Underground heroine on afternoon drinking, motherhood, and why the Tories have f*cked us all...
“It’s a shitshow. A mockery. A conveyor belt of jokers,” spits Gemma Rogers. The former spoken-word artist has had a busy year giving birth to a daughter and dropping one of the most intriguing punk-pop albums of the century so far. And in the finest punk tradition, she’s also hopping mad about the UK’s dire political situation.
“We don’t need austerity, we need to tax the rich,” Gemma says, warming to her theme. “The only good news, politically, is that there’s no more room for apathy. The Tories have royally fucked us – think about child poverty, fuel prices, the rising cost of living. Normally I can’t be bothered to talk about politics – the songs do that for themselves – but right now you can’t not talk about it. It’s a worrying time.”
Never fear though, Gemma Rogers’ new LP – ’No Place Like Home’ – isn’t all bleak rants about Westminster shenanigans. You’ve likely heard dancey single ‘My Idea Of Fun’, her cheeky ska-inflected paean to rum drinking in the afternoon.
“That was written before a lot of the rest of the tracks,” she tells us. “Before my little girl came along, when day drinking was still a thing. A lot has happened since then! Sometimes I mourn the grot-bag pubs. Meeting randoms, spending my wages on cheap spirits, and kissing the wrong people.”
Championed by 6Music’s Steve Lamacq – who asked Gemma to sit in for him on his New Music Fix show recently – she adores fellow current artists Yard Act and Deadletter. “I’m also super impressed with AGAAMA. I watched her perform with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra the other day on BBC4. Amazing! I asked her to open up my show at Dead Wax in Birmingham and she said yes! I’m well chuffed.”
Gemma rails against the dumbing-down of social media with great style and verve on brilliant album opener ’Stop’. But she isn’t averse to using technology to help with her creative process.
“I write my lyrics, themes, and ideas into Googledocs,” she reveals. “I’ve found it’s the easiest way of sharing ideas.”
Most tracks were recorded at the studio of collaborator Sean Genockey. “Each track required a different style and approach. I think you can hear that.”
“Creativity is a lawless place.”
The tour is going well, despite a bumpy start. “We had to miss Rough Trade in Nottingham because of a bad car crash en route. Then I lost my voice about an hour before I was due on stage at Bedford Esquires. The crowd were amazing though. I think we just about snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Turns out my Barry White-does-punk impersonation was down to a chest infection.”
“Luckily the most recent gig sold out, and went without any hiccups apart from the fact I lost my favourite jacket. At least it wasn’t my phone, –or my mind. I’ve still got them. Although I’m gonna be real with you, baby brain is no myth.”
Gemma’s daughter is now five months old. “I felt a new ‘something’ when we played for the first time, six weeks after the birth. I’ve got a great support network, namely my Mum and partner. My band and manager also understand my approach to performing live – It’s imperative to plan even more meticulously now. Booking dates that work around her needs. She’s my priority. And the reason I’m putting 200% into my music career – this is all for her! I want to prove that mums in the music industry can set the pace and deliver.”
A positive soul – “I go from thinking we’re going to hell in a handcart, to bursting with joy and excitement for the unknown” – Gemma Rogers wants her shows to be all about positivity.
“Sweat and tears, live banter, and a singalong or two. Possibly a shot of rum…”
So, what exactly is Gemma Rogers’ idea of fun?
“Watching my daughter grow. Running in the rain. Spicy curries. Hammam sessions. Roasts on Sundays. Old-school house parties. Glass-bottom boats. Gin.”
And what sage advice would she tell her younger self, given the opportunity?
“Learn to drive, you numpty!”
Gemma Rogers plays Birmingham’s Dead Wax on November 12th; the Hope & Ruin, Brighton on November 20th, and The Face Bar, Reading on November 30th.
Words: Andy Hill
Photography: Sian Davey
