Vampire Q & A: BATTS
Here at AAA we just can’t get enough of the booming bass and seductive soundscapes of Melbourne-based act BATTS, the electronic project of singer-songwriter Tanya Batt. We asked the rising producer and musician what kind of blood-sucking creature she’d prefer to be as well as the story behind her latest single Kiki.
First of all, are you team Edward or team Jacob?
Oh wow, I haven’t thought about vampires since 2008 when I was a teenager in a country town and read those books in a couple of days…I was all for Edward though, mainly because I loved Robert Pattinson’s music too and him in Harry Potter phwoarrr! He was an obsessive twat in Twilight though, give a girl some space.
If you were turned into a vampire, would you be able to resist the urge to suck human blood or would you be ‘vegetarian’ and only feed on animals?
Oh man, I’d definitely choose humans over animals, animals are beautiful and a heap of humans are awful. I’d probably target certain politicians first, all I’m saying is animals don’t do anything as awful as us humans do…
Seeing as you can never go out in daylight again, what day time activities are you going to miss most?
Well I run every morning to podcasts along the river so I’d definitely miss that a lot. Also day time summer drinking park hangs, and probably a lot more things I can’t think of just yet.
White lips, pale face – would you fake tan if you were a vampire?
No way! I wore fake tan once and it’s scarred me forever, I got a spray tan for my debutant and I remember waking up with a hangover from hell like two days later thinking something awful had happened because my bed sheets were the worlds worst colour and I looked like an Oompa Loompa. Scary stuff!
Would you befriend humans or would you try to take over the world?
I’d probably be friends with humans, there are a lot of humans I love. I’m hoping this is the type of Vampire that turns into a bat though so I can fly places…wait is that why this interview is vampire related? Is this a giant like BATTS related pun thing?
Where would be your ultimate vampire hangout?
Probably like underground record stores or music venues or like a roller skater rink that would be awesome, I’ve got a mean pair of white leather skates with red sparkly wheels which I neglected this summer that I’d wear as a vampire or a human.
Are you scared of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or do you think you could take her?
I can’t fight Buffy, I’m in love with Buffy. It’s one of my most watched TV shows ever, however I’d probably know her weaknesses because of this, but can I just become friends with her? She dated a vampire after all so I probably have a chance…
For the uninitiated, how do you describe BATTS’ sound and live shows?
Oooo, It’s very atmospheric, journey driven cinematic vibes. Pretty chill, but emotional. The live show is very special, I play with my best friends who happen to be the most incredible musicians and three of my biggest inspirations, Hayden Calnin, Will Cuming (Lanks), and Lachlan O’Kane (Eagle & The Worm, Canary, Dorsal Fins, Theme Team and others…drummer hey!?). There’s definitely a lot more organic elements in the live show and many beautiful three and four-part harmonies. It’s just a good time for us on stage and I hope a memorable time for the audience!
We’re loving your latest single Kiki, what’s the story or inspiration behind the song?
Well, let’s be honest here. If you’ve been heartbroken before you’ve probably gone through a stage of overthinking everything. You think about them a lot, you hurt a lot and they normally appear in your dreams a lot. It drives you mad and I guess you wonder if they are going through the same thing. Heartbreak sucks, but if you watch a lot of Studio Ghibli and have amazing friends you’ll be alright. I’m actually good friends with him now, I more just write about the memory of that feeling because I guess that’s just what I do.
Lastly, what are three things people should know about you?
- I have spent half my life in England and Australia and one year in America.
- I am obsessed with space. Saturn is my favourite planet; I have a stunning tattoo of the planet!
- I name every single object/living thing I’ve ever owned.
