Alongside Charles Watson, Rebecca Taylor performs as Slow Club, who skip between lo-fi folk, DIY indie and 60s-inspired soul. In 2012, the band, who formed in Sheffield, flirted with the tabloids after self-confessed fan Daniel Radcliffe starred in the video for the single Beginners. Slow Club’s fifth album, the Matthew E White-produced One Day All of This Won’t Matter Any More, was recorded in just over a week in Richmond, Virginia.
If you weren’t in Slow Club, what would you be doing instead?
I was meant to do English lit at Sussex University. I also wanted to be an actor, of course. Actually, I’d be in a girl band. That’s maybe what I should have done.
The press blurb for the album says Charles’s lyrics deal in fantasy and yours are based in grim reality. Is that fair?
[Laughs] Yes, sadly. I wish I could do fantasy songs, but my fantasy stuff would always end up with me feeling sad about something I’ve done. It’s all painfully true.
You thank RuPaul on your new album. Why’s that?
I had some dark times post-2012. Every time there’s an Olympics my life falls apart, so I’m a bit nervous currently. I was really sad and I had to go back to my parents’ house and lay low for about six months. I couldn’t get out of bed, and so I just watched all of RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s such a joyful programme and RuPaul’s an incredible person – a real beacon of positivity. He’s constantly saying “be proud of who you are and fuck everyone else”, and that’s what I needed to hear. That and Roar by Katy Perry helped me bounce back.
RuPaul then called you “gorgeous” on Twitter.
I know! I was at my friends’ wedding and I screamed at my phone and I was going, “This is the best day of my life”. My friends thought I was being really kind about their wedding.
Why’s the album called One Day All of This Won’t Matter Any More?
I think it’s an uplifting title. Sometimes in the band we get so stressed out, so we’ve got this saying – ”they’re just songs”. It’s kind of self-deprecating, which is sort of what we do. But I definitely think there’s a point in bothering. Like when RuPaul calls you gorgeous and life feels important again.
The video for In Waves shows you Googling “does Victoria Beckham have colonics?”. Did you find the answer?
No. There’s an article about her beauty regime, and that’s included in a list of things she gets done, but I wanted to go and have it where she has it.
It also shows you sat on the loo - was it a number one or two?
Just a quick morning number two. No, I’m joking. My friend who helped me edit it said: “I’m just going to take the toilet shot out” and I was like, “No, you can’t! Do not fuck with my toilet shot.”
Are you still friends with Daniel Radcliffe?
We’ve not seen each other for quite a while, but he’s still my pal. He’s such an absolute legend. I’ve been writing scripts, and so we send each other our work and tell each other it’s brilliant.
If you could be a character from Harry Potter for a day, who would you be?
The clever girl, Hermione. I’d love to be smart.
But she seems really uptight and awful.
But imagine if I was uptight – maybe my life would be better. I’m too loose.
Finally, do you collect anything?
Really bad decisions. No, not really... When I was young I got into commemorative spoons for a bit.
