Alt. Baroque! Oh God, that’s the most pretentious thing I’ve ever said.” Guy Clarke laughs, shaking his head.  His statement is the result of five minutes of confused conversation attempting to define Dirty Blonde’s genre of music. This discussion set the tone for the interview, which showcases the intriguingly chaotic and mosaic nature of the band, a quality that comes through in their music.

They can’t really be blamed considering the band is still in its nascent stages. Composed of six members – Esther and George Longworth (Vocals), Mike Campbell (Lead Guitar), Ed Dakin (Rhythm guitar/ Keyboard), Guy Clarke (Bass) and Jack Mowat-Maconochie (Drums) – Dirty Blonde has been together for less than a year and have already enjoyed significant success.

Their first gig was in the legendary Camden venue The Dublin Castle, and when asked about it the excitement is palpable. “There is nothing more satisfying than looking out into the audience and seeing at least one person, preferably more, just rocking out,” George Longworth says.

When asked to describe their live show, Guy is quick to quip, “Fucking great!” which is followed by laughter from the others. “[The promoters] have asked us back for two nights,” George  states proudly. There’s no disagreement on this topic, Dirty Blonde truly believe in the importance of putting on a show and are confident in their performance.

Guy and George are no strangers to performing. Last year, Clarke took on the task of playing Marlow in a one-man show adaption of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Both the show and Guy’s acting were greeted with rave reviews, with the production taken to London over the summer and performed in the Arcola Theatre.

George too has built up a reputation within the Cambridge theatre scene, having performed in a variety of pieces, from musicals to arty dramas about troubled adolescents. When asked whether the interest in theatre has any impact on the music, Guy responds by relating it to song writing rather than performing. “Storytelling is a very valid thing. I often find my songs end up telling some kind of story.” George interjects: “Guy is just a very, very good writer of words.”

The band takes a very collaborative approach to song writing: “There’s a conscious effort within the band to make sure everyone gets a look in with the song writing,” George says.

The others nod in agreement. “The way it works is that someone comes along with an idea for a song and everyone else sort of adds their own bit and it develops,” Ed Dakin explains.

Of course, this way of working presents its own obstacles. Esther Longworth describes how she wrote a song for five female voices and a drum and they decided to try and turn it into a band song: “We were all looking at each other getting angrier and angrier.” Overall this slightly chaotic way of working seems appropriate for a band still searching for its style.Commenting on the band’s efforts to collaborate, George muses, “politically speaking [...] and also in terms of the diversity and influences in the music it’s wise.”

Influences are something this band has in spades, ranging from Freddie Mercury to Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin to Philippe Jaroussky. “Freddie is the man,” Longworth tells me. “Oh yeah, Freddie, Freddie definitely,” other members of the band chime in.

While there is plenty of enthusiasm and spasms of agreement at the mention of certain names, each band member seems to retain an individual identity when it comes to influences. “Absolutely John Bonham and Led Zeppelin,” drummer Jack Mowat-Maconochie declares. “I also listen to the drumming in Kings of Leon and Jamiroquai.”

Guitarist Mike Campbell admits: “I have very little on my iPod that’s recorded after 1950.” After the first set of names are thrown around Esther  chuckles, “By the time we get round to everyone it’s going to be clear why we have no set style. It might even really be a strength rather than a weakness”. George adds: “It’s something we’re working on at the moment but we’re not in a rush.”

As the interview came to a close a student associated with the show Burlesque arrived to audition Dirty Blonde for a potential part. I was invited to stay and hear them play live. It was during that performance that I realised that the decision to stay was the most important part of the interview. It’s all very well asking the band who their influences are and to describe their live show but if they can’t follow it up with great music then there’s not much point. And they followed it up perfectly. The Longworth siblings’ vocals soared without the aid of a proper microphone. They danced, they sweated, and the rest of the band demonstrated their instrumental talents. I knew I was watching a band that meant business.

When I asked what their aspirations were Guy smiled, “Top ten best bands of all time.” “Yeah,” George joked, “I’m sort of thinking maybe number one but I’d be happy to be second to The Beatles.” That might be pushing it a bit at this stage, but I speculate Dirty Blonde is a band that will do more than just turn a few heads.

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