The emotive, comforting swell of Rozi Plain’s hushed vocal delivery and stark lyricism has always set the Winchester songwriter apart from her peers. Plain has slowly built up a reputation as a cult proposition thanks to her frank, witty observational turn of phrase. Pain’s third release ‘Friend’ 2015 ramped up her appeal with her most intimate and personal compositions to date. We caught up with Rozi ahead of a five-date tour of Ireland, including performances at the Quarter Block Party festival and The Workman’s Dublin, this February.
You seem quite excited about coming to Ireland (photos on website etc.) What’s the family connection and what are looking forwards to seeing again?
Hello, yes we used to go to Ireland every summer when I was younger. The first time we went we spent six weeks - five of us driving around in a mini metro, staying in youth hostels, visiting stone circles and swimming in the sea and eating potato soup out of a packet.
And lots of time spent in Ballydehob and all round the South West, so it's really amazing to be playing a show at Levis' in Ballydehob. It's good to return to places.
Your live band has a rotating line up that’s constantly expanding and contracting. Will you be bringing a full or slim-line band to Ireland and how will this affect your five Irish gigs?
Full band! There'll be five of us, that's one person per show...Jamie, Neil, Rozi, Gerard and Raphael on their way. But yes, the band changes a lot. Just like The Fall. I've got a few different teams dotted about the UK and France
You’ve been quite open about your latest album 'Friend' being a breakup album. Were the songs written over a long period of time, as they seem to look at the end of that relationship from considered and pondered upon angles as well as freshly and intensely?
I think about half the songs were written over about two years and the other half were written over a fairly short amount of time. So yes you're right. Bit of both.
Does the album title ‘Friend’ refer to the classic relationship escape route of let’s just be friends?
No. I guess at the time I was thinking about friendships a lot. Also me and some of my pals always call each other Friend. "Hello Friend". Also I like the letter F. Also I was into it being one word. It felt like an appropriate name.
Do you get to a point where you think this song doesn’t hurt to perform anymore, I must be moving on?
Woah, goin' in deep!
How do you feel about being labelled as a happy/sad artist?
Sometimes I laugh about it, but sometimes all I can do is cry about it
Did you intend to write a sparse minimalist electro-indie album with ‘Friend’?
Ha. Er, no I guess not. In fact it’s funny because when we recorded it I really thought "Woah there's so much stuff on it, it's so arranged!" and I thought it sounded really different from any other stuff I’d done. But then everyone else is like "Wow there's so much space, you're really not afraid to NOT play..." and I realise that it just totally does sound like my songs.
Have you been surprised by the response to the album, and Actually and Jogalong in particular, which fans have really seemed to embrace?
Well yes, it's been great that it's seemed to have picked up a few new listeners. It's been so great having such good support from people like 6 Music. It's so amazing how they really get behind people, they make such a difference.
Do you find people want to tell you their tales of woe now?
Would you like to tell me your tale of woe?
You can hear Rozi Plain's tales of woe and/or form an orderly queue to tell her your own at the following venues across Ireland in February.
Thursday 04 Feb The Sky And Ground, Wexford
Friday 05 Feb Brewery Corner, Killkenny
Saturday 06 Feb Quarter Block Party 2016, Cork
Monday 08 Feb Levis, Ballydehob, Cork
Tuesday 09 Feb The Workman's, Dublin
Ticket info for all events here.