GOLDFRAPP49The sound of reinvention:
Alison Goldfrapp and
Will Gregory released
their seventh studio
album, Silver Eye, earlier
this yearF
ew bands manage to
reinvent their sound
and image as well as
Goldfrapp. Frontwoman
Alison Goldfrapp and
behind-the-scenes
sonic architect Will
Gregory consistently keep fans
on their collective toes, careering
from panoramic string-infused
extravaganzas to glam synth
stompers. Their latest opus,
Silver Eye, jettisons the lush
pastoral textures of 2013’s Tales
Of Us to embrace a dirtier
electronic aesthetic.
“Our mood got a little darker
so it felt like time to throw offthe peasant outfi t and put on
something a little more urban,”
chuckles Will. “Whatever comes
next is the antidote to what we’ve
done already, if only to keep
ourselves sane.”
“I think most bands are too
scared to try something different,”
agrees Alison, her signature
blonde locks now straighter and
with a reddish hue. “We’ve never
really thought too much about it.”SILVER LININGS SONGBOOK
Two decades ago, Will Gregory- the son of a Covent Garden
chorus girl – was plying his trade
as a saxophonist. Tired of the
tour bus he turned his attention
to writing soundtracks, until
happening upon a tape containing
an early demo of Human by a
yodeling performance artist. Alison
Goldfrapp was someone he felt
compelled to meet: “Wherever
she is, I want to be there, too –
because I feel like I already am.”
Seven albums later, Goldfrapp
are closing in on their 20th
anniversary, a milestone longer
than many marriages. Refl ecting
on their enduring relationship Will
quips: “I’m slightly amazed, too,
how long we have managed to
put up with each other.” Alison
deadpans: “It’s been constant,
we are so used to each other
now we are telepathic.” The
self-deprecating jibes certainly
resemble those of an old married
couple, yet Alison and Will remain
oddly independent entities.
Interviews are rarely conducted
together and Will has all but given
up performing live with Goldfrapp,
leaving Alison and hired hands to
tour. “It’s the same that it always
was,” he explains, delving deeper.
“We have had a very formal
relationship and that’s why it has
had such a long and fruitfulCP30.goldfrapp.print.indd 49 07/06/2017 16:27