Holy Moly – it’s been quite a year for Ruth Lyon. The North-East based artist has been pushing forward with her new solo project, venturing out to the USA, playing her part on the board of the Sage Gateshead, and pursuing her charity interests whilst all the while performing with the group Holy Moly and The Crackers. The artist extraordinaire is getting ready to release a brand new single titled Trouble so Adam Kennedy caught up with Ruth to find out more.
What is the narrative behind the new single?
The song is about not being able to tread the path of least resistance and revelling in that, and not seeing it as a negative thing. Trouble can be an asset as well, and not being afraid to be troublesome. Sometimes the things that you have to work hard for are the things that aren’t easy.
You were asked to perform at the legendary SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. How was that experience?
I felt like a bit of a different person when I got back from America. I wrote stuff really quickly within a few days and went into the studio with it. America was great in a lot of ways because it’s totally a bucket list thing. I was playing on the BBC Introducing stage. I was playing on the same stage as Yard Act, Self Esteem, and Wet Leg. To be on a bill with those guys, you just don’t see that kind of thing coming around the corner.
And you also took part in a conference during your time at SXSW…
Yep, that was with some of my activist heroes. So, one was Eliza Hull from Australia and Lachi who’s an American artist. All of us are female, and we all have disabilities. Lachi works with the Grammys; she does loads of stuff like that. Eliza Hull is an artist in residence at the Sydney Opera House. So, they are really interesting women and to do this panel and this conference together, speaking about our collective activism and celebrating disability culture around the globe, it was just so powerful. There’s something about being in a room with two other women who also have different disabilities from me, but we all have that shared experience. Just the sheer talent and force of nature that was in that room – I just cried. I’m not really a big crier, to be honest, but I just cried because watching them made me feel really seen and really heard and just really powerful in that moment.
And tell me about your upcoming run of headline shows with your solo project…
I’ve only played about six shows so far. So, I’m just getting to grips with what my personality is onstage, and I think that will come in time. It’s really nice to have these two outlets for my personality: one that’s just a bit crazy and really bold and big and vibrant and kind of silly in some regards, and a bit rockier and with loads of attitude, and then my solo project is more storytelling, bearing my soul a little bit more. I wouldn’t say it’s more serious, because I don’t really like serious singers that take themselves too seriously, because I’m not that kind of a person, but it’s definitely got more of an artistic edge to it.
Ruth Lyon will perform at The Cluny in Newcastle on Saturday 29th October. For tickets and further details, head to thecluny.com.
