Victoria Hesketh made quite a splish-splash this year as Little Boots, scoring both a Top 10 album (Hands) and two hit singles ("Remedy" and "New In Town"), and releasing the Illuminations EP here in the States.So on the eve of Little Boots' North American tour (dates at the end of the interview), Victoria decided it was time to submit herself to the inevitable barrage of classy inquiries from Chart Rigger.
ROBBIE DAW: Hi Victoria! First of all, congratulations on your success in the U.K. with both Hands and "Remedy." Did you expect the single would do so well?
VICTORIA HESKETH: Thank you. I didn't really know what to expect so I am really pleased it has done so well.
Your previous single, "New In Town," was written while you were in Los Angeles, and has kind of a dark feel to it. What about this town made you feel that way?
I think it's a great place but can be quite intimidating if you are new and don't know many people or your way around, so the song was about the mix of excitement and scariness I experienced.
While we're talking about Hollywood, have you seen the godawful Renee Zellweger film that was released earlier this year called New In Town?No! I saw the ad, it looked pretty bad.
What can we Yanks expect from you North American tour dates this coming week?
We will be playing quite a stripped down set. There are just three of us and we can't bring all our props and singers with us but I think it makes it more raw and more of a live feel, and we still make a pretty good racket.
Speaking of racket, you'd been in the band Dead Disco prior to taking on your own project, Little Boots. Are you in touch anymore with any of your previous bandmates?
No.
Well, that answers that. Can you explain how you come to work with pop producer extraordinaire Greg Kurstin in Los Angeles?
I met Greg through working with my old band, then we worked on some tracks together and just kept going. He's ridiculously talented and I really enjoy being in the studio with him, it's very easy and natural and fun to write. Plus he has a great dog.
Doggone it! What, to you, is the significance of the name Little Boots?
It's really a name for the whole project, not just me, so I like that it's kind of bigger than just me as a person and stretches to cover everything that I do in this project.
So when can we expect to get our, uh, hands on Hands here in the States?
I think the date is not definitely set yet but probably January.
The Illuminations EP is available in America, and "Not Now" has gotta be my favorite track on it! How did this come to be a U.S.-only song?Like any album there were extra songs I had to choose between, and it was really really difficult— but this track didn't make the album. So I was really pleased we could feature it on the U.S. EP and make it more of a special feature.
Being from Blackpool, have you ever bumped into Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys?
Not in Blackpool, but we have played a show with them in London. They both watched all of our set and were very complimentary.
And along those lines, you recorded a duet with the amazing Philip Oakey called "Symmetry." Describe that day in the studio.
It was great. Philip is really talented and his voice is still incredible, so it was a real honor to work with him, as I've always been such a big Human League fan.
And, most importantly, what color are your favorite pair of little boots?
Black and gold.
Ooh, just like Sam Sparro. Sparkly!
Below are Little Boots' U.S. tour dates, starting tomorrow in New York. (Tickets available here.)
September 16—Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
September 17—Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
September 18—Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
September 19—The Independent, San Francisco, CA