Interview: Charlotte Brimner of Be Charlotte

Be Charlotte is the musical vehicle for young Dundee popster Charlotte Brimner. Grabbing the attention of music fans across the country, and due to appear at Glasgow Green for the TRNSMT festival, Be Charlotte has launched a succession of refreshing, engaging and fun indie-pop tunes. With an easy, quirky style and a striking singing voice Charlotte Brimner is a remarkable new talent. We caught up with her in Glasgow for a chat.

Do you think preparing for a festival is a different discipline than preparing for one of your own gigs, or do you approach it in the same way?

I think so, yeah. I think with a festival you just need to be prepared for anything that can happen. I think for me with festivals, like Great Escape in Brighton and we played Sound City in Liverpool recently, the changeovers between the bands is really tight, so it’s quite a short period of time, so you have to get everybody trained up for that sort of experience because it can be quite stressful.

But if everyone knows what they’re doing then it’s just a bit better, if you know what I mean. For me that’s a big point in a festival. It’s a bit more rushed before a gig, but if you’re prepared then I think it’s all good usually.

There’s not much of a build-up. Basically, you are in some kind of a holding area and then you’re on stage and then half an hour later you’re off stage. It’s a big demand on an artist. You’ve got to go for it and seize the audience’s attention as well I think.

It does go quite quickly I guess, from arriving at a festival, or whatever, then to actually performing, but I like the festival experience especially if it’s in a tent that you’re performing in. It’s usually got quite a good atmosphere before you go on. If the stage is quite big and there’s good sound, that’s what makes me a little bit more excited for it.

So, in terms of playing TRNSMT, have you got particular ideas on what the set’s gonna be like, or will it stay quite close to the template that you use for most of your gigs?

I’m not sure yet. I think I probably will change up maybe a couple of little elements in it. Usually, with a festival show I feel like that is different to a normal live show, because, for me, I think, people who are going to a festival, they want to be able to feel like they’re a part of the gig as well, so I would rather add in a part where the audience can join in. Rather than, just make it back-to-back songs and not be able to chat or anything. I’ll definitely make sure that’s involved in it.

Do you find that you get more feedback from a Glasgow crowd than maybe some other crowds?

I guess so. It depends really on what the gig is. Especially if it’s at a festival, or whatever, it depends obviously on the weather, and who else is on at the same time as you. Most people at festivals are usually up for having a good time.

What about recording, do you have material that you’re working on at the moment?

I’m just working on a lot of new songs at the moment. I’ve been going away to Germany to do some writing, which is new for me. It’s been a good learning experience. I’m just working on some new songs and seeing what music I can create with different people.

So, I’m pushing myself writing-wise just to try some new stuff, and then, we’ll see where we’re at with all the songs. Hopefully, maybe release something, maybe again towards the end of this year.

Is it a case of looking for different inspiration or different topics or different ways of writing..

I think for me, I like being able to learn different things of how different people write. I’m quite clear in my ideas for songs, so it’s more about being able to bounce ideas off other people, because sometimes I do find it quite lonely songwriting sometimes, if you’re just stuck in your own head, then you need to say to someone, “Look. Does this sound all right?” Or, “Do you think this is wrong?” So, it’s nice to be able to do that I think, for me anyway.

How do you choose or find people to collaborate with?

It’s different really. A few of the people have contacted me and then some other people have been through the publishers that they are signed with.

They’ve said to go and try and write with these people, so it’s through recommendation or whatever. I think it’s just cool to experience what it’s like to write in different places.

What was your first way that you approached songwriting then. Just when you initially thought, “You know what, I can write a song.” How did that manifest itself?

I was just playing some chords on the guitar and just messed around with that, and then I just thought “Well, I can maybe put some of my own words to it”, which I tried to do at the start. I think the words and the melody just came at the same time. It just kinda happened like that really, and then after that, I just kept it to myself for a while, and then I kept writing a few more songs, and then I thought that maybe I could share them with people.

So it was quite natural really. I didn’t think, “Oh, I’m definitely going to be a songwriter and that’s what I’m gonna do.” It just kinda happened, and then I really enjoyed that process of being able to write things out instead of maybe holding frustrations in about things, so I enjoyed being able to write it, and obviously putting it to music was quite cool as well.

How much of what we hear on your songs is you, in terms of the production and pulling the strands together?

With the finished songs it’s pretty much all still me to be honest. Usually, maybe someone else would mix it or master it, or whatever, in terms of that, but in terms of production and arrangement and actual writing it’s all me.

I think it is definitely good to be able to put your own ideas … But what I’m saying as well, I think it is nice sometimes to let other people have a little play around with the songs just so it gives it a bit of a different feeling sometimes.

How does your live performance differ from what we hear on the record?

There are little different parts from the actual recorded music, so when we plays live we have; bass guitar, keys, electric guitar, and then a live drummer, and then I’ve some of the more digital stuff running live through the set.

For me, once the song’s finished I like to be able to look at all the things that are in the song and then be able to pick out what we think can be done live, or played live, and then what really works with the sound that it is on the actual session. I think for me, it’s taking out the parts I think would work well live.

Do you like travelling around and touring, that side of your music career?

Yeah. I like travelling around, to be honest. I think it’s the type of person that I am. I think that is what is good for me and especially as an artist and a songwriter I really do enjoy it, and when we go away and play gigs, I find it quite exciting to be going and travelling away because it’s just like going away to do stuff with your friends. So, it’s nice because I enjoy the company of the team that I’ve got around me and I think it’s nice to be able to go away and do things and feel like it’s a celebration of stuff sometimes as well as working hard.

If someone is going to TRNSMT, what can they expect from your set?

I think they will get honest music. I like it at a festival when you can go and see a performance where you can relate to that person, you can have a good time and really experience, what they’re experiencing.

I think for me, you want someone to come along and not feel like half way through the set, “Oh, I feel a little bit bored. I wanna go and do something else.” You want people to come and think, “Oh, that wasn’t long enough. I want to see more of that, or hear more of that.” So, I want people to come along and hopefully think that.

Be Charlotte is part of the line-up for the King Tut’s Stage Powered by Utilita Energy at TRNSMT.