An Interview with Foe

Fresh from releasing her debut album earlier this year, Foe talks internet, influences and dressing up.

Frankly, Foe is not a chick to be messed with. Already known for her derision of celebrity and modern popular culture, she’s hardly the usual manufactured pop princess being churned out of the commodification machine. Staying true to her nineties childhood, Foe (aka Hannah Clark’s) aesthetic and sound both seem like an homage to the decade, all perfectly messy hair and take no bullshit attitude.

Her debut album Bad Dream Hotline is described by Hannah as having a “grungy pop rock vibe” with stand-out tracks like Tyrant Song, The Black Lodge and Genie in A Coke Can producing sharp tongued lyrics on top of infectiously catchy choruses. “Millions in marketing of pop star trash / You’re better than that, you’re better than that,” she preaches to what you can only assume is the music industry as a whole; a subject of which when broached, is the only topic that goes unanswered. That’s not to say that Hannah is ungrateful, definitely not, because the impressive amount of attention she’s achieved in such little time has left her as unchanged and humble as ever; always returning to her stomping ground of venues, The West End Centre in Aldershot, Hampshire.

In regards to her quick success, the internet is very much to thank for it. “It was lucky timing when I first put Foe songs online. It was just at the end of the MySpace era when people still used it to find new music,” says Hannah. “It’s so easy these days to get your music out there. It’s a blessing and a curse,” she considers for a moment. “There are just so many bands and artists trying to get heard.” The pros definitely outweigh the cons though. “I work hard at keeping up a 'presence' online, as it's by far the easiest way for people to hear my music all over the world.”

This presence is certainly noticeable. Foe has almost all social networking sites under its belt: Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and Tumblr, the last of which feels like an insight into Hannah’s mind, filled with photographs, art and a forum where you can submit any interesting dreams you’ve been having. A statement on the site reads “you have seen inside my head, now I want to see inside yours” and this just seems to provide even more insight into Hannah’s brain.

So what got Hannah Clark, a girl from commuter town Fleet, best known for its service station, to this point? “My dad has always played music, particularly guitar,” explains Hannah. “I used to join in with him playing Beatles covers, and I guess that inspired me to eventually start playing on my own." In regards to the music she would hear around the house growing up, she cites “a lot of Neil Young, Blur, Nick Cave, but also a lot of world music. I went to Womad festival with my family a lot.”

With plenty of musical experience under her belt at a young age, classically trained in piano and guitar before dropping out at Grade 5 in favour of playing the way she wanted, Hannah took influence from artists like Kurt Cobain, PJ Harvey and Jack White but also books and film, especially director/producer Alfred Hitchcock. “I think visuals are so important in music, because music naturally conjures up imagery,” she says. And as for her process of writing lyrics; “I don’t put too much thought into it to be honest. If I get inspired I'll just start writing and it's sort of like the song will move through me, out my mouth and onto the page; beyond my control almost! Mostly my lyrics end up being personal to me, because music for me has always been a way of venting.”

Hannah was in alt-rock band Arthur before turning to a self-titled solo project and eventually finding her partner in crime Entrepreneurs, where Foe was born. All three ventures have been very different in style and spanned many years so it’s interesting to compare Hannah’s music from then and now. “In a way yes, I do feel my music has matured over time,” she states. “I'm constantly learning new things about the world and even myself, so the more experience I have the more natural my music is to me. I don't like to restrict myself creatively so it's better to just go with the flow and hopefully come out with something new and exciting.”

Bad Dream Hotline was released at the beginning of the year and was immediately followed by a promotional tour up and down the country. Although Hannah had played many gigs before, these seemed different as she was showcasing a complete set of songs she’d worked extensively on and obviously, as any artist would, actively wanted people to respond to them; but nerves did not stand in her way. “I always get nervous doing any shows, but actually those tours were probably the most comfortable I have felt with the Foe band so far,” she says. “It was a great feeling being able to play from an album of songs. It made everything feel so much more real.”

Foe’s shows both look and sound sensational. It’s rare to see the band dressed conventionally, instead opting for some interesting hair or makeup choices, including Hannah’s array of colourful wigs, which she claims she’s now stopped wearing. “I like to play around with clothes and I love fancy dress,” she clarifies. “I think it's important that if you're doing a show, you make it a SHOW and image and clothes are a huge part of that.” Foe does make this clear with the amount of passion they put into their live shows, and Hannah promises it can be very loud. “My band and I are close so we are very connected on stage. I guess it's probably quite intense,” she shrugs.

The music video for single A Handsome Stranger Called Death debuted exclusively on The Guardian’s website last week and Hannah ensures she’s already working on her next album but what’s coming up for Foe in the near future? “I’m going on a mini tour with Marina & The Diamonds in May, and I'm doing some small festivals to follow (Great Escape and Camden Crawl), along with a date in Amsterdam which I'm super psyched about! So a lot of writing, playing, repeat.”