Emily Littler of Street Chant

I N T E R V I E W
Emily Littler of Street Chant
By Arpie Shirehorse (Photo by Anna Littler)
 
HUP caught up with Emily Littler of Street Chant ahead of the band’s show at Nivara Lounge this coming Thursday, March 31st.
 
You’re coming to Hamilton! Have you played here before? How was it? Back when I was in Wilberforces we played a few times, since Thom (Burton) is from there. A 21st, some other shows.. One that sticks out is when Street Chant played there a few years ago, the show was great but after when we were putting gear back in the car we saw a guy stealing a pie from a dairy and the dairy owner chased after him with a cricket bat, so the guy threw the hot pie and mince went all over the dairy owners face. You guys go hard there eh. 
 
One of my favourite tracks from first album ‘Means’ is ‘Less Chat, More Sewing.’ Can we expect that and anything else off the first album at the upcoming show? Yeah we are doing heaps of the old stuff! Not sure about that one though, that song is mean so I hate doing it. 
 
What’s behind the name of the new album ‘Hauora’? Is it a slant at the state of the country’s wellbeing or more personal than that? Both and that the album is about a house. Hauora represents the 4 walls of the whare - mental, physical, spiritual and social health. 
 
What are the main differences between how you wrote/recorded ‘Means’ and ‘Hauora’? Means was done totally live, Hauora some was live but even then I would go into pro tools and drag the tracks around to change the structure of the song. I wrote more on a computer for this album, Means was more traditional band in a garage kind of. Some of these songs on Hauora haven’t even been performed live yet. 
 
I really dig ‘Swanning’ btw which didn’t make it onto the LP. Did you have any more gems that didn’t make the final cut? How do you guys make such tricky decisions – is democracy alive and well in Street Chant?! There’s one or two more that didn’t make it. Swanning didn’t make it because it didn’t fit thematically with the rest of the record. We normally agree on things. If we don’t it’s just a matter of who is more stubborn. ​

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The only time I’ve seen you was as Mean Street at Camp A Low Hum in 2008. It was pretty fantastic, I think you’d only got together a few months before. What has been your favourite Street Chant show to date? Honestly I don’t know…any house party probably. There’s been too many and my memory is crap, ha. 
 
And any that totally sucked? Any show at a “music industry showcase.”
 
Can we expect any hot merch at the Hamilton show?! If by “hot” you mean stolen, then yes. (HUP has it on good authority that there might well be vinyl and tees) 
 
Some quickfire questions to end…Auckland or Wellington? Hamilton.
Courtney Love or Courtney Barnett? Kurt Cobabes I Courtney Love you.
Kim Deal or Kim Gordon? Kimmy Elizabeth Swanson (of Auckland band Blue Bloods).
Vinyl or cassette? Vinyl not that I can ever afford to buy any.
You could have three NZ bands, past or present, play a show anywhere in the world. Who would it be and where?  Skeptics, Blue Bloods, About Town - Live in Ibiza.