Plum
Plum beat the odds at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards last week by sweeping to victory in the Electronic category, not only snatching the prize from the much fancied CHVRCHES but also becoming the first solo female artist to ever win at the awards.
We talked to Plum (real name Shona Maguire) about her award win, her energetic live shows and causing a bit of a diplomatic kerfuffle in Australia.
So congratulations on the win. You’re the first ever solo female artist to win at the SAMAs, so do you feel like a bit of a trailblazer?
(Laughs) Yeah, I’m really proud of this. I hope to God there’s a lot more women winners in the future because sometimes it’s harder to get there as a woman. More because everyone thinks you’re stupid (laughs). There’s a misconception that if you’re serious you’re intelligent and if you’re silly and ditzy then you’re not. That’s where I always go wrong.
You beat CHVRCHES to victory, was that a little bit of a surprise for you?
Huge! I think everyone in the electronic category was expecting them to win. They’ve had quite a lot of Radio 1 play, they’re touring America at the moment, so we thought that they’d win it hands down as it’s a public vote. But I did, much to my surprise!
So what’s it like having this passionate a fanbase then?
It’s lovely actually. I was talking to my mum about it yesterday and asked her what I’d done to deserve these fans. They’ve sent me cards and flowers when I won and people have been coming to the gigs and congratulating me, it’s been so nice.
Any weird experiences with them?
I’ve had a few. There was an incident where a guy was stoking my feet throughout a gig. That was a bit strange. I think he was on acid though, he thought my shoes were amazing, and I don’t think it was just a shoe fetish. He was full on going “Wow!”.
I was using my peddles and stuff, so it could have been what I was doing, but I think he was ‘assisted’. I’ve not had any stalkers yet, although I did get some flowers on Valentine’s Day, but no-one owned up to it on Facebook.
Your album ‘The Seed’ has gone down a storm, with some fantastic reactions. Whats it like hearing all that great feedback?
It’s great. I’ve been doing this for six years so I worked hard at getting this album right. I’m really proud of it and glad it was the way it was. It took me a long time to do it, and I think that dangerous in this industry. I was finishing it for two years and people start to think that you’re not doing anything if you’re working on something for that long and not teasing it. I think it was worth doing that though.
You’re music sounds quite a lot like some of the amazing music coming from Scandinavia. Was that world an influence for you?
There’s a lot of Scottish music that sounds quite similar to the Scandinavian scene and I wonder if it’s a subconscious thing. I don’t think it’s deliberate. There’s a lot of electronic music in Scotland and there’s a lot of electronic music over there too.
I played a set with Rebekka Karijord and it was a perfect set for us to play together, it just worked so well. She’s got a better stage presence, less gadgets and more people of stage. I think there are just natural similarities.
Maybe it’s the landscape, maybe it’s just that people are too cold so we just spend our time indoors and try to make tiny little bars more and more intricate.
Plum on stageSpeaking of gadgets, your live shows are really energetic, with you hitting buttons and pedals. Where did the idea for that come from?
It came from not wanting to look like I was checking my e-mails on my laptop. I used to play with a guitar and a laptop, but I think it’s far more interesting when you go and see someone and you can see them triggering things live. While I was triggering things live, you couldn’t tell because I was doing it with the mouse. It’s actually much more fun to do it with the buttons as well, you get to whack them whenever you like.
I’ve added bits of equipment over the years and brought them into the set. It’s been a gradual process really, but it’s come from the fact I don’t want to look boring (laughs). I want people to know how fun it is. I have a lot of fun playing this music, I want them to have fun too.
A bit like Imogen Heap and her magical musical gloves?
I love her! Someone showed me those the other day, I hadn’t seen them before and it was an “Oh my God” moment. They’re amazing!
You’ve got an EP coming out this summer, ‘Betsy Thunder’. So what can we expect from that and where did you come up with that cracking name?
Thank you, I love it too! I was on Pinterest, I can’t remember what for, and I came upon this picture of a Native American woman and I looked at the caption and it said her name was Betsy Thunder and she was a medicine woman. I just thought “wow”. She just looked so cool and that’s an amazing name.
I was planning the dance residency I’ve just finished and they wanted me to come up with a concept of the music, before I’d written in. So, having just seen that, I thought I’d do it on Native American tribal characters. The songs don’t sound that way though, there’s no panpipes, it’s very electronic.
Supposedly it’s darker than the last one, even though I actually thought it was more upbeat (laughs). According to my mastering engineer, it’s darker than the last album, but I think it’s a lot more dancey.
So, I heard you once caused a bomb scare! What the heck’s that about?
(laughs) Well, it was a mistake. I lived in Australia at the time, I was being sponsored by Green Peace to work there. I was one of those face-to-face fundraiser that jump out at you in the street and go “Hello, can I grab you for a couple of minutes” that everyone hates. I had a bag full of forms that I had to take with me every day and I used to tie it to something near I was standing so I didn’t have to wear it because it hurts your back.
So, I’d tied it to a lamppost, but I was just across the road from Parliament. Which I hadn’t realised until someone called in and a hundred bomb squad people came in vests and guns and started yelling at me. Then I lost my job because of it, therefore losing my Visa and had to leave Australia (laughs). I didn’t really do anything wrong, but Green Peace had to be seen to be not deliberately doing things like that so they had to let me go.
You used to be homeless too. What’s it like looking back, award in hand?
Almost unbelievable. It was quite overwhelming to think that I could ever get out of being homeless when I was. I’m in the happiest place I’ve been in a long time.
So, totally off topic, but I know you’re a fan, so are you looking forward to Kick Ass 2?
Yes! I absolutely am, I was so excited when I saw the trailer. I love Kick Ass, Hit Girl’s just the best character.
Finishing up then, what’s next for you then this year?
I’m hoping to do more festivals in the summer, I’m hoping to get out to America later in the year, and I want to go touring. I don’t have them all yet though (laughs). I have some, but not like a tour schedule all set up.