So, what exactly is a Moulette? An inter-web search reveals nothing except this band and some rather unlikely reference to a hairstyle, as defined by the rather wonderful Urban Dictionary: the moulette is a stylized modern mullet, originating in Canada. It is essentially a curly combination of hat hair (in Canadian winters, hats are a must), the mullet and the famous hair swoosh (optional but encouraged)." Could this be the inspiration for The Moulettes? As Hannah Moulette (they refer themselves individually as a Moulette) has said before: "… I had a free haircut one day that turned into a mullet. We were joking that it was a moule-ette…." So, there you have it, a female mullet!
Not that they 'wear mullets' of course, that would be crass. Instead, they are a remarkably intelligent unit of musicality, sensitivity and adventure, a wild fusion of classical, prog, rock, pop and 'fantasy folk'. Comparisons are nigh on impossible but Bellowhead springs to mind or maybe the crazy alt-prog 70s rockers Gentle Giant (look them up!)? In any case, they make fresh and original music, helmed by the core unit of Hannah Miller, Ruth Skipper, Jim Mortimore and Ollie Austin, although the extended Moulettes family runs into double digits including recent recruit Eliza Jaye. Moulettes are female AND male…
Now based in Brighton, I went to visit Ollie and Hannah at their Queens Park residence, where a welcoming atmosphere of coffee and biscuit making was in progress, although Ollie is in tour preparation mode, which means he's off the booze and on the de-caff… And, almost immediately upon arrival a parcel arrived with a new batch of their bespoke Moulettes tea towels, designed by Hannah. Excitedly examining the goods, Hannah and Ollie give the thumbs up, a piece of band merchandise that apparently sells very well at their gigs (someone else once told me that their biggest seller on the merch table was mugs…), alongside the usual CDs.
One of the things about the band is the unlikely associations they have, including that with Mumford & Sons (more of that later) and Led Zeppelin. Their former manager Joe Cushley used to manage Seasick Steve (former Moulette Georgina Leach played violin for Seasick Steve), whose bassist is non other than John Paul-Jones, Led Zep's bassist/keyboardist extraordinaire. Of course, The Moulettes got to support Seasick Steve on occasion, including at Hammersmith Apollo… "We ended up in a room, backstage," says Hannah. "I decided to tell him about the dream I had about Led Zep the night before and his wife was there… I think he definitely thought I was weird; it was a really strange dream with people like Odin & Thor in it. I had never had a dream about gods, but I had been reading a book about gods, where all the old gods are pissed about the new gods, because they're stealing their thunder. And in my dream Odin and Thor were pissed off because Led Zep were more well known than they were…"
Initially formed by Hannah and Ruth when both were 'music scholars' in 2002, with Ollie (drums, guitar), Ted Dwane (bass) and Rob Skipper joining up soon after, the Moulettes has over the years featured many members who come and go as well as huge number of guests, whether on record or on stage. "We always liked playing live, finding small niche venues…. we didn't do much stuff on the circuit, but eventually we got those residencies in London (their Den of Inquity nights at the 12bar) and from that we invited bands like Mystery Jets and Noisettes. The first album was a culmination of playing these events," says Ollie. It was, however, the legendary Eel Pie Island events that really set the wheels in motion, a place steeped in rock'n'roll history and mystique. Off the coast of Twickenham, bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Who, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath performed in the island's hotel until it burnt down in 1971. Then, in the mid noughties, The Mystery Jets started staging parties on the island. "I've said this a few times," says Ollie, "but I think those parties they put on were really significant. You look back at all the players who played there, many of them are still going and it's a real treatment to what The Mystery Jets achieved. Unsung heroes!" The fledgling Moulettes were one of those bands… "Laura Marling was one of those who hung out at those Eel party events and I introduced Ted to those people. Ted Dwane then started playing with Laura Marling first (whom Marcus Mumford was playing drums for at the time and dating…) and then onto Mumford's… Last year The Mystery Jets supported Mumford's at the O2 arena.. wow!"
Marcus stole my moves! That whole guitar drum thing," exclaims Ollie. That is the combination of guitar and drums which Marcus Mumford made as a centre piece of the band's act. "Oh man, anyway…!" laughs Ollie.
Ted Dwane played bass on the first two Moulettes albums, but eventually choices had to be made… "Laura Marling and the Moulettes were both booked to play at Bestival and our sets clashed, which he didn't know about. And that's how it literally happened; he decided to play with Laura and that was the summer she broke and then Mumford's came quickly after that."
The phenomenal global success of Mumford & Sons means they have seen little of their former bandmate over the last few years. "We did see him last week, he came to one of our gigs. We love Ted. His health problem was a rollercoaster (he was diagnosed with subdural hematoma). Thankfully, his girlfriend gave us the heads up before it hit the press. That would have been weird. He's looking great and has been given the all clear. We miss him as a friend, it happened all so quickly.
As well as the Led Zep and Mumford connections, they have become good friends with Brighton's folk-rock legends The Levellers. "We did a lovely tour with them, in fact we've done two," says Ollie. "Their last record was really good; a lot of bands do burn out, but they haven't. They are such a hard working band; they love it, they live for it and are full time musicians in the true sense of the word. Such lovely people too." From: https://brightonsfinest.com/music/spotlight/moulettes-interview-2014/2014/
