Banoffee

Martha Brown, or Banoffee as she is better known in musical circles, is about to release her debut EP. With a couple of shows at the BIGSOUND music conference in Brisbane as well as some headline dates in Sydney and Melbourne and a spot at Paradise Music Festival, things are heating up ahead of the tour. There is a mix of emotions in Brown’s voice as we begin to chat.
“The past few weeks have been very busy, as I am trying to really refine my live set. Playing alone on stage, it’s quite a challenge with all of the recorded sounds I have put into these songs, so I have been trying to get my head around all of that.”
On a rest from performing, Brown feels that this has enabled her time to recharge the batteries and hit the stage with a renewed energy. The latest single by Banoffee, ‘Got It’, has some silky smooth electro vibes to them and will make everybody excited to see how it comes off in the live set.
“I wrote that song a while ago and was listening to a lot of AlunaGeorge and Drake. I wanted to write a song that would empower me whilst I was performing it. Instrumentally, I think the track is influenced by what I was listening to. I really got into playing around with different rhythms and I wanted to have different time signatures in there to further express my emotions.”
Starting out playing country and folk music in her early musical life, Brown has played and experienced many musical genres before landing the right fit with this EP. “Throughout my teens I was listening to a lot of electro and hip hop, and that’s the music that I really wanted to play. In Australia, everything is dominated by guitar bands and I was always embarrassed about liking RnB. Now, though, more people are getting into electronica and it’s a really exciting time to be involved within the scene.”
With a whole lot of ‘machines’ up on stage with Brown, it will be interesting to see how the recorded versions of the tracks relates to the live set, given that there are many layers to each of the songs. Produced by Oscar Key Sung, the songs were created in a very collaborative environment that gives the songs a little extra character.
“I needed someone to record me because I didn’t have the knowledge or the equipment. These songs are very personal to me, so I really needed somebody that I trusted to work with me. Having worked with Oscar for many years, it felt natural to get him into the producer role. We recorded pretty much in my bedroom and I felt comfortable expressing the meaning of each song to him, without thinking I was showing too much of myself to someone too early.”
The first solo pursuit for Brown, it’s both an exciting and nervous time when we begin to chat about the release of the EP and coinciding shows. “It’s been really good taking baby steps towards this release, showcasing some singles and stuff. I can’t wait to get out on the road and show the world what I have been working tirelessly on for the past year or so. See you out somewhere on the road.”
When&Where: Shebeen – September 19, Paradise Music Festival, Lake Alpine Resort ‑ November 28-30
By Tex Miller