5. LowI Could Live In Hope
I loved the simplicity of this album. The one-word song titles. It’s such a great name for a band – maybe they got it from Bowie? They used to crash on my floor in Snaresbrook when they played in London in the early days. I’ve got pictures of Alan [Sparhawk] under my Mr. Men duvet! I remember coming home one day; I went into the lounge and Mimi [Parker] and Alan were there. They were watching the golf on this big old Sony TV.
Their vocals together were so beautiful. They were high school sweethearts. They did it through thick and thin. We always stayed in touch. They started postponing gig dates, but I never realised Mimi was so sick.
One time they were coming to London and they had a day off. I took them to a studio in Leyton so they could have a mess around with Piano Magic and Transient Waves. I remember taking some samosas, chutney and French sticks for a picnic. The studio was horrible. Nothing was written, nobody knew what they were doing. Then, suddenly, Alan came out with that bassline and those lyrics, and I have no idea how he conjured up ‘Sleep At The Bottom’. That began Rocket Girl 4. It’s so nice to be able to bring people together. Even though it started off as a bit of a disaster, it was wonderful to have that single out on Rocket Girl.
