Image: Elisa BryantThis week Melbourne occult rockers Little Desert release their highly anticipated debut album Saeva. It's a killer record, but one that wrecks your head when you try to describe it. Is it Patti Smith fronting Jefferson Airplane or somewhere between Sabbath and Heart? And then there is that 80's tone creeping into their 70's hard rock sound. Putting your finger on it is just a bit too hard so we asked the lovely Tara Wardrop of Brisbane psychedelic band Dreamtime, (who have shared the tour van with Little Desert), to get in there and find out what's going on in the mind of Esther Rivers, Little Desert's enigmatic and powerful front woman.Noisey: What’s the meaning behind Saeva?
Esther Rivers: It’s a Latin word — the nominative feminine singular of ‘Saevus’, which basically means ‘savage’. It combines my love of words with feminine power and the wild elixir of the songs.I can hear traditional folk (amongst other styles), what are your influences?
Ash and I love vintage folk stuff (not so much contemporary folk). Catherine Ribeiro is a big influence; Kate Reid from It Records introduced me to her a few years ago. She’s an avant-garde French folk singer from the 60s/ 70s, her voice and her work are so unique and incredible. Roman is a massive Goblin fan and we all love Dario Argento. I’m obsessed with Italian and French cinema and music; I love the yé-yé stuff and Edith Piaf. I also love terrifying shit too, like Diamanda Galás. We all love rock and punk and pop from the 60s to the 90s. Ash and Ema are very DIY punk, but you know, me mutually adore Heart and The Divinyls and Patti Smith and The Modern Lovers and GOD and Sabbath and Bikini Kill. There are too many to mention!The clip for your new single "Captive" is intriguing.
It was somewhat inspired by the Fluxus movement and Marina Abramovic’s work. We wanted a metaphorical and grossly exaggerated idea of a mundane ‘housewife’ chore. Exaggerated to the point of being completely fruitless. But it’s not really about any one thing. There are always many notions behind ideas, akin to songs. Director Keith Deverell came up with the concept but we wanted to steer away from those sort of short bits of narrative that people have been doing a lot lately with film clips. We just wanted it to be an art piece. Some people were really bored by it, some people thought it was incredible. You can take whatever you want from it really. That’s kind of the point.How does feminism influence and/or inspire your music?
I don’t know how much it is feminism that influences my music rather than female power. I have always had a very strong sense of that power, and I suppose feminism enters in when I display that power. I hope other women feel that power, and use theirs as a consequence. It’s indomitable. I am an advocate for that power.What would your dream show look like?
If I had ever got to share a stage with Chrissy Amphlett … I probably would have crapped myself and cried or something. But seriously, that was a total dream. I did this mad US road trip with my friend a few years ago where we saw Patti Smith play in Texas and then raced down to New Orleans and traipsed through knee high mud at the jazz festival to get to the front of Fleetwood Mac and watch Stevie Nicks. I had it in my head that we would get to New York and somehow find Chrissy and I’d, I dunno, serenade her from the street or something, but she very sadly passed away a few weeks before we got there. I’m actually getting teary just writing about it. She was the pioneer of fierce lady performers. She is a great influence.
Nov 21 - Melbourne at the Tote
Nov 26 – Sydney at Blackwire Record
Nov 27 – Byron Bay at This Old Sunn
Nov 28 – Brisbane at The Foundry'Saeva; is available now through It Records.
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Esther Rivers: It’s a Latin word — the nominative feminine singular of ‘Saevus’, which basically means ‘savage’. It combines my love of words with feminine power and the wild elixir of the songs.I can hear traditional folk (amongst other styles), what are your influences?
Ash and I love vintage folk stuff (not so much contemporary folk). Catherine Ribeiro is a big influence; Kate Reid from It Records introduced me to her a few years ago. She’s an avant-garde French folk singer from the 60s/ 70s, her voice and her work are so unique and incredible. Roman is a massive Goblin fan and we all love Dario Argento. I’m obsessed with Italian and French cinema and music; I love the yé-yé stuff and Edith Piaf. I also love terrifying shit too, like Diamanda Galás. We all love rock and punk and pop from the 60s to the 90s. Ash and Ema are very DIY punk, but you know, me mutually adore Heart and The Divinyls and Patti Smith and The Modern Lovers and GOD and Sabbath and Bikini Kill. There are too many to mention!The clip for your new single "Captive" is intriguing.
It was somewhat inspired by the Fluxus movement and Marina Abramovic’s work. We wanted a metaphorical and grossly exaggerated idea of a mundane ‘housewife’ chore. Exaggerated to the point of being completely fruitless. But it’s not really about any one thing. There are always many notions behind ideas, akin to songs. Director Keith Deverell came up with the concept but we wanted to steer away from those sort of short bits of narrative that people have been doing a lot lately with film clips. We just wanted it to be an art piece. Some people were really bored by it, some people thought it was incredible. You can take whatever you want from it really. That’s kind of the point.
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I don’t know how much it is feminism that influences my music rather than female power. I have always had a very strong sense of that power, and I suppose feminism enters in when I display that power. I hope other women feel that power, and use theirs as a consequence. It’s indomitable. I am an advocate for that power.What would your dream show look like?
If I had ever got to share a stage with Chrissy Amphlett … I probably would have crapped myself and cried or something. But seriously, that was a total dream. I did this mad US road trip with my friend a few years ago where we saw Patti Smith play in Texas and then raced down to New Orleans and traipsed through knee high mud at the jazz festival to get to the front of Fleetwood Mac and watch Stevie Nicks. I had it in my head that we would get to New York and somehow find Chrissy and I’d, I dunno, serenade her from the street or something, but she very sadly passed away a few weeks before we got there. I’m actually getting teary just writing about it. She was the pioneer of fierce lady performers. She is a great influence.
Little Desert launch ‘Saeva’:
Nov 21 - Melbourne at the Tote
Nov 26 – Sydney at Blackwire Record
Nov 27 – Byron Bay at This Old Sunn
Nov 28 – Brisbane at The Foundry'Saeva; is available now through It Records.