In 2010, Berlin-based political journalist Anika was introduced to a group of musicians looking for a lead singer. She didn’t realize until much later that the people she was jamming and recording with were Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame and his band BEAK>.
The group’s roughly recorded tracks would eventually become a lyrically defiant collection of classic-sounding post-punk gems. The self-titled record, consisting mostly of covers, puts a dark twist on 50s and 60s tracks like Skeeter Davis’s cutesy pop hit End Of The World, protest songs like Bob Dylan’s Masters Of War and Yoko Ono’s riotous underground anthem Yang-Yang.
NOW talked to Anika about her transition from journalist to first-time frontwoman.
There’s an obvious political overtone to the record. How did your work as a political journalist influence which songs you chose to cover?
I studied politics at Cardiff University and was taught by some extremely passionate and inspirational individuals. One of the things they constantly emphasized was the importance of questioning what we consider “normal.” That has stayed with me since. Whilst working as a political journalist, it was mainly my role to report rather than engage with events. As a journalist, it’s essential to stay neutral and so music has given me the opportunity to be more vocal about things.
I am not telling people what to think, but merely that they SHOULD think. I try to remind people that music can be a vehicle to vent political and social disgruntlement. Most people my age see politics as quite an unfashionable topic and something that should never come into contact with music. Many of these same people also claim to be huge Bob Dylan fans. So it’s important to me to use his song to show that, in the past, very credible and respected artists weren’t afraid to breach the topic.
How did you segue from a journalist into the music industry?
I’ve always worked simultaneously in music and politics but never thought it possible to merge the two. This is why it was such a pleasant surprise when the solution incidentally found me. My previous experience in the industry was always behind the scenes. I’m not someone who particularly enjoys the spotlight yet I have always had something to say. It’s been a nice accident to find myself fronting a band and getting the opportunity to have my voice heard.
How does it feel to be on the other end of the interview?
It was strange at first. Last year my record had just started to get some notice amongst the hacks. I was sitting there interviewing somebody when I suddenly realized that I couldn’t really do that any more. It was weird. I wanted to engage with what they were saying as opposed to just listening. I suppose that was the turning point. I also accidentally kept hanging out in the press area when I was a guest at the Hurricane Festival in Germany this year. After a few confused looks from journalists who had interviewed me earlier in the year, I realized I was in the wrong spot.
A really striking moment on the record is the interview sample at the end of your cover of Bob Dylan’s Masters Of War, when a soldier declares, “The real terrorist is me and the real terrorism is this occupation.” It’s so powerful. Could you talk about the origins of the sample and why you decided to include it?
Geoff [Barrow] actually put it in there. He produced the track and then showed it to me. I thought it was great because it brings the track up to date and makes people realize that what Dylan was singing about is just as relevant now as it was then, which is what I stressed to Geoff when we covered it.
You cover Yoko Ono, who faced infamous adversarial reactions to her work. Do you worry about scaring people away with the political content in your songs?
I think it’s important to keep a balance, for sure. You don’t want to scare people away. Slowly, slowly catch the monkey. I think it’s good to keep a mix on the album and relate to people in different ways. This is why it was important to use a lot of covers on the first record, to create meaning and challenge things in different ways. Some were political in an indirect way, the way we did them. Others were overtly political in their subject matter.
The songs were recorded quickly and the songs likely selected just as quickly. If you were to plan a covers record now, which songs would you choose and why?
The same ones I chose the first time. Time just gives you time to fit your ideas into a self-aware comfortable box. Lack of time relies on instinct, and instinct is always right.
When did you start writing lyrics and why did you wait so long to put them to music?
I started writing when I was 15. I wrote for myself. It was a release for me and a way of counselling myself.
You penned two of the more sinister tracks, Officer, Officer and No One’s There. How would the themes on a record penned entirely by you differ from the ones on this debut album?
I like the presence of the sweet tracks on the record, so even if it was all penned by me, I’d like to write some sweeter songs and make them more menacing through delivery. Again, it’s good to have a balance and not scare people off.
How has touring affected your relationship with the songs and your position as a lead singer?
I had to learn pretty quick how to be a “musician”. I was used to being the facilitator/industry
Do you enjoy playing live?
Yes, I really do. It’s a great release for me. I let the evil side out. Gone is the apologetic Brit. I embrace the German side.
Anika plays Wrongbar on Saturday (October 8). See listing.
