 | INTERVIEW WITH (half of) BODEGA
Gillian, Sandie and June take a break from the storming after-show session for a quick chat with BBC Folk and Acoustic ...
BBC FOLK & ACOUSTIC:
Congratulations! How did you feel when you heard the announcement?
GILLIAN: We just looked at each other and didn't really know what to do at first! We were all just hugging ... it was such a big rush hearing the name and then you had to go straight on ... I was almost crying with all the emotion!
JUNE: Myself and Norrie stood at the back, a bit apprehensive, and then we heard our names and I just grabbed Norrie and he picked me up! It took a while to register that we'd won and then we went and found the other members of the band.
You're all studying but not all in the same location - will you be able to make time to get together as a band?
SANDIE: I think it's really important that we do stick together. The problem is with four of us being in Glasgow and Ross being in Newcastle and Tia still being in Plockton. However, after June next year Tia should be in Glasgow so that means the five of us are there ... it's easier for Ross to get to Glasgow than it is from Plockton. But I think even more now that we've won the award, we'll get together more regularly to practice.
How do you work on your material? Does anyone take the lead or is it a democratic process?
JUNE: It's ideas from everyone, because everyone's so different ... it just works ... We were talking about this earlier, we just come together ...
GILLIAN: Myself and Norrie are in RSAMD and Sandie and June are at Strathclyde and we don't see each other that often, then Ross and Tia ... when we get together everyone has new tunes and new ideas and we just throw everything in ... June and Tia and Norrie will probably work on the rhythm side and then we'll work on the tune side, really. And Ross will work on melodies ...
GILLIAN: We all lived together ... I think it was three years Norrie and myself lived together, and myself and Tia for four years so we know each other pretty well, really. And we've played in official bands to do with the music school ... you don't get a choice, you're put into a band and you have to get on and work together and come up with enough material to play at a gig. Then when you actually choose who you want to be in a band with it comes together quite easily - I think that's why it works so well.
JUNE: We're all quite determined - I think we're all quite competitive (laughter) ... not in a bad way, we all want to be quite successful - not to even win, just as long as we play as well as we can then we're pretty happy. That's it really.
The semi-final weekend always seems like fun. How did you find it?
JUNE: I found it really enjoyable but quite tiring as well because there was a lot to do ...
SANDIE: It was good meeting other people because a lot of the time we play with Scottish musicians and it was good to hear young people that are from Ireland and England - it was really good hearing their influences as well. It was a good chance to meet people our age.
JUNE: It was good also because it introduced you into the final, which is so big ... the semi final wasn't as big as this and wasn't as nerve-wracking ... we knew it would be much bigger, but not as big as tonight!
Was this the biggest gig you've played?
SANDIE: This is the biggest venue we've played as a band, yeah.
Tell us more about the Gaelic angle.
GILLIAN: In Plockton, Gaelic is quite a big thing - you have to study it in first and second year ... when I went to Plockton in my second year, coming from Fraserburgh, I had to learn Gaelic! I went on to actually quite enjoy it and now I'm studying it at RSAMD. A lot of the people around you, like most people in Plockton, are native Gaelic speakers.
JUNE: I picked it up at university as an optional choice, just because I think it makes you understand the music a bit better.
SANDIE: Most of us can speak a wee bit of Gaelic but Norrie's the only fluent one ... We just knew that Norrie was a prize-winning Mod singer so we knew this was definitely a talent we had to use in the band.
GILLIAN: We also sing in English as well and Sandie does some songs in Scots ...
At which point it's time to let the girls off the hook to continue celebrating till the wee small hours.
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Young Folk Award 2006
