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Into the Wild with Esmé Patterson

We are all animals that have civilized ourselves – Denver darling, Esmé Patterson, talks We Were Wild, touring with Frank Turner and being a woman in music.

Descending into the basement at Servant Jazz Quarters in London, I stumble into a somewhat unusual setting, half a film-set, half soundcheck. The technical struggle of soundchecking seems gracefully handled by the lady in the centre of all of this, Esmé Patterson. After witnessing her charismatic humour and pragmatic nature, I feel fortunate to sit down for a chat with her.

First things first, “I Love your T-shirt!”

Thank you,” Esmé says, looking delighted, before expanding on the topic. 

Safe Gigs For Women had their shirts at the merch table at all the Frank Turner shows we’ve been opening. And I’ve just been so amazed by the work that they’re doing.

Dressing in such a visual statement, do you feel like it’s different to be a woman in music?

A hundred percent. It’s absolutely different. I’ve never been a man in music, but all of my friends that are men, which are most of the musicians on tour that I know, they don’t experience the things that I experience. Even when it’s just in a physical sense. Someone can overpower me more easily in a crowd full of people. And unfortunately, it happens a lot. And we have to look out for each other.

Already striking me as a strong-minded woman, Esmé released her third studio album this November, which elaborates the spirit she projects in person. We Were Wild is a transcendent journey in a way, and apparently, it took a while to complete.

It was a record that took me a long time to make. Longer than any other record I’ve made. It was born out of a very transformational time in my life and I’m really proud of it – Esmé ponders.

Why is the title in the past tense?

Well, there’s a lot of different symbols in it. It can mean a lot of things. There are a lot of themes of wilderness, and the ownership of yourself. And giving away the right to oneself, and what that means as a woman. We are all basically animals that have civilized ourselves, somehow.

Actually, I’m really bad at explaining it, but I told my grandma, who’s 92, the title of the album, and she took a moment and said: “Well it really makes you ask if we were wild, what are we now?” and I was like: “You nailed it grandma, that’s it”.

Esmé spent a significant part of November and December on tour with Frank Turner across a number of dates around the UK. “It’s been wonderful to play for his crowds in these big beautiful rooms. He and the whole crew have been really kind and welcoming,” Esmé comments pragmatically.

Do you have any funny tour stories to share?

I do. He (Frank Turner) might get mad at me for this one. We were in Oxford, and during soundcheck he just walks up on stage and put a picture, like a big glossy photograph, of himself on my monitor, and didn’t say anything. He just put it there, waved, and walked away. Strange. I was just like: “he’s gotta be playing a joke on me, but I don’t understand it.” What do I do? I’m sure he was just being funny, but I still haven’t quite figured out what he meant by that.

Surely there is a big difference between supporting a large scale band and doing your own shows. Esmé is from Denver, though currently based in Portland, yet the prospect of playing UK shows might differ from her US base as well?

I usually don’t play places that big. We were in a lot of beautiful old theaters, and really cool big places that my loud, rock ‘n’ roll band usually doesn’t get to play.

We are usually in dingy bars or something like that. But there’s a beauty in comfort in those spaces for me. We played one dingy rock club on this tour and my whole band was like: “Yes this is our zone. We’re comfortable here” – she explains, before taking on the rest my assumptions.

In the US and the UK the people are not very different, but I don’t think people are all that different anywhere. Everybody is just people. Especially, you know, when we’re all in a room together, experiencing music.

Music is my life. It’s everything. It’s like blood, it keeps me alive.

With that beautiful idea in mind, I ask Esmé to describe her own music.

Whenever someone asks me, I say I just play rock and roll. There is sex in it, and pain, and joy, and all the real shit – she smiles.

She might say it’s ‘just Rock and Roll’ but it seems to mean a whole lot, so what does music really mean to Esmé?

What does music mean to me? Music is my life. It’s everything. It’s like blood, it keeps me alive. And I’m grateful for it.

And I can see why. Only witnessing her soundcheck tells how much passion Esmé Patterson puts into her creation.

Could you tell me something about you that a lot of people don’t know?

I have my own bowling ball and shoes that match. I really love bowling.

That is quite something. Having spent tremendous amount of time both in the studio and on tour this year, Esmé knows what she prefers the most.

Live shows – she says, without a blink. There’s so much pressure in the studio to make things perfect. In a live situation, it is just about tuning your body and your spirit to the room and the people there and it seems like a more forgiving space.

Speaking of the live situation, it is almost time for Esmé to tune in for her own headline show this evening, but before that, any last statements?

Everyone who can’t see my T-shirt, should check out Safe Gigs For Women. It’s a really cool organization here in the UK that try to make venues safe places for women. Unfortunately that’s a really important thing to bring awareness and visibility to, because, just myself being a women and selling my own merch in the crowds, there were moments where I didn’t feel safe. We all need to look out for each other and take care of each other.