Interview With Leaves’ Eyes

Leaves Eyes 2013

We recently saw Leaves’ Eyes play a fantastic show at Sound Control in Manchester – read our review here. Ahead of the show, we caught up with vocalist Liv Kristine for a quick chat. See what we asked below!

So 2014 has just begun – what’s in store for this year when it comes to Leaves Eyes?
We have a lot of touring coming up. The UK is the first tour, then we’re going to go home and do our laundry, then we’re off to the States – South America and the Caribbean 70000 Tonnes Of Metal, then the US and Canada. Then we have a couple of festival shows coming up in the Summer, and we’ll probably continue with a second world tour once all the festivals are done. So there are more shows coming up.

What went well about 2013?
We were of course busy finishing the album, which was released just after the Metal Female Voices Festival in Belgium in October. It was a tough year, we played at places we’d never been to before, faraway places including China, Taiwan and Thailand, and we did another short Russian tour. We’ve been to Russia many times before but it’s always so much travelling. It was a very busy year and went by far too fast! But it was a good year for Leaves’ Eyes.

And what perhaps didn’t go to plan?
Actually, we thought that the Asian tour would not happen because of the visas with China. But it happened, so that was a surprise, but what did not happen…? To be honest, I don’t think there would have been any more time for anything else!

No time for anything to go wrong?
(laughs) No, exactly! It was fully packed and it was a very positive year, but a lot of hard work.

Your new album Symphonies Of The Night is based on the book Carmilla, what made you choose that book?
Le Fanu’s book was one of the first I ever read at university during my studies in Stavanger in Norway. It’s been in a box in my cellar for many years and then I thought “this song gives me gives me the information and input to open up my old books and gather information. Sometimes I have a very sudden…(clicks fingers) there you go moment, this is what I have to do! There were a few of those during the writing and recording process of Symphonies Of The Night, which is good. It’s refreshing!

Are there any other books you’d like to write songs about?
Good question! I think there are too many! I would like to write and compose an album sung in Celtic language completely but that’s something I’d like to work on because of pronunciation! Maybe I’ll find somebody to help me! That’s something I’ll do some day.

And finally – if Leaves’ Eyes could put their name to any product, what would it be?
Tea. Yes, tea! And they could be tea leaves!

Good pun!
(laughs) Yes! I just love tea myself, I buy too much tea every time I’m in the UK and my suitcase is always just full of tea! I leave the dirty laundry to save space for more tea! You actually have the best tea here in UK.

Symphonies Of The Night is out now. Read our review of it here.

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About Natalie Humphries 2047 Articles
Soundscape's editor. Can usually be found at a gig, and not always in the UK. Contact: nathumphries@soundscapemagazine.com or @acidnat on twitter.