Shock And Claw

One of Toast’s most revelatory experiences at this year’s Tramlines was the performance at City Hall Ballroom by Eccentronic synth-pop rising stars The Chanteuse and the Crippled Claw, the new project from Kings Have Long Arms main man, Adrian Flanagan. Rob Nevitt recently caught up with him to talk musical inspirations, 70s vampire films and more…

Where did The Chanteuse and the Crippled Claw come from (in terms of name, origin and perhaps philosophy)?

I wanted a name that said ‘This is a female singer of songs & me’ and that’s what it is [laughs]. I want to have longevity as a writer and I want to write credible pop songs for female singers in the same way that people like Serge Gainsbourg used to when he’d do an EP with Bardot. Then, an album with Anna Karina and so on – I want to do that but all under the calling card of The Chanteuse & The Crippled Claw. It just keeps it interesting, I don’t like people knowing what they are going to get next [laughs]… My first Chanteuse single featured Candie Payne who is a great singer from Liverpool and my next single and the debut album will also feature the beautifully voiced Chanteurs Philly and Lucy Hope who are also in the touring live “Revue” version of the studio project… I must also mention Mrs Cunsolo or she’ll give me a round house kick to the nose, she plays synth and Glockenspiel in the live group and is so cool, so very, very cool [laughs]…

How would you describe the progression from Kings Have Long Arms to The Chanteuse & The Crippled Claw?

Do you approach the creative process in the same way or is it different?Firstly, I badly broke both of my ‘long arms’ in a life-changing bike accident back in mid 2008 after doing a single for Domino records called Big Umbrella. I’ve basically got only 40% movement in my left wrist —hence the Crippled Claw moniker— and restricted movement in my right arm. The specialists said my kind of injury only happens to people who are struck by lightning and that I would never play a guitar or a proper instrument again. I’m guessing the Big fella upstairs wasn’t a fan of daft northern electro pop. [laughs] Thankfully I write most of my stuff on the pleb’s instrument of choice – the synth and a computer [laughs], so, whilst having physio and repeat operations for over two years, I just got my head down and tried to write what I always imagined to be a credible kind of pop music with the ghost of the last 50 years of great music running through its veins and with my arms in plaster and a sling [laughs].

After seeing you live a couple of times, it’s clear to us that there’s all sorts of elements to your sound, taking in 60s and 70s film soundtracks, Library music, BBC Radiophonic Workshop stuff, and—at the heart of it all—there’s an old-fashioned classic pop sensibility that you just don’t hear any more. Can you explain a bit about your influences?

That’s correct and a lot of people probably wouldn’t get the references but I wouldn’t want people to think what I do is something elitist or specialist either. I think more than anything what The Chanteuse & The Crippled Claw do is very accessible and radio-friendly. The fact that we’re currently existing on the outside of this cack pop bubble is what makes us interesting. The Chanteuse & The Crippled Claw is effectively a pop project that has a genuine beating heart attached to it. It doesn’t belong in the current climate of pop music but whenever young, intelligent, fabulous people hear it or see it for the first time they get it and they love it. They embrace it like a librarian disco moth to a flame [laughs].

You recently played a gig at the Showroom Cinema, how did that go? Was it a different experience compared to playing a regular gig? We heard great things from those in attendance…

Yeah, it was good. It was at the recent Celluloid Screams Horror Film Festival. It was lovely to do a midnight show—where we didn’t have to get into promo mode or tell anyone we were playing—but still get to play to a whole bunch of people from around the country who have never heard us before and weren’t expecting us. We were like a four-dimensional scratch and sniff trailer before a 1970s cult vampire film [laughs].
What’s the writing process like? Do the girls input on the creative process or are you the main driving force behind the song writing? I usually do a little rough diamond of a demo at home, on a computer or a Dictaphone, then take it round to Dean Honer (from I Monster)’s studio where we’ll produce the track up. Dean is a big part of The Chanteuse thing. He’s a big beardy wizard of sound. The women bring their incredible voices and their unnerving acts of enthusiasm and excitement, which is nothing but a joy for an old war-wounded dog like I. [laughs]

In a scene dominated by guitar bands, C&TCC are a distinct and exciting proposition. Do you consider yourself to be part of the Sheffield scene or do you have any thoughts on it?

I’ve seen many scenes here come and go, many weekend big mouths fall by the wayside. In the mid-noughties, when Kings Have Long Arms were locally quite a big deal and making little waves in the press and on the radio in the UK and Europe, I’d always big up Sheffield and Sheffield groups when no one else was doing it. You could find plenty of musicians who lived here, slagging Sheffield off and slagging off their fellow bands but no one would allow a scene to grow. I always encourage being supportive. I came from Salford and was brought up around that whole Manchester scene so to come from that to a place that didn’t celebrate itself and, in fact, was really down on itself and each other was very strange. That’s why I purposely made KHLA live shows such totally over the top euphoric mental affairs, the audiences were forced to join in and enjoy themselves. Or be left out [laughs].

What’s next for The Chanteuse & The Crippled Claw?

New single out Feb/March 2012, album a few weeks later. Tour, festivals, then split up [laughs]… Oh, and I’m working on a little short film/musical project with England’s greatest actress Maxine Peake. Can I go now? Coronation Street is about to start.

For more info, head to www.armscontroller.com or follow them on Twitter @theCRIPPLEDCLAW