We caught up with Nottingham’s own Otala ahead of their headline show on the 14th December!
Hey guys we’re really looking forward to having you back at The Bodega! How are you feeling ahead of the show?
[Rory] Really excited. This gig will be our eighth time playing at The Bodega and we’ve played there supporting some of our biggest inspirations as a band so it’s an honour really to be headlining, especially with a pair of supports as great as we’ve got on this show.
It’s not been long since you embarked on your Everything But The Hate release tour, how was it testing the waters with new material across the country?
[Charlotte] The tour was great, especially as our first headline tour, it felt like a milestone. We mainly targeted cities we already knew but we had never played in Brighton and it was lovely to visit the Pier and play to a new crowd who seemed to enjoy it. A lot of our new material had been a regular feature of the shows already, though we did get some good reception on Everything But the Hate, and it was nice to be able to tell the crowd they could now check it out on Spotify after the show!
We’re loving your latest single ‘Patchwork’, you guys have developed hugely since your debut release in 2023. As an experimental band do you find that a development in sound is something that comes naturally or do you have a set trajectory of what the end goal is?
[Rory] Thanks! When we start on something new we usually have wider concepts that Oscar brings with his writing rather than aiming to make music in any specific genre. I think the fact we all listen to different music means that when we come together what we produce is less predictable.
Can you tell us more about your recent signing to Lil Chop?
[Rory] Working with Ol has been great, he’s a lovely guy and knows a lot more about this strange opaque industry than we do. The combination of complete creative freedom and a knowing, guiding hand is essentially a dream scenario. Releasing the 7” on vinyl this year was only possible through Lil Chop too, before then having something physical had just been a dream on the horizon.
[Charlotte] Ol is a guy who can do both, he’s a savvy businessman you can have meetings with but also catch a gig and have a wild night. It’s nice to have someone with our best interests in mind, who is super involved, comes to as many gigs as possible and is willing to take a risk with us. We’re ever grateful!
This’ll be your last show for 2024, have you got much instore to kick off the New Year?
[Charlotte] Absolutely, not much we can reveal at the minute but 2025 is looking very hopeful for us. After 3 years we are finally all living in the same city, and are looking forward to collaborating regularly to develop loads of new music, and do some touring!
Can we expect to hear any new tunes snuck into the set?
[Rory] Definitely, we’re carrying on the way we basically always have in this band: playing as much new stuff as possible and only plugging the gaps left over with anything we already have out. Still expect to hear all your favourites, but expect to hear your future favourites too!
Otala take to the stage on the 14th December. Tickets on sale now.
