Introducing Interview: All Flags Are Grey

London-based duo Andrea Chamberlain and Leon Brown – aka All Flags Are Grey – create innovative performance art, using visuals to enhance the poignant message they aim to create through their music. Tackling issues such as the sexualisation and objectification of women in their work, they are now set to release their captivating debut single ‘Bare Bones’.

We caught up with Andrea from the band to find out more…

Hey All Flags Are Grey, welcome to Gigslutz! Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Thank you for having us! We are All Flags Are Grey, pleasure to meet you all!

What would you say it is it that makes you stand out from other artists?
Our music/performance is part of a wider expression –  we also use art and film almost holographically to create a wider message.

Your single ‘Bare Bones’ is pretty enchanting! What’s it all about?
 ‘Bare Bones’ tackles the subject of addictive behaviour and self inflicted loss. It’s about showing vulnerability, self loathing and feeling trapped, which I’m sure many people can relate too.

And what inspires you to write songs generally?
Lots of the work is autobiographical,  but with that you have to be careful it doesn’t become two minutes of therapy sessions. So, it’s important to listen to people and intertwine their experiences and opinions in life, and become an interesting story teller – a good song should be like a book you can’t put down.

How did you first get into creating music?
It seems like it’s been in my life forever! It must have started off from being a kid singing in a school play or something. But, in regards to All Flags Are Grey, Leon and I had worked on various music projects before some of which were featured on MTV, NME and Kerrang, and then we meet again at a friend’s film screening and decided it was time to work together again!

You’re involved in a lot of artistic projects, it seems. Is there a certain way you prefer to express yourself, or are music and visual art both equally as important to you?  
I think one feeds the other so in turn they become equally important, for example the video to ‘Bare Bones’ tries to visualise the feelings of the lyrics whilst exploring Shibari Rope Art ideas about domination and submission, which also represents the elaborate manipulations of the ego and its strangleholds.

Who would you say are your greatest musical inspirations?
The list is endless, but top three would have to be Patti Smith, Bowie and Wanda Jackson.

Andrea, how have you found the experience of being a female artist in the industry so far?
It’s being a good experience. To me an artist is an artist and doesn’t need to be defined by gender. You should be judged on the material and the expression of that material, so I’ve never looked at myself in the female sense so to speak rather than just a creative working on a project trying to find their space.

As we’re a new music-focussed site, are there any other exciting upcoming artists who you’d particularly recommend we check out?
Ahoy 8D is definitely a good one – very interesting project !

If you could describe your sound in three words, what would they be?
I’m going to give a politician’s answer – “there is no definite expression but only ever a perception of it”. So, three words – go and listen !!

Finally, what does the rest of 2017 have in store for All Flags Are Grey?
We’re playing some shows in  Germany and Netherlands towards the end of the year as well as numerous London gigs. We’re also releasing an EP in September time and we are currently collaborating on music for an indie film, which is to be released across some of the independent cinemas next year.

Huge thanks to All Flags Are Grey for answering our questions! 

‘Bare Bones’, the new single from All Flags Are Grey, is out 30 June via Seven Wishbones.

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.