Hi, my name is Fé

, 21. Januar 2015 music, news, stories

HI, MY NAME IS ist der ziemlich einfallslose Titel für eine kontinuierliche Interview-Reihe mit talentierten Fotografen, Musikern, Künstlern und inspirierenden Persönlichkeiten unserer Zeit. Heute richten wir unseren Blick rüber auf die Insel nach Great Britain und möchten euch das talentierte Duo vorstellen. Es ist nun gut ein Monat her, dass wir die Londoner Jungs das erste Mal während des Telekom Music Talent Space trafen. Beim Abschlusskonzert des TMTS im FluxBau Berlin haben uns Ben und Leo dann vollkommen vom Hocker gerissen. Deswegen haben wir sie im Anschluss zu einem kleinen Interview getroffen und erfahren was noch alles hinter den zwei Buchstaben ihres Namens steckt.

Wir wurden nicht enttäuscht. Fé, das sind: zwei hypnotisierende Stimmen, Melodien mit Tiefklang, viel Authentizität und gute Laune. Kurz: Musik pur ohne Schubladendenken oder Genrebegrenzung. Genau dieses Gefühl drückt sich auch in der Einfachheit ihres Namens aus. Bei Fé geht es nicht um Hippness oder Starallüren, sondern schlicht weg um einen guten Sound und eine enge Bindung zum Publikum.

Diese Grundhaltung rührt nicht zu letzt aus den Erfahrungen der beiden Jungs mit echter Straßenmusik. Bereits seit langem erobern Ben und Leo mit ihren Gitarren die Londoner Metro. Beim Durchqueren der überfüllten Wagons waren sie dabei nicht nur mit Lob sondern auch Teilnahmslosigkeit, Kritik und sogar physischer Gewalt konfrontiert. Doch genau das ist die Grundlage ihres Erfolgs, der sich aus einer authentischen Performance und echtem Nervenkitzel zusammensetzt. Dieses Ritual der Straßenperformances, das sie selbst als „unter die Haut der Stadt fahren“ bezeichnen, hält das Duo bis heute aufrecht. So stellt die Londoner Underground Szene für sie „eine unauslöschliche Quelle an Inspiration, £50 Scheinen und Telefonnummern“ dar. Dass man mit Ben und Leo vor allem viel lachen kann, erfahrt ihr nun bei uns im Interview.


WE ARE FÉ
Ben: We are Ben and Leo.
Leo: Like siamese twins from East London. (laughs) We are both playing guitar and sing. Actually one and a half year ago we decided to play music after staying in one night listening to live music on youtube.
Ben: All night!
Leo: It’s true! We waited till the dawn. And at the dawn we created Fé!

Everything started with?

Leo: Youtube!
Ben: It started with a lots of inspiration from bands which sound big, bands that keep it simple.
Leo: We were both in a band before. And everybody wrote an essay about every song. This is really shit and not fun anymore. So it forced us to go towards simplicity. Bands like U2, The Cure, The Rolling Stones keep it very simple. And we think that is what really matters.
Ben: It’s getting more complicated today. But still it has that feeling.

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What does the name Fé means?

Ben: Before we started we thought about a lot of names and it took a long time till we find the right one. We had a working title which was „Santa Fé“.

Ah! Like Beirut!

Leo: No! Not Beirut! (laughs) We were watching a lot of cowboy films at this time, like „A Fistful of Dollars“ and „El Topo“. So Santa Fé reminded us of the desert in these films, and gave us a feeling of that space, which found its way into the music: which is quite cinematic and dramatic. But when ever we said Santa Fé to someone, they said „Beirut“! (laughs) So, in the end we asked ourselves, why not to take the Santa off and keep Fé.
Ben: You know: Fé means faith in Spanish and Portuguese and it sounds like something you can feel really good about it.
Leo: And faith is an enormous worth. The faith we have in our songs is massive. We really got huge faith in what we are doing and in top of that it is a religious element in our music, a lot of the songs feel like hymns or praise. It’s two letters.
Ben: Two letters.
Leo: Two people. (laughs)

Your best moment in Berlin?

Ben: Definitely it was the gig for the Telekom Music Talent Space at the end of the workshop. It was wicked. The audience and everybody gave us so much. We asked them to give us everything and we gave it back. The Musica Talent Space were nine really exciting but even hard working days before. To do the concert at the end was really great.

If I ever come to London, where should I go absolutely?

Leo: You should come to my house. I play you „Pop goes the Weasel“ on the piano. (laughs) No, you should try to go to places that don’t feel like London. There are a lot of open places. Secret places where you can go swimming for example.

In winter?

Ben: No! Not in winter. In winter you have to go to the pubs and feel cosy.
Leo: Yes! If you go to London, you should probably come to the Holly Bush Pub on Christmas Eve because me and Ben sing carols there with two friends for you. (laughs)

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If you could choose a cartoon character, which character would it be?

Leo: I would be Bananaman.
Ben: Probably I would be Bart Simpson.
Leo: Or Dogtanion, the musketeer. You know it here in Germany? The intro sounds like a Paul McCartney solo record when I listen to it now! Fé will definitely cover this song one day.

If there would be an album which collects the greatest songs of human heritage, which song you would choose for it?

Leo: „Time“ by Fé? (laughs) Mmmmh. For all the humanity?
Ben: Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones.
Leo: Or „Money’s Too Tight To Mention“ by Simply Red. It has the right sentiment.

Your favorite German word?

Leo: Oh maybe you can tell me what does this sentence means: „Kann ick mit dein Achsel? So „Achsel“ could be my favorite German word! (everybody laughs)

And Ben, yours?

Ben: Dankeschön.

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What’s next?

Leo: We are finishing the album here in Berlin with Ewan Pearson and Guy Sternberg at Low Swing Studios, and then mixing it at KOMPAKT.
Ben: And we’re thinking that at the end of the summer, we will release it. And there will be two singles release before. One at the beginning of this year and the other one around Easter time.

Last but not least: Your question?

Leo: What is the first thing you thought when you saw Fé? … and if you gonna take us somewhere in Berlin, where would it be?

Thank you Ben & Leo

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images © Thang Dai and Helen Hecker