Think Kraftwerk’s and The XX’s
lovechild and you’ll be close to the
sound of Passonfontaine.
With tour dates mounting and a
spot headlining the Festival Republic
stage at this years Reading it’s no
wonder this trio are set to smash into the
British music industry this summer, all
guns blazing
Arriving through a cloud of
cigarette smoke Passonfontaine enter the
room. First comes front woman Luella
State, long-limbed and wide-eyed,
despite a heavily alcohol influenced
night previous: “We had a gig at The
Forum last night, some guy through his
tooth at me.” I was expected to hear this
type of anecdote. Next is smart-boy
guitar and backing vocalist Maxwell
Sloan, tall and calm. His togetherness is
a reassuring contrast to Luella’s
whimsical giddiness, evening out the
balance. “James’ pussied out I’m afraid,
something about food poisoning.” The
final member is James Tacks; synthist.
Usual position- behind a wall of Macs
part-hidden and mysterious. His absence
only adds to the mystery, but for the
mean-time State and Sloan will be
enough to get on with.
With their popularity
experiencing a massive growth spurt,
schedules must be getting hectic, but
they seem surprisingly unfazed…
“You’d think, but we always seem to
find ourselves pissed, doing nothing in
James’ flat.” I’m told that due to having
A 24hour Tesco’s as his neighbour
Tacks’ is the only place they seem to be.
“We to write most stuff in the early
hours so the 24hour factor is handy,”
explains Luella, “James and Max just
come up with a tune out the blue, so I
just start humming along with it eating
jaffacakes.”
Now then, time to take a look at
the music. They’ve arrived as if from
nowhere with the haunting single
“Overtow,” supporting the likes of
Crystal Castles, Passion Pit and The XX.
“I’d rather sound decent than look a
dick, none of this Lady Gaga sh*t.” So
that’s Max’s approach, and you can see
it when he’s on stage, no leaping
around, just performing with a grin on
his face that say’s “I’m having a bloody
good time.” But what about Luella? Her
approach seems much different, yes she
is indeed having a good time; however
her stage presence carries a higher health
warning. “I enjoy a good frolic in the
crowd, oh and a mad dance, you have to
just go with what seems to be a good
idea at the time, you know?” This
mantra seems to come with its
consequences; over time State’s
collected a tasty selection of injuries
including a safety pin through her foot
(no, I didn’t ask either.) “Once I
fractured my eye socket after running
into stage equipment, it f*cking hurt.”
Brilliant.