Dream Wife were at the Eurockéennes 2018 for a powerful and delirious rock concert. We had the chance to chat with these girls who are not afraid of words!
The weather was still nice when we joined Rakel, Alice and Bella from Dream Wife in the press area to discuss how the band was created and how they conceive their music. Full of pep, funny and ultra relaxed, it's a great moment between girls that we shared.
Meet Rakel, Alice and Bella from Dream Wife!
You met at art school in Brighton. You decided to do a kind of happening in a gallery by creating a parody of a group à la Spinal Tap. How did you go from this performance to the creation of a Girl Power group?
Rakel: The happening only happened once…
Alice: But it continues to take place.
Rakel: Besides, it's still going to take place here in a few hours…
(Laughter)
Rakel: No, it only happened once. It was our first show in a gallery at our university. We only had two songs, one of which was really finished. And it was so much fun that we thought, "Damn we have to put this back." So we did more concerts… Kind of DIY concert with two, then 4 tracks, and we ended up writing more because we kept performing and it worked. So we thought, "Why not start a band eventually? ".
When you started writing, did you have the idea of becoming a Girl Power group?
Rakel: We are girls!
Bella: We are powerful!
Rakel: And we play rock… It was inevitable!
Alice: It's because we are 3 women who make this type of music that we were led to develop in this direction. We can't really analyze what happened at that time. I think the three of us just understood each other by making music together. So yes, it seems more obvious with our songs and now that our album is out. But to be honest, it took care of itself; You see what it may be, and you respect it more because you understand it.
Rakel: I think for any style of music, it's crucial what happens in your life the moment you create. Everything will depend on the type of conversations you have with your friends, or with yourself… Musically perhaps more than verbatim. Maybe that's just what you're exploring at the moment… The group you're all about without you knowing it. There's a little bit of all that goes into the writing of the texts. We didn't sit down and said: "Today we're going to write a song on this or that theme"; It happens naturally! And that's the music I like, the one that's not too planned. But, after the fact, you look at what you've done and you're like, "Oh! Wow… OK! " You understand after what it means. You do it at the time of mixing.
Alice: Looking back, it's when you're listening to your music, but not when you're playing it. That's when you analyze it in the studio and focus on certain aspects. No, but otherwise we stay in the flow !
Do you start with the music or the lyrics?
Alice: it goes hand in hand! Maybe some things can be written, as expected, outside the score, separately. But normally it happens together. It is rather a question of combination that goes through the instruments we play. You can't separate the forces that come together to create all these things and I think that's what makes the music that all 3 of us make special.
Rakel: The instruments go with the personality of each one. (laughs) But that's the sound of a good band. That's why we're a great band!
Alice: Yes, there is chemistry between us!
Rakel: There are bands that are disgusted, because they didn't choose the right instrument… They think: "Oh I should have been the lead guitar" or "I should have been the singer"… I've been in a band like that where I should have been the singer. So when you're in a role that's just for you, and everyone is happy with their place, then you're doing your best!
Bella: It's all about trusting others too.
Rakel: Get feedback, rather than being afraid of it! And more than giving feedback, being open to the opinion of others.
Alice: That's trust. That's what being 3 friends making music together is all about. You don't have to think too much because there's this chemistry.
Rakel: Or you don't have to be too shy. For example, if you're a singer who works with a big producer, and you feel like you don't have a say… You have to feel the balance in which you can act safely, no matter what you contribute to; Everything you take out will always be heard. It is important that everyone is happy rather than in a power struggle.
You are considered a feminist group.
Rakel: We are!!
How would you define feminism today?
Rakel: We are a feminist group because we are women.
Alice: It's complicated because it's like separating the fact that we are 3 girls who play in a band and the fact that we are a band.
Bella: Feminism is the fact that women deserve the same rights as men, and if a group is not feminist… so we piss him off! We have to shout it louder because we are women and we have to support all other women. It's not about making women better, putting them above and giving them more rights.
Rakel: It's just a matter of equality ! If a group is not feminist, there is something wrong with them… They are even creepy! I wouldn't like to be in the same room as them!
Do you have feedback from your male fans?
Rakel: Men support us as much as our female audience. We have beautiful, kind and very present fans.
Alice: Yes, I see what you're getting at. I think if people support your message so much, that's great, because it means that men also care about our words. We take everyone with us!
Bella: We're against separating genders and what we're doing is not just for women. Having men at our concert is super exciting! It happens during our concerts that the girls come in front and the guys put a little back to make room for them and it's a great moment. We're here to have fun and together it's better!
Rakel: I think it's also a great thing to be able to talk about certain issues like sexual assault… and make everyone think about it. That way, the next time they go to a concert, they'll think about it too. Men and women, it should be an open discussion. People feel safer after… Even men! People behave more like children, that's good!
Alice: If people could just stand side by side and respect each other, all the shows would be fun. Everyone gets along and everyone is on the same page with this message and it's great; It shouldn't be a segregation thing. It's a question of equality in the end!
Rakel: It's just good to recognize it! We're all here together and you came to a concert to have fun and we're going to have a great time and we're all going to respect each other and that's how everyone goes home happy!
Do you have women who inspire you?
Bella: Oh yes full!
Rakel: Sophie Calle, the French
artist Belle: So full
Alice: It's hard to answer, because we're going to talk about the women we grew up with and there are a lot of women we paid attention to because they were into more aggressive music: rock, punk… It's always a matter of respect at a different time and growing up with these female war models… At the time there were not so many and as soon as we discovered one we became attached to it … Kate and Anna, Debbie Harry, Pathy Smith, Madonna. Too little finally on different eras. Today, it's more normalized to see women doing rock and making music without it feeling like it's playing provocation. It's hard to play music in all eras without being hostage to prejudice.
Rakel: Like: "Oh my god there's a female guitarist… Oh my god there's a female thresher."
Alice:… It shouldn't be fetishized, it should be normal!
Rakel: We grew up a bit with that: women were fetishized, they didn't play in a band, they didn't play an instrument, they didn't sing. It's interesting to live in a time when we are at the next stage and to have grown up in a decade where we have not seen a woman play guitar or so little, compared to men.
Do you think that women are sufficiently represented in Eurockéennes?
Rakel: I haven't watched all the programming but I think it's not bad…
Bella: I saw there's Texas…
Alice: There are our Our Girl buddies playing tomorrow; they come from Brighton like us. We didn't have time to watch the program thoroughly and we don't stay long. But go see Our Girl if you can, they're cool!
Find the story of the Dream Wife at the Eurockéennes
They will remember their time on the Loggia. It was under a torrential rain that the girls of Dream Wife played on Thursday at the Eurockéennes. But nothing would have stopped them from having fun on stage and spreading their message. And the audience was present and followed them to the end, singing in chorus: I'm not my body, I'm somebody! It was an excellent moment of fervor and communion that we will also remember!
Photo : Robert Gil
