They’ve been heralded by some as the saving grace of modern British pop music, charged with re-inventing a genre that had lost its way. Whatever you believe, it’s hard to deny Aluna Francis and George Reid are a match made in musical heaven. Singer-songwriter Aluna’s honey-dipped vocals, set against her “partner-in-crime” producer George’s smooth and seductive beats, make them unlike anything else out there – it feels like everything they touch turns to gold.
Their unmistakably unique sound, on tracks like ‘Your Drums, Your Love’, ‘Attracting Flies’ and that masterful collaboration with Disclosure ‘White Noise’, captured the imagination of a generation disillusioned by disposable and generic-sounding rubbish, sung by manufactured ‘pop’-pets.
Upon meeting the unassuming pair, laid-back George takes a more casual view. “Hey, if people want to say that, that’s cool. We’re just doing us. We like to get into the studio, mess around and make some music together. What everyone has heard is proof of doing just that – having a laugh and doing what we really enjoy.”
The duo first crossed paths in 2009 when George remixed a track for Aluna’s band My Toys Like Me. “One thing that can be said about us is that from the day we met we clicked and discovered we had a joint goal – we simply weren’t hearing the kind of music we wanted to hear,” Aluna added. “There’s definitely a strange newness to our sound and that’s what keeps us going.”
“That’s the hardest thing to do isn’t it?” George interjected. “It’s genuinely difficult to write something that sounds original and pair it with the familiar. As Aluna points out, it’s something we’re constantly striving to do. That’s what we’re going to be doing tomorrow, next week and the day after.”
“We still have a lot we want to do,” Aluna affirmed. “We haven’t managed to get our hands on Pharrell for a collaboration yet.”
“The problem is since we’ve been saying that, he’s had a second coming and he’s bigger than he was before, so that’s getting further and further and further away,” George joked.
“He’s like the friggin’ Messiah now!” Aluna agreed.
“Maybe that big hat of his is meant to keep people at a safe distance. The edge of that rim is a radius of safety around him!” George grinned – everybody cracks up.
Their meteoric rise to the top has seen AlunaGeorge in demand across the globe, rubbing shoulders with the ‘in crowd’, with invitations to the hottest parties in the world. That said, it’s no surprise they chose to spend the biggest night of the year cutting shapes on the breathtakingly beautiful Phillip Island.
“I’m so excited for Beyond The Valley Festival! I heard it’s on a gorgeous Island,” Aluna gushed. “To be fair – Australia IS a massive island, Aluna,” George added cheekily.
“Oh shut up George,” Aluna countered in a delightfully British accent. “We felt really at home when we were there last – the whole country is incredible.”
“We came over for the Listen Out Festival last summer,” George added. “It’s a beautiful place. The only problem is it’s on the other side of the planet to us.”
“Would you like me to let you in on my secret for making the most of a music festival?” Aluna asked. “My new thing for festivals is to avoid bands or acts I know, unless I haven’t heard them play before, because I remember a time when I’d go to festivals as just a punter, and the total euphoria of walking into a tent and having no idea what was going to be on – never having heard the band, just seeing something totally brand new.
“That’s how I discovered a band called Moderat [a German electro band] and it’s one of my fondest memories – I loved that experience. Having no expectation and then thinking, ‘What is this!? It’s amazing!’ and I think it’s hard to find that these days.”
“The internet has a lot to answer for,” George chimed in. “You can see everything before you have a chance to see it in a live setting. Seeing a live gig has lost spontaneity.”
“Yeah! I’m trying to bring the spontaneity back – I’m on a crusade!” Aluna cried and they both start laughing.
Despite all the success that surrounds them, they’ve managed to remain incredibly down-to-earth, the kind of people you’d want to ring in the New Year with. So I ask about their fondest New Year’s memory – has the big night ever lived up to expectations?
“I think the deafening silence is an answer to your question!” George laughed.
“Last year we played at a little sushi restaurant and there were loads of … what kind of dancers were they George?”
“They were Samba dancers – it was carnivale style,” he replied.
“Oh right, and I remember the bass player in the Samba band tried to kiss me on the mouth! I nearly clocked him on the nose – that was one of those memorable New Year’s Eves,” Aluna giggled. “I want to know what house parties are like in Australia. House parties here launch themselves then they get shut down really quickly.”
“I think England is just too small,” George weighed in. “Everyone lives too near to each other so you just end up annoying whoever lives near you with a house party. Very rarely do they really get going. They don’t happen that often here – maybe that’s just my friends though. Maybe I need to start hanging out with some different people!
“Oh wait – actually the last one at my girlfriend’s house was an absolutely amazing dance party, which ended with people going head first down the stairs for fun! It seemed like the thing to do. It was all sorts,” he said, smiling at the memory.
“Someone ended up in the hospital because someone always has to do something stupid at a house party. We decked the place out and everyone was hammered – dancing and having a great time.”
“The thing that we do well is strange eccentric parties,” Aluna admitted. “One New Year’s I ended up in what seemed like the front of a shop – but a crap shop! There was a lady at the door saying ‘come in’ [Aluna attempts a witch-like voice] and I was like ‘what! This is so weird’. You go two flights down into this makeshift basement or a den thing – it was a little bit scary and people seemed to live there. It was like being in another world. Britain does weird very well.”
When&Where: Beyond the Valley, Phillip Island – December 30 – January 1
By Natalie Rogers