these two shows. How does it feel to be playing there again this summer?
Verity : This is amazing. I think of all the festival that we can have been asked to do, I was happiest to have been asked by this one. So yes, it’s amazing. I can’t wait to come back.
Alter1fo : And you, Matthew, have you ever been at La Route du Rock ?
Matthew : I have never been, no. It will be my first time. I’m looking for it…
Alter1fo : Last question, after this show at Pies Pala Pop festival, what are your next projects ? Recording ?
Verity : Recording, yes…
Matthew : Yeah, from here we go to south…
Verity : Yes, We are going straight to a studio, just south of Bordeaux (…) We went there in March to do some recording for a new documentary that we are doing. It’s going to be shown on french tv I think in October. It is the same director as Des femmes face aux missiles, her new project. So we really liked the studio, and decided to go back there. So we are just going for a couple of days to do a bit more recordings for our album, to get close to finish here our next album which hopefully will be all done just before we go to America and to come out next year if everything goes well…
Alter1fo : Thank you so much !
Memorials : Thanks for having us…
Interview by Alter1fo & Canal B at Pies Pala Pop Festival – Rennes, the 14th of June 2025 – Live Pictures : Mr B.
Listen to the « musical nap » of Memorials for Canal B
Merci à Yann de Canal B pour l’organisation, à Marc d’Alter1fo pour la traduction au débotté, à Caro d’Alter1fo pour l’aide précieuse à la traduction du transcript et au montage son. Merci à l’immensément adorable équipe du Pies Pala Pop pour l’invitation et l’accueil aux petits oignons. Et bien sûr à Verity et Matthew pour leur gentillesse et leur disponibilité.
Alter1fo @ Pies Pala Pop Festival