Progressively motivated
Muirsical Conversation With Leoni Jane Kennedy
Muirsical Conversation With Leoni Jane Kennedy
Canadian rock giants Rush were always seen as a blokes band, but New World Woman by Leoni Jane Kennedy is a solid reminder that their music, and Neil Peart’s exceptional and expressive lyricism, rippled out further than your typical 'of an age' male rock fan.
The soulfully voiced and London based (but Blackpool born) Kennedy is a major Rush fan, and has been since her earliest music listening years.
It's no surprise then that, encouraged by co-producer Steve Brown (of top Rush tribute Moving Pictures), she recorded and released an acoustic tribute to the famous trio, with a twist or two – and, as the title confirms, with a woman’s perspective.
In the greater musical scheme of things, Leoni Jane Kennedy is just starting out, but her CV already includes receiving an artist sponsorship from Yamaha, endorsements from Orange Amplification, PRS Guitars & Boss and, in 2018, being awarded The Freddie Mercury Scholarship.
In 2020 Kennedy graduated with a 1st Class BA Honours Degree in Music Industry Practice and is currently studying an MA in Songwriting at ICMP; earlier this year she supported The Anchoress around the UK, something she will repeat when The Anchoress goes back out on the road in September.
She will then start looking to prepare for the release of her debut album of all-original material.
Leoni Jane Kennedy sat in with FabricationsHQ to talk about all of the above, but the conversation started with New World Woman, an impressive release that deserves to be heard well outside of Rush fandom.
The soulfully voiced and London based (but Blackpool born) Kennedy is a major Rush fan, and has been since her earliest music listening years.
It's no surprise then that, encouraged by co-producer Steve Brown (of top Rush tribute Moving Pictures), she recorded and released an acoustic tribute to the famous trio, with a twist or two – and, as the title confirms, with a woman’s perspective.
In the greater musical scheme of things, Leoni Jane Kennedy is just starting out, but her CV already includes receiving an artist sponsorship from Yamaha, endorsements from Orange Amplification, PRS Guitars & Boss and, in 2018, being awarded The Freddie Mercury Scholarship.
In 2020 Kennedy graduated with a 1st Class BA Honours Degree in Music Industry Practice and is currently studying an MA in Songwriting at ICMP; earlier this year she supported The Anchoress around the UK, something she will repeat when The Anchoress goes back out on the road in September.
She will then start looking to prepare for the release of her debut album of all-original material.
Leoni Jane Kennedy sat in with FabricationsHQ to talk about all of the above, but the conversation started with New World Woman, an impressive release that deserves to be heard well outside of Rush fandom.
Ross Muir: I’d like to start by talking about New World Woman and how performing Rush songs became part of your repertoire, because it’s heartening to hear a female artist so taken with a progressively natured rock group that have always been seen as the quintessential blokes band.
Leoni Jane Kennedy: Thank you. I’ve always been a Rush fan but the performances of Rush songs really started with a couple of Rush conventions I did when I was younger, back in 2014 and 2015.
I covered Hope in 2014 and then Xanadu in 2015; Xanadu was done on acoustic guitar but as part of a band.
So that got me quite involved with the Rush scene early on but it wasn’t until RushFest Scotland in 2022, and then this year, when I got back into it, because in the meantime I had moved to London to concentrate on my Music Industry Practice degree and my own band stuff.
At those events I had to do a set of acoustic Rush covers, so I put set lists together by playing the albums and listening to the songs to see which ones I thought I could do justice to.
Some are my favourite songs and some are less popular or less well known tracks; there are also others that I thought deserved the limelight, so to speak [laughs].
During those listening sessions I was also playing along with the guitar – I like to reinterpret things on guitar just by listening, without really knowing what the chords or knowing that "Oh, Alex Lifeson did this specific thing here, or he did that there." I don’t like that.
Of course Alex’s work is great, but I like making my own interpretation because there’s a fluidity to my playing, which I find by experimenting.
And that’s exactly what I did with a lot of the Rush stuff I was performing, whilst also compensating for the lack of band while on the acoustic; I was also incorporating little things here and there that, as a major Rush fan, you would know – "Oh it’s that bit, but she’s done it there" – but others would not necessarily notice.
RM: And that all set the template, so to speak, for the album?
LJK: Yeah, there was no real reason for me to do the album other than the fact those two sets went down so well; making the album really did come from me doing those shows.
I also did a solo performance of Kid Gloves, at Rush Eucon in Chester I think, and that went down really well. So that was included on the album, too.
Leoni Jane Kennedy: Thank you. I’ve always been a Rush fan but the performances of Rush songs really started with a couple of Rush conventions I did when I was younger, back in 2014 and 2015.
I covered Hope in 2014 and then Xanadu in 2015; Xanadu was done on acoustic guitar but as part of a band.
So that got me quite involved with the Rush scene early on but it wasn’t until RushFest Scotland in 2022, and then this year, when I got back into it, because in the meantime I had moved to London to concentrate on my Music Industry Practice degree and my own band stuff.
At those events I had to do a set of acoustic Rush covers, so I put set lists together by playing the albums and listening to the songs to see which ones I thought I could do justice to.
Some are my favourite songs and some are less popular or less well known tracks; there are also others that I thought deserved the limelight, so to speak [laughs].
During those listening sessions I was also playing along with the guitar – I like to reinterpret things on guitar just by listening, without really knowing what the chords or knowing that "Oh, Alex Lifeson did this specific thing here, or he did that there." I don’t like that.
Of course Alex’s work is great, but I like making my own interpretation because there’s a fluidity to my playing, which I find by experimenting.
And that’s exactly what I did with a lot of the Rush stuff I was performing, whilst also compensating for the lack of band while on the acoustic; I was also incorporating little things here and there that, as a major Rush fan, you would know – "Oh it’s that bit, but she’s done it there" – but others would not necessarily notice.
RM: And that all set the template, so to speak, for the album?
LJK: Yeah, there was no real reason for me to do the album other than the fact those two sets went down so well; making the album really did come from me doing those shows.
I also did a solo performance of Kid Gloves, at Rush Eucon in Chester I think, and that went down really well. So that was included on the album, too.
LJK: I realy enjoyed recording the songs, there’s been a great response form the Rush fans and I hope now that more people might want to hear it – and maybe at some point Alex and Geddy will hear it, too.
I was also lucky enough to meet Neil’s sisters Nancy and Judy Peart at RushFest Scotland and they really approved of what I was doing. That was quite emotional because the lyrics are important to me and I try to emphasise that a little bit more.
But that’s why I really like the acoustic side of what I’ve been doing – you can hear the lyrics more and what they mean, whereas some of the band’s music can be a little overwhelming for someone who isn’t necessarily a Rush fan, so the lyrics might be lost on them.
And my mum is a massive Rush fan because of what I’ve done! That shows that this body of work that we know and love, when put into a different light, can be loved by others.
It’s the same body of work, just reinvented, and the lightness of it means we can expand the audience – and their work fully deserves that.
RM: Exactly that; a ripple effect beyond the confines of the Rush fan fraternity to others, male and female alike.
LJK: And that’s great, because to touch on what you said earlier about the bloke thing with Rush – you’re right, it is a thing.
There are not a lot of female Rush fans and I don’t why that is, but there is what I guess you could call a more modern take on their music now. For example when the film I Love You, Man came out a certain audience started to gravitate towards Rush a bit more, because of that exposure; I feel like I’m a part of that same audience, even though I just happened to find Rush on YouTube when I was a kid.
There are female Rush fans out there but when the blokes at a gig go "yeah, she can play guitar," that can be impressive for some people – and it is a great feeling.
I’m a massive Rush fan myself, so to make other Rush fans smile is the be all and end all; I like knowing that I’ve done their songs justice.
RM: It's the ultimate music-litmus test. Rush fans are very protective of the legacy, so to convince them that these are not just good but very good interpretations is a well-earned seal of approval.
Additionally, as you mentioned earlier, your delivery of Neil’s lyrics is clearly as important – arguably more so – than your reinterpretation of the music.
LJK: It totally is. My dissertation, which I did on Neil Peart, was about the effect psychological trauma can have on songwriting, and the effect it had on Neil after his then only daughter and first wife passed in quick succession.
I also remember looking at the lyrics to Red Sector A in in comparison to works by a writer and poet called Primo Levi, who was in the Auschwitz camps – both, I noticed while studying, were incredibly similar to each other, even though there was no correlation between the two.
And that really intrigued me because it was two completely different people, with different backgrounds and different traumas; yet their work had very similar structures, rhythms and stanzas, the way they spoke phonetically. It all came across as if they had been brothers or had been very closely working together.
That baffled me; I thought "there must be some relation" and there is – it’s that trauma has a certain effect on the way people think.
Ever since then I’ve looked more closely at Neil’s lyrics and even the words he chooses sometimes, because they really do translate, for me, to what it is to be alive.
I know that sounds completely out there but if I listen his lyrics now, I know exactly what he is talking about. You don’t necessarily think about it all the time, because it can be a bit wispy here and there – in the sense that he likes to tell a story in a way that doesn’t always sit right with some people; they might not be able to understand it the way he has put it.
But once you get the flow of it, you begin to understand where he is coming from.
And for me that all came from reading the lyrics without the music. It’s very powerful, and it’s poetry.
RM: I agree; it’s poetic, story-telling lyricism. The sad reality is Neil can’t be here to sit in on this conversation but I have no doubt he would be delighted to hear you speak of, and get, his work in such a manner.
To roll right back, I know you were listening to the likes of Rush, King Crimson and Status Quo at a very early age; that’s quite the smorgasbord of rock to sponge off and be influenced by…
LJK: Status Quo were the very first band I saw live; they were the band that really stirred my pot.
That all came from a really cheap Greatest Hits CD my mum bought in Asda or somewhere – "they’re quite good, have a listen to these guys." I put it on and I was hooked!
I was also watching videos of Status Quo before I got to see them – as a kid I was rocking out with my waistcoat on and headbanging – "dah da-da, dah da-da" – all the time; the neighbours must have hated me!
I just loved the whole aspect; the show they put on, the spread legs creating that classic stance they had; it was amazing. From then on that was it – it was music for me, although I had always been interested in music. For example I would sit and listen at the end of films, when the credits went up, to the music being played to figure out what they were playing – but, again, like I did with the Rush songs, on acoustic guitar.
One was a John Mayer song; I’d pick out the melody then work around the notes, the root chords, and the things going on behind them. I can’t put it into technical terms because I don’t know exactly what I do [laughs]. I’m not that technical, I just go with feeling, movement and fluidity.
RM: And that comes across on your own material, such as recent song Ammunition, which is indeed all about feeling – it’s more emotive that constructed.
Similarly, there’s a lot going on in Life Like This, your debut band single from 2020, which is akin to a moody, downtempo alt-rock blues.
I was also lucky enough to meet Neil’s sisters Nancy and Judy Peart at RushFest Scotland and they really approved of what I was doing. That was quite emotional because the lyrics are important to me and I try to emphasise that a little bit more.
But that’s why I really like the acoustic side of what I’ve been doing – you can hear the lyrics more and what they mean, whereas some of the band’s music can be a little overwhelming for someone who isn’t necessarily a Rush fan, so the lyrics might be lost on them.
And my mum is a massive Rush fan because of what I’ve done! That shows that this body of work that we know and love, when put into a different light, can be loved by others.
It’s the same body of work, just reinvented, and the lightness of it means we can expand the audience – and their work fully deserves that.
RM: Exactly that; a ripple effect beyond the confines of the Rush fan fraternity to others, male and female alike.
LJK: And that’s great, because to touch on what you said earlier about the bloke thing with Rush – you’re right, it is a thing.
There are not a lot of female Rush fans and I don’t why that is, but there is what I guess you could call a more modern take on their music now. For example when the film I Love You, Man came out a certain audience started to gravitate towards Rush a bit more, because of that exposure; I feel like I’m a part of that same audience, even though I just happened to find Rush on YouTube when I was a kid.
There are female Rush fans out there but when the blokes at a gig go "yeah, she can play guitar," that can be impressive for some people – and it is a great feeling.
I’m a massive Rush fan myself, so to make other Rush fans smile is the be all and end all; I like knowing that I’ve done their songs justice.
RM: It's the ultimate music-litmus test. Rush fans are very protective of the legacy, so to convince them that these are not just good but very good interpretations is a well-earned seal of approval.
Additionally, as you mentioned earlier, your delivery of Neil’s lyrics is clearly as important – arguably more so – than your reinterpretation of the music.
LJK: It totally is. My dissertation, which I did on Neil Peart, was about the effect psychological trauma can have on songwriting, and the effect it had on Neil after his then only daughter and first wife passed in quick succession.
I also remember looking at the lyrics to Red Sector A in in comparison to works by a writer and poet called Primo Levi, who was in the Auschwitz camps – both, I noticed while studying, were incredibly similar to each other, even though there was no correlation between the two.
And that really intrigued me because it was two completely different people, with different backgrounds and different traumas; yet their work had very similar structures, rhythms and stanzas, the way they spoke phonetically. It all came across as if they had been brothers or had been very closely working together.
That baffled me; I thought "there must be some relation" and there is – it’s that trauma has a certain effect on the way people think.
Ever since then I’ve looked more closely at Neil’s lyrics and even the words he chooses sometimes, because they really do translate, for me, to what it is to be alive.
I know that sounds completely out there but if I listen his lyrics now, I know exactly what he is talking about. You don’t necessarily think about it all the time, because it can be a bit wispy here and there – in the sense that he likes to tell a story in a way that doesn’t always sit right with some people; they might not be able to understand it the way he has put it.
But once you get the flow of it, you begin to understand where he is coming from.
And for me that all came from reading the lyrics without the music. It’s very powerful, and it’s poetry.
RM: I agree; it’s poetic, story-telling lyricism. The sad reality is Neil can’t be here to sit in on this conversation but I have no doubt he would be delighted to hear you speak of, and get, his work in such a manner.
To roll right back, I know you were listening to the likes of Rush, King Crimson and Status Quo at a very early age; that’s quite the smorgasbord of rock to sponge off and be influenced by…
LJK: Status Quo were the very first band I saw live; they were the band that really stirred my pot.
That all came from a really cheap Greatest Hits CD my mum bought in Asda or somewhere – "they’re quite good, have a listen to these guys." I put it on and I was hooked!
I was also watching videos of Status Quo before I got to see them – as a kid I was rocking out with my waistcoat on and headbanging – "dah da-da, dah da-da" – all the time; the neighbours must have hated me!
I just loved the whole aspect; the show they put on, the spread legs creating that classic stance they had; it was amazing. From then on that was it – it was music for me, although I had always been interested in music. For example I would sit and listen at the end of films, when the credits went up, to the music being played to figure out what they were playing – but, again, like I did with the Rush songs, on acoustic guitar.
One was a John Mayer song; I’d pick out the melody then work around the notes, the root chords, and the things going on behind them. I can’t put it into technical terms because I don’t know exactly what I do [laughs]. I’m not that technical, I just go with feeling, movement and fluidity.
RM: And that comes across on your own material, such as recent song Ammunition, which is indeed all about feeling – it’s more emotive that constructed.
Similarly, there’s a lot going on in Life Like This, your debut band single from 2020, which is akin to a moody, downtempo alt-rock blues.
RM: Three years on from Life Like This leads to the obvious follow-on of when can we expect an album of all original material?
LJK: We’ve had an album in the works for a couple of years now but, unfortunately, we ended up in a tough situation with the producer we started with; I had to take some action and eventually went to Nick Andrew with it. Nick also features on New World Woman playing acoustic guitar on Digital Man.
Nick helped out with the rest of the album, which will be called Synthetic, and made up of seven original songs.
The album was actually supposed to be out in 2020, instead of the single, but to be honest I’m glad it has taken this different turn because working with Nick has brought out elements in the songs I never thought would be there.
There’s also an element of some of my other influences like Blue Oyster Cult, YES and Genesis. I’m a Rush fan, and even though they will always be the loves of my life you can definitely hear certain eras of different bands. And I love that, because I think it’s going to be a great way to start off my career, in terms of it being the first album of my own songs.
RM: I think, also, you dodged a bullet by not having it released slap bang in the middle of a couldn’t-tour-to-promote-it pandemic, and the ensuing lockdowns. Any idea as a revised release date?
LJK: Well it’s definitely on the way; I’m not too sure yet of an exact release date because Eliot Kennedy, who is going to be fully producing and mastering it, is over in New York just now, working on a new musical. Ideally, I need to be with him to approve everything that’s happening with the album.
Eliot has worked with everyone from Bryan Adams to Gary Barlow and is a lovely guy; in fact, he offered to help out when issues started to arise first time around. He said "Come on, let’s sort it out!"
I went over to Steelwork Studios in Sheffield, where he works, and did some vocal and guitar recordings.
We got that down and then, additionally, we put some things in with Nick over in Fleet, where Nick’s based.
So now, what we are looking to do is, fingers crossed, get a couple of singles out later this year with the album released somewhere near the start of next year.
And that’s OK, because nobody is really waiting for it; I’m not in any rush to get it out so why not give it that bit more time, even though it’s been a couple of years since it should have been done.
And then, once it’s out, it’s out; that’s it. I’ll then look at promoting it and everything else that comes with a new album.
That all said there are some people who are waiting for it, going "Come on Leoni, get the album out!" [laughs] But I’m replying "OK, but just please be patient!" because I need to plan ahead while managing my own time.
I’m doing a Masters course in Songwriting at the moment, as well as hoping to do a few shows with my own band and touring with The Anchoress and Moving Pictures – so there’s a lot going on, because this year has been ridiculously busy, which I didn’t really expect.
And that’s all because of the Rush covers album, which I didn’t expect to be doing until it happened!
RM: Yes, because although you mentioned that album came, more or less, from the two acoustic sets you performed, I understand there was also quite a degree of spontaneity about it?
LJK: Yeah. I spoke to Steve Brown of Moving Pictures about it and he said "Great Let’s do it!"
We started recording all the songs, got all that done, then raised money through Kickstarter to produce it.
Honestly, it seems like a lifetime ago because it’s been such a busy year, but it’s been a really good year!
RM: It has indeed. You mentioned going back out on the road with The Anchoress, something you also did earlier in the year.
That’s a great support opportunity and, I would presume, great fun. How did the opportunity arise?
LJK: That all came from her teaching me on the Songwriting course I’m on now; she works with ICMP and we did a couple of one-to-one sessions, with me sending her some of the songs I was working on for what was then my first module.
She gave me some feedback and asked if she could advise on anything else, but most of the time we just ended up having a great chat because I know her stuff really well, respect what she does and are into the same sort of music.
I think at one point I said "we should probably meet up," then started to follow her on Instagram – I remember seeing a picture of her tour poster on Instagram and thinking "hmm… I wonder if she needs a support act?"
RM: Well, if you don’t ask, etcetera…
LJK: Exactly! I always do that – "just wondering if you have any space, because if you want a support I’ll happily jump on board," all of that.
Anyway that was back in January, when I asked her, and I didn’t hear anything.
Then, a couple of months later, I was at a show with Moving Pictures in my hometown of Blackpool.
During the soundcheck I got a call from her, and she said "My guitarist has just dropped out; do you fancy supporting with an acoustic set and joining for electric guitar duties in my band set?"
RM: Oh, now let me think about that… [laughter]
LJK: Yeah exactly! She said "Take your time, have a think about it, there’s no pressure" but I immediately said "Don’t worry, I’m in!" [laughs].
I think the first gig we did together was the Northern Kin festival; we were in a line-up with some really cool artists including Jethro Tull, whom I really love.
And that was like a dream come true, because that’s all I ever wanted to do, be on the road and gigging; that’s what keeps me rolling.
It's like fuel to me, knowing there’s something coming that I’m going to be doing, or promoting.
Sitting in my room, recording, is great – now and again – but I like to be out there, playing, and experiencing things.
RM: That love of performance goes back some way – when you were younger, and still at home in Blackpool, I believe you were playing and jamming away in music pubs?
LJK: Yeah, that was between the ages of eleven and sixteen – all of high school, basically.
RM: Wow. But what a great way to learn the ropes.
LJK: It was. My mum took me out to those venues just to listen to the music and watch the bands, but I think in her head she probably knew that I’d be getting up there at some point.
And she never held me back from that; in fact she was always encouraging me to get on the stage and pushed me to do things I didn’t even know I wanted to do.
I owe a lot to my mum because of that; she is the main reason I’m as confident as I am at this point.
RM: That's great. And this was with a band; not solo?
LJK: Yeah, it was with the lads in a group called Barkin’, who were the house band in my local music pub just around the corner from me.
Every Thursday, after school, I’d get my kit, we’d get a taxi down to the pub and I’d jam old-school songs with the band – the likes of Thin Lizzy and the Beatles, all the classics.
I owe so much to all those guys – and Pete, the guitarist, had a massive influence on the way I play guitar. Some of the songs they played were original songs, which I loved, and some of Pete’s chords were really intriguing – very similar to the chords I like to use now, but with me it’s a bit more experimental, or inversions of chords, which gives you a different tone.
The classics we played were great – I got to jam out and play solos on songs like Whiskey In The Jar and Whiter Shade Of Pale – but on all those solos, which Pete taught me, he would reinvent them as well.
In fact I don’t think he ever recreated the original solo on any of those songs.
So, yeah, he definitely had a big influence on me but then all of them had; they were like a big group of dads that I never had, which was so lovely.
I wish I could see them more now, but they’re still up north, still doing their thing, and still rocking!
RM: That’s great to hear and what a lovely, other family sentiment. And, of course, they have the claim to fame of being able to say they are responsible for starting your journey on your way to stardom! [laughter]
LJK: Yes, they might become my backing band! [laughs]
RM: Following that learn-the-ropes apprenticeship, you moved down south to London to further your career.
LJK: That's right. I moved down south to begin studying for my Music Industry Practice degree at ACM Guildford, which is where I got the Freddie Mercury Scholarship.
RM: Fantastic. But how did that even come about?
LJK: Well, I had put applications in for a couple of scholarships – ones I thought I could potentially benefit from, and from that got second in the BASCA scholarship. I thought "second is good; I’m happy with that."
Then, about a week later, I got a call from one of the guys at ACM saying "you’ve won the Freddie Mercury Scholarship."
I said "What! How?", because I didn’t even know you could get involved in that scholarship if you had been second in another one!
It really was a surprise, and not expected at all; from that we went to the premier of the Bohemian Rhapsody film as VIP guests; that was was just mental! [laughs]
LJK: We’ve had an album in the works for a couple of years now but, unfortunately, we ended up in a tough situation with the producer we started with; I had to take some action and eventually went to Nick Andrew with it. Nick also features on New World Woman playing acoustic guitar on Digital Man.
Nick helped out with the rest of the album, which will be called Synthetic, and made up of seven original songs.
The album was actually supposed to be out in 2020, instead of the single, but to be honest I’m glad it has taken this different turn because working with Nick has brought out elements in the songs I never thought would be there.
There’s also an element of some of my other influences like Blue Oyster Cult, YES and Genesis. I’m a Rush fan, and even though they will always be the loves of my life you can definitely hear certain eras of different bands. And I love that, because I think it’s going to be a great way to start off my career, in terms of it being the first album of my own songs.
RM: I think, also, you dodged a bullet by not having it released slap bang in the middle of a couldn’t-tour-to-promote-it pandemic, and the ensuing lockdowns. Any idea as a revised release date?
LJK: Well it’s definitely on the way; I’m not too sure yet of an exact release date because Eliot Kennedy, who is going to be fully producing and mastering it, is over in New York just now, working on a new musical. Ideally, I need to be with him to approve everything that’s happening with the album.
Eliot has worked with everyone from Bryan Adams to Gary Barlow and is a lovely guy; in fact, he offered to help out when issues started to arise first time around. He said "Come on, let’s sort it out!"
I went over to Steelwork Studios in Sheffield, where he works, and did some vocal and guitar recordings.
We got that down and then, additionally, we put some things in with Nick over in Fleet, where Nick’s based.
So now, what we are looking to do is, fingers crossed, get a couple of singles out later this year with the album released somewhere near the start of next year.
And that’s OK, because nobody is really waiting for it; I’m not in any rush to get it out so why not give it that bit more time, even though it’s been a couple of years since it should have been done.
And then, once it’s out, it’s out; that’s it. I’ll then look at promoting it and everything else that comes with a new album.
That all said there are some people who are waiting for it, going "Come on Leoni, get the album out!" [laughs] But I’m replying "OK, but just please be patient!" because I need to plan ahead while managing my own time.
I’m doing a Masters course in Songwriting at the moment, as well as hoping to do a few shows with my own band and touring with The Anchoress and Moving Pictures – so there’s a lot going on, because this year has been ridiculously busy, which I didn’t really expect.
And that’s all because of the Rush covers album, which I didn’t expect to be doing until it happened!
RM: Yes, because although you mentioned that album came, more or less, from the two acoustic sets you performed, I understand there was also quite a degree of spontaneity about it?
LJK: Yeah. I spoke to Steve Brown of Moving Pictures about it and he said "Great Let’s do it!"
We started recording all the songs, got all that done, then raised money through Kickstarter to produce it.
Honestly, it seems like a lifetime ago because it’s been such a busy year, but it’s been a really good year!
RM: It has indeed. You mentioned going back out on the road with The Anchoress, something you also did earlier in the year.
That’s a great support opportunity and, I would presume, great fun. How did the opportunity arise?
LJK: That all came from her teaching me on the Songwriting course I’m on now; she works with ICMP and we did a couple of one-to-one sessions, with me sending her some of the songs I was working on for what was then my first module.
She gave me some feedback and asked if she could advise on anything else, but most of the time we just ended up having a great chat because I know her stuff really well, respect what she does and are into the same sort of music.
I think at one point I said "we should probably meet up," then started to follow her on Instagram – I remember seeing a picture of her tour poster on Instagram and thinking "hmm… I wonder if she needs a support act?"
RM: Well, if you don’t ask, etcetera…
LJK: Exactly! I always do that – "just wondering if you have any space, because if you want a support I’ll happily jump on board," all of that.
Anyway that was back in January, when I asked her, and I didn’t hear anything.
Then, a couple of months later, I was at a show with Moving Pictures in my hometown of Blackpool.
During the soundcheck I got a call from her, and she said "My guitarist has just dropped out; do you fancy supporting with an acoustic set and joining for electric guitar duties in my band set?"
RM: Oh, now let me think about that… [laughter]
LJK: Yeah exactly! She said "Take your time, have a think about it, there’s no pressure" but I immediately said "Don’t worry, I’m in!" [laughs].
I think the first gig we did together was the Northern Kin festival; we were in a line-up with some really cool artists including Jethro Tull, whom I really love.
And that was like a dream come true, because that’s all I ever wanted to do, be on the road and gigging; that’s what keeps me rolling.
It's like fuel to me, knowing there’s something coming that I’m going to be doing, or promoting.
Sitting in my room, recording, is great – now and again – but I like to be out there, playing, and experiencing things.
RM: That love of performance goes back some way – when you were younger, and still at home in Blackpool, I believe you were playing and jamming away in music pubs?
LJK: Yeah, that was between the ages of eleven and sixteen – all of high school, basically.
RM: Wow. But what a great way to learn the ropes.
LJK: It was. My mum took me out to those venues just to listen to the music and watch the bands, but I think in her head she probably knew that I’d be getting up there at some point.
And she never held me back from that; in fact she was always encouraging me to get on the stage and pushed me to do things I didn’t even know I wanted to do.
I owe a lot to my mum because of that; she is the main reason I’m as confident as I am at this point.
RM: That's great. And this was with a band; not solo?
LJK: Yeah, it was with the lads in a group called Barkin’, who were the house band in my local music pub just around the corner from me.
Every Thursday, after school, I’d get my kit, we’d get a taxi down to the pub and I’d jam old-school songs with the band – the likes of Thin Lizzy and the Beatles, all the classics.
I owe so much to all those guys – and Pete, the guitarist, had a massive influence on the way I play guitar. Some of the songs they played were original songs, which I loved, and some of Pete’s chords were really intriguing – very similar to the chords I like to use now, but with me it’s a bit more experimental, or inversions of chords, which gives you a different tone.
The classics we played were great – I got to jam out and play solos on songs like Whiskey In The Jar and Whiter Shade Of Pale – but on all those solos, which Pete taught me, he would reinvent them as well.
In fact I don’t think he ever recreated the original solo on any of those songs.
So, yeah, he definitely had a big influence on me but then all of them had; they were like a big group of dads that I never had, which was so lovely.
I wish I could see them more now, but they’re still up north, still doing their thing, and still rocking!
RM: That’s great to hear and what a lovely, other family sentiment. And, of course, they have the claim to fame of being able to say they are responsible for starting your journey on your way to stardom! [laughter]
LJK: Yes, they might become my backing band! [laughs]
RM: Following that learn-the-ropes apprenticeship, you moved down south to London to further your career.
LJK: That's right. I moved down south to begin studying for my Music Industry Practice degree at ACM Guildford, which is where I got the Freddie Mercury Scholarship.
RM: Fantastic. But how did that even come about?
LJK: Well, I had put applications in for a couple of scholarships – ones I thought I could potentially benefit from, and from that got second in the BASCA scholarship. I thought "second is good; I’m happy with that."
Then, about a week later, I got a call from one of the guys at ACM saying "you’ve won the Freddie Mercury Scholarship."
I said "What! How?", because I didn’t even know you could get involved in that scholarship if you had been second in another one!
It really was a surprise, and not expected at all; from that we went to the premier of the Bohemian Rhapsody film as VIP guests; that was was just mental! [laughs]
Then, while doing my degree in Guildford, I met my first collection of band members and we just gigged as much as we physically could; whenever any gig opportunities came around we would be up for it.
That all could have been more than it was but Guildford is a very tight-knit community; once you’ve done it all you’ve done it all. You can keep doing it, but you’ll just end up meeting the same people.
After the pandemic and the lockdowns, I went back to ACM for a little while but I just felt stuck, and I don’t particularly like feeling stuck.
But a friend of mine, who had worked with ACM, then moved over to ICMP; so I looked at the ICMP courses and thought "well, if education has gotten me this far I might as well try and get a little bit further with it".
I always like learning; I’m intrigued by what new things are out there in music, so I thought "right, let’s do it!"
RM: And that brings us to where you are now.
LJK: Yeah. I’m lucky enough to know a friend who lives in London, so I’m staying with her at the moment, and will be for the next year – my MA course in Songwriting finishes next September.
RM: Which, given your talents and previous education successes I’ve no doubt you will ace as you progress up the ladder.
Thanks so much for discussing your musical past, present and hopeful future with FabricationsHQ, Leoni, and best of luck with the studies, New World Woman and the forthcoming all-originals album.
LJK: Thanks so much Ross, and thanks for all your help and support; it really is appreciated!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation With Leoni Jane Kennedy
August 2023
On tour with The Anchoress:
September 2nd - End Of The Road Festival, Blandford (SOLD OUT)
Sepptember 21st - Leaf, Liverpool
Sep[tember 22nd - Summerhall, Edinburgh
September 23rd - Hull Central Library, Kingston Upon Hull
September 24th - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
September 30th - Acapela Studio, Cardiff (SOLD OUT)
October 4th - Junction 2, Cambridge
October 6th - Union Chapel, London
Tickets: https://theanchoress.co.uk/live
Leoni Jane Kenndy website: https://www.leonijanekennedy.com
Purchase New World Woman and other LJK merch at: https://www.leonijanekennedy.com/shop
Photo Credits: Kevin Kerr/ 1010 Photography (all colour images); Dave Pullinger (black & white image)
'Ammunition' video by UK Live Metal
That all could have been more than it was but Guildford is a very tight-knit community; once you’ve done it all you’ve done it all. You can keep doing it, but you’ll just end up meeting the same people.
After the pandemic and the lockdowns, I went back to ACM for a little while but I just felt stuck, and I don’t particularly like feeling stuck.
But a friend of mine, who had worked with ACM, then moved over to ICMP; so I looked at the ICMP courses and thought "well, if education has gotten me this far I might as well try and get a little bit further with it".
I always like learning; I’m intrigued by what new things are out there in music, so I thought "right, let’s do it!"
RM: And that brings us to where you are now.
LJK: Yeah. I’m lucky enough to know a friend who lives in London, so I’m staying with her at the moment, and will be for the next year – my MA course in Songwriting finishes next September.
RM: Which, given your talents and previous education successes I’ve no doubt you will ace as you progress up the ladder.
Thanks so much for discussing your musical past, present and hopeful future with FabricationsHQ, Leoni, and best of luck with the studies, New World Woman and the forthcoming all-originals album.
LJK: Thanks so much Ross, and thanks for all your help and support; it really is appreciated!
Ross Muir
Muirsical Conversation With Leoni Jane Kennedy
August 2023
On tour with The Anchoress:
September 2nd - End Of The Road Festival, Blandford (SOLD OUT)
Sepptember 21st - Leaf, Liverpool
Sep[tember 22nd - Summerhall, Edinburgh
September 23rd - Hull Central Library, Kingston Upon Hull
September 24th - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
September 30th - Acapela Studio, Cardiff (SOLD OUT)
October 4th - Junction 2, Cambridge
October 6th - Union Chapel, London
Tickets: https://theanchoress.co.uk/live
Leoni Jane Kenndy website: https://www.leonijanekennedy.com
Purchase New World Woman and other LJK merch at: https://www.leonijanekennedy.com/shop
Photo Credits: Kevin Kerr/ 1010 Photography (all colour images); Dave Pullinger (black & white image)
'Ammunition' video by UK Live Metal