...and I am a Peculiar Girl.

by JC. 20.05.10.

Quirky songstress Girl Peculiar (AKA Jenny Shuttleworth) is possibly on the verge of something big. She is in the midst of touring with The Fall and has just released a World Cup song "England's Heartbeat" featuring Mark E Smith and Ed Blaney.

salfordmusic caught up with her down at The Kings Arms the other night so that she could fill us in with all the details.

SM: How did it all begin? Can you give us a brief overview of how you got started in music?

GP: Well, it’s because I didn’t really have a direction in my life at the time. I had a shop called “Jenny’s Head Popped Off” in Rockworld where I used to make crazy dolls and my own paintings and stuff like that. And I was well into going watching live bands at the time, and I’m one of those people that would rather be doing something than watching something- I first had the idea of wanting to be a drummer but soon realised that I could express myself better if I learnt how to play the guitar so that I could write my own songs. And as soon as I started making music I realised that that was all I wanted to do- so I concentrated solely on that.

SM: So, are you a bad spectator?

GP: Yeah, I think so. Even with sport or anything like that- I prefer the adrenalin kick of doing something myself.

SM: When I first heard your songs a couple of years ago, I found it impossible to pin down what your influences were- which is quite a refreshing thing. Was there someone who made you want to write and sing your own songs?

GP: Well, that’s quite a compliment. Thanks. But I suppose the more wacky type of female artists were the ones that I listened to the most- I had no interest in being run-of-the-mill or normal- so I suppose people like Tori Amos, Bjork and Regina Spector gave me the confidence to go for it myself. But I’m a rock-chick really, deep down. I spent my childhood listening to Guns ‘n’ Roses and Nirvana and stuff like that. I used to listen to heavy rock whilst playing with my Barbie dolls from the age of about five onwards. Maybe that’s why my music is a bit of a curious mix. Dunno.

SM: Your early stuff musically was quite understated, the guitar was always low in the mix and you used quite obvious chord progressions etc. I always got the impression that the message was more important than the music. Was that true? And is it still true now?

GP: Yeah, totally true. I don’t claim to be the guitarist of the century or technically a brilliant musician. I didn’t pick up a guitar till I was 22, which I know is much later than normal for people who want to perform. But basically I wanted to project my life experiences into song form so the guitar was just a vehicle for that message to ride on originally. But lately I’ve been expanding a bit and trying to sing about things that aren’t necessarily from my point of view- otherwise I think my songs could get a bit one-dimensional. And obviously as I get more confident in my songwriting I want to experiment with a few different subject matters.

I don’t write songs with big themes or grand political ideas or anything because that stuff doesn’t interest me- but the quirkier side of life is definitely something that I like to explore in my songs.

SM: You use humour a lot in your songs. Was that a natural thing or do you consciously use humour as a way to draw attention to the lyrics?

GP: Well, I naturally use humour in my everyday life to cope with things that can happen- so I suppose it was bound to creep into my songwriting as I write in a very personal style. But I didn’t really realise that I used so much humour in my songs till other people pointed it out.

SM: Well you must have realised that rhyming “bangers and mash” with “Johnny Cash” was going to tickle some ribs along the way?

GM: Well, when you put it like that, then I suppose so, yeah. But that’s just how I speak when I’m talking to friends- just coming up with daft little rhymes or whatever- and if it suits the song then, yeah, I’ll go with it. And the song you are referring to “Angel Groupie Girl” has quite dark undertones so I think I was trying to lighten it up a bit.

SM: Was the progression from solo acoustic artist to being the lead singer of a band seem like an obvious thing to do? Or did you have to think long and hard about it?

GP: It’s a bit weird really, because it almost happened overnight. It’s like Girl Peculiar turned into a band by accident. But getting the support slots with The Fall probably influenced it. I’d written a few songs that needed a full band to do them justice, and then Mark E Smith offered me the support slots on the latest tour so maybe it focussed my mind. I think it’s happened at the right time though because there was only so much I could do musically with just a voice and an acoustic guitar.

SM: Speaking of supporting The Fall: That must be quite a tricky gig as Fall audiences can perhaps sometimes be a bit of a tough crowd…

GP: Well, I tried to use the “mind over matter” approach. I know that they can be quite a tough audience but they can be a tough audience even when The Fall themselves are on so I was determined not to be put off by it. It was nerve-wracking though, and in lots of ways I was prepared for the worst- but thankfully, and surprisingly I’ve gone down well so far. I know that previous Fall supports have been barracked and bottled so I was prepared for that too- but so far so good. No bad reactions yet.

SM: And you’ve even had some kind comments on The Fall website forum too…

GP: I know! I was pretty astonished when I saw that.

SM: So you’ve just recorded a World Cup song with Mark E Smith and Ed (Blaney). How on earth did all that come about?

GP: Well, Mark came up with the idea and he asked us to write some music for it. So one day I was playing a little riff and Ed heard it from another room and shouted “What’s that? It’s brilliant!” and in a sudden flash of inspiration the main melody was born. We sent the demo to Mark and he wrote some great words to go with it. So it was written and recorded here in Salford (at 6dB Studio) and so far the reactions have been brilliant. Mark came up with the idea of calling the band “Shuttleworth” for this one-off song because he reckoned that the name was unmistakeably English. “A good Lancashire name” as he said. I thought he was kidding at first but no. So “Shuttleworth” it is.

SM: So how do you get on with being a band leader and getting the rest of the band to reproduce what’s going on in your head?

GP: Well I’m quite a laid-back person really- and I don’t do the diva thing- and thankfully the band are excellent musicians and they’ve been able to understand what I’m trying to do with the songs. There have been a few times when I don’t think something sounds right but on the whole it’s absolutely brilliant and their input and ideas have been great. But having never been in a band before, they’ve taught me so much.

SM: But of course, the day may come when you have a definite idea of how a particular song should sound and the band just don’t get it. Are you prepared for that day?

GP: Yeah. I believe that I would put my foot down because I adore music and I don’t believe in doing things by half, or with semi-commitment. I would hate to be in a band that just chugged along and sounded like a million other bands. I know that there’s a danger that turning from a solo act to a band I immediately put myself in a very competitive market in which I’m not unique anymore. The challenge is to make this band unique. The reason that I got loads of attention in the first place was because my act was a bit quirky, which was maybe why I held off from forming a band for so long. It’s a momentous and risky stage of my career but if I wasn’t prepared to take risks then I would rather not bother doing music at all. I couldn’t bear to be in some wishy-washy rock band.

You can order England's Heartbeat HERE.

You can listen to more Girl Peculiar stuff HERE.