Lamb have always been recognised as one of the first vocal-based groups to use frenetic, hard-hitting, rolling breaks and sample wizardry, anchored by beguiling vocals, and without a trace of saccharine. The yin of Andy Barlow’s production perfectly complements the yang of Louise Rhodes’ song-writing and vocals.

 

Ten years on, armed with an anthology of musical formations under their proverbial belt, a magnitude of remix collaborations with renowned artists and producers, a DVD release of their 2004 Glastonbury and Paradiso Show, including sessions from The Tequila Show international and national tours, and a widespread cult discern catapulting them to the accolade of an avant-garde benchmark of alternative sounds.

 

With worldwide mass appeal, their latest and last album for the time being, ‘Lamb Remixed’ released in August, encapsulates the melting pot of essences for which they are best known; remixes range from Tom Middleton’s bright summery interpretation of ‘What Sound’ with Lamb vs Cosmos, to MJ Cole’s dark and dirty version of the angelic vocals of ‘Gabriel’, via the pioneering Global Communication’s adaptation of ‘Gorecki’, originally inspired by the modern Polish composer famed for his 1976 ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’, which takes the mood from one of heart-rending to happiness. In addition, one of their most celebrated tracks, ‘Cottonwool’ from their first album in 1996, is reworked by the atmospheric drum programming genius A Guy Called Gerald.

 

Forming an alliance back in 1994, Andy and Louise could not have been more different, and seemed an unlikely pairing, but their divergence grew to be the making of them. Andy, only 19 at the time, started off as an in-house engineer for So What Management and DJ, producing and writing material under the name of the Hip Optimist, and was resolute in his musical ideas – meaning no vocals, which he felt got in the way of the production. “I wanted edgy and futuristic. The last thing I wanted was to have a coffee table album. When Lou and I started working together, we fought like cat and dog. It was very much a frustrating mental tug of war.

 

“We were both poles apart in our musical tastes. Lou’s music was hippy twaddle and she felt that mine was just heartless electronic clinical reverberation. Lou opened my eyes to new sounds, such as acoustics, cellos, flutes, violins and all these other beautiful-sounding instruments. It created an amazing sound. The ironic consequence was that, even though the differences were immensely apparent, we switched them to a positive, by incorporating them and meeting in the middle. It’s this that made it work so well.”

 

Louise, the daughter of folk singer parents, virtually grew up at festivals; her idealistic music was shaped by her quirky, spiritual and imaginative style which is conveyed in the poignant melodies and evocatively haunting vocals and instruments. “We were so different musically, but shared a unique offbeat-ness, and the camaraderie between us ultimately felt fated – quite magical, in fact.”

 

Their meeting, back in 1994, appeared to be one of almost preordained fate; Andy had been working at a studio but had been sacked, deemed not commercial enough and too unconventional to blend in with the tastes of his fellow musos. So Louise’s addition to the forthcoming union truly became the catalyst in their success.

 

For most artists, attaining a record deal can be a long-winded, sometimes difficult journey, but Lamb acquired a record deal with Mercury subsidiary Fontana pretty much immediately, and had completed an album within a staggeringly impressive six weeks. “At the time, Fontana was looking for a new act to sign and we were brought to their attention by a journalist called Mandy James. Fontana had other acts on the label – including Elton John and Bon Jovi – but wanted a diverse addition to the stable, something a bit freer and less conventional.

 

“The label came down to see us at the Simply Red studios we were borrowing and we were signed pretty much from the offset on the basis of two slightly acid trip hoppy demos. Lou was a photographer and I was a producer, so we knew what we wanted in terms of musical direction and marketing, from the music to promotion to artwork imagery. The record company had different ideas for us at first, but after seeing the results for themselves and the acclaim we achieved, they happily forfeited rein control.”

 

The eponymous debut album was released in September 1996 and was received to critical acclaim, reaching platinum in Portugal. With success from the outset, was the pressure on to pull out something even more impressive from the bag? “We were very surprised at how well it was received, and it did up the ante for the next album. It wasn’t a conscious decision to follow with just big hits. Our albums are like our children, the first being the conception and birth, the second being the terrible twos, so yes there was a certain amount of pressure for it to do well. Keeping things fresh, non-formulaic was vital to us. We wanted to continue with disjointed records and stuck our necks out to make it happen.”

 

Growing organically rather than decisively, there were still many comparisons made with artists and bands, despite the fact they fit into no obvious genre. Although Lamb is much more club-orientated, they have been likened in ways to Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Morcheeba, Bjork and Tricky. Do they avoid predictable pigeonholing by mixing numerous facets of style into the abstract soundscape they create? “Journalists love grouping bands together, it makes their job easier. We started with a continual comparison to Portishead, even though we had finished our album before them but had sat on it for a while before release. For a year it did drive us insane and when we performed a gig at Bristol I met

Adrian Utley from Portishead, and we chatted about it. Essentially it’s a girl singing and a boy producing the music.

 

“But, at that time there was so much incredible music coming out and a lot of us were Bristol-born so it was a great scene to be a part of and to be likened with. Now we’re not so fussed; people can brand us any way they want to. It’s just laziness. We have our own sound and have been compared to many, including the energy of an electro Led Zeppelin so that can’t be a bad thing.”

 

Much remix work ensued with Gerald Simpson and Hull duo Fila Brazilia from the Pork Recordings stable, with the track ‘Cotton Wool’ to name but a few. Louise also went on to lend her vocals to Sheffield legends of their time, 808 State, for the track ‘Azura’ on the album ‘Don Solaris’. “We managed to get involved with lots of remix work with some amazing artists. We were given a budget from the label and could choose which ones we could work with if they were keen. We sent off some of the tracks, and it was such a feeling of anticipation to see how they would interpret our tracks and morph them into different versions.”

 

With their love of instruments being included live in their touring jaunts, Lamb pretty much set the precedent for other acts to follow with this type of repertoire, which at the time was a new fangled stage dynamic and added a sense of the dramatics to their shows. “People get sick of watching DJs with laptops. Live shows are a performance, but lots of bands became cabaret, with DATS played over them, so we thought, if we are going to do live, we are going to get some shit-hot musicians and open it up to a jam. When we started, not many bands were doing this; it’s a lot more popular now, but at the time it was pretty groundbreaking. “When we played at Glastonbury in 2004 it was unbelievable. People are still talking about it. It’s always been about the performance – a proper show. We always put our heart and soul into it, and love playing live. Getting into the studio, milking our creative juices and pumping it out in front of an audience is a euphoric feeling.”

 

With such a prevalent appeal to the masses, what core type of person understands and identifies with Lamb? “Our fanbase is widespread, but most fans seem to be quite up with technology and have probably downloaded this album already! I’d also say they tend to be very spirited and spiritual. We also had a very big gay following as we started off as very androgynous-looking and this seemed to appeal to the scene.”

 

With such a multitude of choice, to pin down their favourites tracks is a tricky one; upbeat songs to get down and dirty to in addition to the more solemn and affecting. ‘Gabriel’ from their first album and ‘Gorecki’ from ‘What Sound’ in 1996 and 2001 respectively have touched people more than they could have hoped for and remain close to their hearts. “People tell us how they’ve used our music as a musical monologue for a moment or an event at some point in their lives. These songs have touched a lot of people and for that we are very proud.”

 

With a discography spanning across seven albums – ‘Lamb’, ‘Fear of Fours’, ‘What Sound’, ‘Between Darkness and ‘Wonder’, ‘Back To Mine’, ‘Best Kept Secrets: The Best of Lamb 1996-2004’ and now their new remix gem of an album with many other singles, remix work and DVD releases in-between, Lamb consume almost every adjective when used to illustrate their music. From reflective catharsis, to quirky to passionately sensual, their inspiration is derivative from what is quite simply life, and the many adjectives you feel right the way through. “We find inspiration from the people around us, the location we’re in, what’s happening in our lives and love lives. I try to go into a studio with a blank canvassed mind, and see what sows from the seeds I plant when I’m there. I just nurture them and watch them grow.”

 

With a new chapter evolving, there are new seeds to be sown for Lamb. Plus there are individual pursuits for Andy and Louise – Andy with his new band producing tracks, some with Oddur, Lamb’s guitar player, with plans to record his own indigenous album at the end of summer and tour heavily next year, and Louise promoting her newly finished album with touring to follow. Lamb have had an amazingly successful run thus far, but their projects are not all about the success, as Andy is quick to point out. “Only if it’s in our hearts will we follow it.”