Any electro-pop which encourages dancing and wearing more sparkly clothing than normal is absolutely fine by me. Enter Little Boots. Victoria Hesketh burst onto the electro-pop scene in 2009 performing under the moniker Little Boots, following in the footsteps of acts like La Roux, Lady Gaga and Ladyhawke. Before even releasing a record she had reached the top of BBC’s Sound of 2009 poll. As we talk to Victoria, she is awaiting the release of her second album, Nocturnes and has just performed a silent gig, much like those all too familiar silent discos, Little Boots entertained her fans from a perspex box, streaming music through headphones rather than speakers. She is always striving to improve her live show and anyone who catches her this summer is in for a treat, LED dresses, need I say more?
Back to the beginning, funnily enough Victoria tried the modern route to stardom, auditioning for Pop Idol when she was just 16. It wasn’t until 2008 that she started to get noticed when the song “Stuck On Repeat” was leaked by her manager. Things blew up from there.
Her first album Hands debuted at number five on the UK albums chart in June 2009, with single “Remedy” peaking at number six on the UK singles chart but since then things have been a bit quieter on the public front. Not that Victoria hasn’t been busy but more on that later. She learned a lot from making Hands, and realised she wanted more creative control and freedom, hence the gap between it and Nocturnes, which will be released under her own label On Repeat Records.
Like any nickname, Little Boots actually annoys Victoria now. “It’s a nickname from a friend because I have very small feet,” a teeny tiny size 2 and a half to be exact. Small feet aside, new influences are easy to spot on Victoria’s sophomore album Nocturnes. In five words she describes it as; “nocturnal disco, dark, dance-pop.”
“It’s more dancefloor orientated with less pop in the production although the songs are still very melodic and pop at heart. It’s a bit darker and more grown up.”
“I’ve been inspired by a lot of old disco and house records and DJing a lot,” she says. DJing gave her the freedom to explore new sounds and gauge crowd’s reactions, it’s an interactive process and that’s why she loves it.
Nocturnes marks a return to traditional pop song writing. Catchy pop has become (perish the thought) uncool but really great, smart pop songs will always find their place. First taster “Motorway” doesn’t disappoint, it’s darker and its minimal beat and pulsing bass line leaves us waiting on the edge of our seats for the full record.
Victoria is excited for what’s next for Little Boots, “We’re going on tour in the states in a week or so followed by the UK and hopefully Asia, then festivals through the summer. We’re very excited to be playing Glastonbury again. Also hopefully writing and recording some new material!” Busy girl. She’s back and taking big steps in those little boots.
Nocturnes is out May 7th.
Claire Healy
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