Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement

 
 
Saturday, 11th October 2008

Premium Article !

Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button.

Options

Premium Article !

To read this article in full you must have registered and have a Premium Content Subscription with the Sheffield Star site.

Subscribe

Registered Article !

To read this article in full you must be registered with the site.

Push comes to shove for the Voodoo child



Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 10 July 2008
SEVERAL things drive the latest lady pledging to cause a major blip on our musical radar. One of them involves walloping people. The other is a personal war on rubbish gigs.
But don't worry, she's not about to belt you if you don't like what you see/hear. "Standard gigs are very, very dull," says the Barnsley-born, Sheffield-based performer.

"I grew up with a dancing school doing stage work and productions with lights and make up, costumes and mad theatrical people, so four boring looking blokes wearing boring Tshirts and boring jeans just doesn't yank my chain.

"I know you're there for the music but you'd just as well go for a run and listen to it on your iPod."

And one listen to Izzie's album The Push confirms why she's driven to be different, including dishing out candy to fans.

"They get to see PVC hot pants and kinky boots, but I'm considering getting dancers and we're working on visual imagery. The lollipops are for people who come to see us. If I like them I throw them a lolly."

So, what can your ears expect? Well, Izzie's sound has modern fire but with clear footings in 80s electro laced with punk energy and pop seasoning.

"My influences do stem in some ways from 80s music," she concurs, uttering Human League, The Cure, Sisters Of Mercy and Hazel O'Connor, as well as Adam & The Ants, Madonna, Duran Duran.

"I listened to them as a teen because I preferred it to the stuff I should have grown up with. There's also a fair bit of punk in there too and I've always loved dance music as well.

"I tried very hard when I first started writing to distance myself from 'known' music in an attempt to sound original, but now I'm listening to Klaxons, Bloc Party, Hadouken among others and lots of 'unheard' bands I play on my podshow (see www.voodooquotashow.co.uk).

As for her name, it doesn't give much of a clue as to her sound.

"Izzie is real, but the Voodoo bit came from a comment someone made very early on when I ran a song past him," she explains. "He said he felt like I'd done some kind of voodoo on him, so the name stuck."

Off stage she's more likely to be dabbling in martial arts than the dark arts. It is something that impacts on performance.

"It's brilliant for building confidence and kick boxing gets you phenomenally fit, which of course is exactly what you want on stage. I'm the sort of person whose glass is generally half full, but on the odd day it starts to dwindle just an hour's training helps bring it right back up."

There are times on Izzie's album – Sound is released as lead single this week – you sense she's honed something to work out to. Or to lose yourself in.

"Everyone needs to escape once in a while - most go on holiday. Listening to and writing music lets you go to all kinds of places without flight delays or having to get your bum out of the seat."

Having gone through a trial and error phase of standard band set-ups, Izzie now uses digital methodology with live guitars and bass, utilising effects along the way.


READ MORE
Your letters.
Today's features.
Latest sport.
Main news index.

The full article contains 570 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
Page 1 of 2

  • Last Updated: 10 July 2008 10:13 AM
  • Source: Sheffield Star
  • Location: Sheffield
 
 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.