Returning to the UK after a sold-out tour in support of her latest album, ‘Botanical Garden’, Anna Erhard has caught the attention of British audiences with her increasingly idiosyncratic storytelling and lo-fi beats. The Swiss-born, Berlin-based artist’s third album shows her delving fully into the silliness of life, rife with larger-than-life characters and an onslaught of wry observations and scenarios. Cameron Wright caught up with her to discuss new projects, humour and more.
How are you doing?
I feel good. The album came out last year, so my mind is already creating new things.
Are you working on a new project?
I’m always writing a little. I always have a notepad on me. But gearing up for the new tour, I’m not in the studio with an album in mind. It’s a nice place to be where I’m not writing in songs, but writing in sounds. I’m hust trying to be absently open to ideas, with no pressure for anything to hit.
Is that the usual writing process for you?
Yeah. The lyrical side of an album can just happen whenever. There’s a lot of people-watching, seeing what’s happening in the world. In fairness, I’m often the idiot in my songs; it’s normally something stupid I’ve fallen into. I’m always scribbling away. The studio side is a bit more meticulous. I’ll be in a studio creating sounds, messing with synth lines or loops. Then it’s about finding a marriage between the sounds and the story – figuring out which two can dance together. It all builds from there.
How was the 2024 UK tour?
The tour was amazing. Selling out venues and having full rooms really does make a difference. Sometimes when you play to a small crowd, you get slightly restless as you have to push it out to fill all that space where people should be. When the rooms are already full, it’s calmer for me; the crowd holds you and elevates you. You have the safety to express yourself more. UK crowds are really good for that.
Is there a difference playing to a UK crowd compared to a European crowd?
I think in Switzerland and even Germany, there isn’t so much of a focus on the lyrics. In the UK, they really concentrate and engage with the words. I have a song, ‘170’, that is about my size. A British guy came to the front row with a measuring tape once. I was so confused, but he just wanted to check if I was really that size. People are engaging with the stories more, plus I think the humour gets a bit more recognition in the UK.
How has it been incorporating more humour into your songwriting?
It makes sense that British people resonate with it as I was raised on Monty Python and that kind of silliness. My first albums were very sombre and serious, so I did think it was strange that I wasn’t showing the entire me, just all the gloomy bits. I think in the lockdown I just wanted to entertain myself, so I wrote to make myself chuckle. Not everything has to be dramatic or dark, so I just added more colour, just to keep myself enjoying it. Life isn’t all melancholy, hopefully.
So, what happens on this new tour?
I’m going exploring! I think around 70% of the cities we’re going to are new to me, so I am excited to see all the weird little happenings. On my last tour, I would explore whenever I could. I took my rollerblades, so I would just zoom around, if it wasn’t too wet and slippery.
What should people expect live?
We play as a trio. It’s a more reduced, raw sound than the album sometimes, but I’ll be honest, we don’t stay too strict to the format of the songs. I prefer that as changing night to night keeps it fresh. All I can promise is the songs, the atmosphere, and sometimes, potentially, I might do some minor acrobatics…and by minor acrobatics, I mean I might climb on my bass player’s shoulders.
Anna heads to The Cluny, Newcastle on Wednesday 12th March. Tickets, priced at £15.00 in advance, are available from thecluny.com.
