Belle Game Andrea Lo
Interview Conducted on February 19, 2018
By Daniel Locke
Vancouver’s Belle Game have released a new video for “Low” with Noisey today. Pulled from their critically acclaimed sophomore album Fear/Nothing on Arts & Crafts, the video was directed by Kevan Funk and explores the cold, sterile nature of our fundamental longing for intimacy.
The band’s Andrea Lo comments, “Low is about the empty feeling I had when continually fucking people because I felt it was my role to service to them. The neglect of my own humanity served my deeper desire of being accepted. For this, it was necessary to dress up feelings of ugliness with overcompensated feelings of “love” and higher purpose.
Kevan Funk has given the narrative visual representation through capturing the disconnect, coldness and tenderness found in objects that offer acceptance and connection in place of true company. These objects can be toxic, but they reflect of our most human needs. They provide comfort, they fulfill desires, and they speak to a fundamental yearning for intimacy. They are honest, and in that sense, they are beautiful.”
Alongside the video, Belle Game have announce a tour as lead support for Broken Social Scene. Hitting cities such as Austin, New Orleans, and Baltimore, the 11-date run will follow their current North American headline tour. See below for a full date listing + tickets are available here.
Fear/Nothing is a ten-track collection produced by Dave Hamelin (The Stills) and executive producer Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene). A record of lush compositions, Belle Game combines the sweeping ethereal pop of the Cocteau Twins with the energetic vocal-driven melodies of genre-defying artists like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jessy Lanza. Known for their ability to weave ethereal soundscapes into blown-out, crush-pop confessions, Fear/Nothing received accolades from the likes of W Magazine and Blackbook and saw Belle Game emerge with their most ambitious work to date. More than a comparison, Belle Game works to deliver musical catharsis, a sound and experience of allowing themselves and the listener to achieve a point of extreme vulnerability and freedom
Adam Nanji
Andrea Lo
Alex Andrew
Katrina Jones
Unratedmagazine: Tell me about your backgrounds?
Andrea Lo: Belle Game has been through multiple incarnations, but we’ve been in this current formation for a little over 4 years now. Initially we came together when Adam returned for a summer, but from there we would go on to do our separate projects until Katrina and Adam moved to Vancouver.
So the band started in Vancouver BC. How was the music scene there?
Belle Game
The music scene was decently active when we started playing together. Vancouver was starting to show more interest in supporting younger bands. We had (and still have) major venues such as The Commodore, The Orpheum and Rogers Arena where more prominent acts would come to play so the music scene was alive, but it’s diversified and grown so much over the past few years.
What are some of the bands you check out live while growing up in Vancouver BC?
Grizzly Bear, The Futureheads are probably amongst some of the more memorable concerts I saw in Vancouver while growing up.
Did you ever get the change to hit the Seattle Music scene? What was your impression of it?
Growing up no, to date yes, we’ve played Seattle a few times now, but we’re still navigating the scene. People seem engaged and excited to welcome in new music.
How is the coffee was compares to the coffee in Canada?
The same.
Adam and Alex were childhood friends and formed the band during high school. In the summer of 2009
you recorded your first EP, with Andrea Lo. What was that experience like?
Belle Game was not formed in high school. Adam had returned from the summer from his studies in Montreal and was about to record his solo EP, looking to play a solo show, he rounded up Alex and myself to join him. We discovered quickly that we enjoyed playing music together. When we recorded that EP we were young, and didn’t really know what we were doing, but it was a good first experience that would eventually lead into a much more fruitful career in music than I think any of us had expected.
How did you meet Katrina?
Adam met Katrina at McGill where they were both studying.
How did you come about your name?
We were playing with more delicate sounds at that point, so Belle (meaning Beautiful) Game seemed appropriate at the time.
What is Crush Pop?
Another sub-genre to add to the vocabulary of what music can be. It was a quick description, and is based off the marrying of pop with grittier sounds and textures.
Tell me about the development of your musical style?
Belle Game
There’s no purposeful development of a style, how we create is a result of how we live and show up to our lives.
How do you define your music?
An opportunity for catharsis, healing, and acknowledgment through the vein of music.
What was the first festival you played? And what was it like?
It’s a blur at this point, but one of the festivals we played earlier in our career that sticks out to me is Hillside, which is based out of Guelph, Ontario. We were playing either third or second to last and unintentionally ended up closing out the festival because a storm hit and it had to shut down for the remainder of the day.
What type of music did you listen to, growing up?
All kinds. The Avalanches, Lee Scratch Perry, Radiohead, and Lauryn Hill to name some.
Who influences you and why?
Our co-producers (Kevin Drew and Dave Hamelin) for Fear/Nothing were great inspirations for us as they challenged our mindsets and how we engaged with and related to music, teaching us, through their presence alone, to create from instinctual feeling as opposed to logic. Life is also a great influencer of our music, being observant of our own processes, getting closer to our personal truths, it all finds a way in there.
How did you get signed to your label?
Multiple synchronicities. We met Kevin Drew at the Banff Centre in fall of 2013, from there we formed a relationship and would move on to creating an album together. Arts and Crafts had been on our minds for a while and was something the four of us wanted, so when our Manager called to tell us that he had taken on a job there, it just all seemed to come together.
What is your tour like?
A lot of hours driving, loading in, playing shows, and loading out.
What is your typical setlist like?
Around 45 minutes.
What do you think of alternative music today?
I think that the current realm of alternative music is too broad to be able to describe. People are creating and experimenting, it’s great.
What type of clubs do you like to play in (size)?
Anywhere from a 90 persons venue to a 5000+ pax theatre.
What music fests would you like to play in which you have not played yet?
We’d love to play Bonnaroo, Coachella, list goes on.
What is your feeling of Van Warped Tour since 2018, is the last year for it?
I think it speaks of larger issues within the industry and how running festivals is not financially sustainable through independents alone. There is so much economic benefit to keeping these events alive, that if government were to invest and treat it as part of their programming I’m sure that financial and overall well-being of communities would increase greatly.
Last year you played SXSW. Tell me what was like?
It had its highs and lows.
What club(s) did you performed in? And was it a showcase?
We played a total of 4 shows the last time we were at SXSW, the most memorable venue was Swan Dive and 1 of the shows we played there was a show case.
Tell me about any endorsements you have and may how do got them?
We don’t have any.
How would you explain your live performance?
Large, honest and cathartic.
What is it like to play a radio show vs. a regular concert?
Extremely different. Concerts have an audience to exchange energy with, and radio shows don’t.
You are about to start a tour with Broken Social Scene. How was the tour put together?
We toured with Broken Social Scene last fall (2017), we all fell in love, and the rest is history.
Fear/Nothing came out in September 2017. Are you getting any airplay?
Depends on which platform. Radio, not as much, but we’ve been successful in streaming.
If someone was listening to you for the first time, what 3 videos or songs would you tell them to
look/listen to and why?
Low, Spirit and River. We had incredibly talented teams working on these videos who created beautiful visual narratives around the meaning of the songs.
Who is your favorite singer and why?
Anyone who is laying all their cards out.
How did you come up with the idea for the video for Low? Have you had any problem to get it played on the video music channels?
Lyrically, Low was about the empty feeling I had from neglecting my own humanity in order to serve my deeper desire of being accepted. For this, it was necessary to dress up feelings of ugliness with overcompensated feelings of “love” and higher purpose. Kevan Funk gave the narrative visual representation through capturing the disconnect, coldness, and tenderness found in objects that offer acceptance and connection in place of true company. These objects can be toxic, but they reflect our most human needs. They provide comfort, they fulfill desires, and they speak to a fundamental yearning for intimacy. They are honest, and in that sense, they are beautiful.
We’ve had no issues in getting our video on platforms.
How did you find the location of the video shoot?
Our director Kevan Funk, and producer, Dan Montgomery worked tirelessly to gain access to a lot of those locations through endless meetings, conversations and emails.
Do you have any problems with the teen girl website Belle Games for Girls?
No, and I don’t understand why we would. There are parts of the site that are problematic in a systemic nature, however it’s only an issue if someone’s only reference to the world is that website.
How do you see your band in the next 5 years?
Continuing to create, tour, connect.
Any guilty pleasures your fans would be surprise you listen to?
Any 90s CanCon.
What is on your bucket list?
We’re doing it right now
What is on your phone for music now?
Ought, Bully, Japanese Breakfast, Yaeji, Holy Other, Honey Dijon and a bunch more
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