Interview: Andrea Glass

8:42pm Thursday 26th June 2008

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ANDREA Glass isn't your typical female singer-songwriter.

While Laura Marling, Norah Jones and the rest may trade on their wide eyed fragility, Andrea is singularly brazen.

Tall, dark, sexy as hell and more than capable of drinking the boys under the table, her album Stood Under Stars comes as something of a surprise, revealing as it does a sweeter side to the singer, who describes her songs as "Americana soaked in Bolton rain."

The album was recorded with producer Kevin Montgomery in Nashville, and was described by the BBC's Bob Harris as "wonderful". So far, so country. But Andrea has some surprising influences.

"I'm going watching Def Leppard tonight!" she says, laughing like a drain. "I was a massive Def Leppard fan when I was a teenager, I had pictures of them all over my walls."

Having harboured dreams as a youngster of being the band's guitarist, Andrea decided the time was right to recruit her own band to make her songs, as she puts it, "Austin rather than Nashville - the Austin sound has more of an edge to it."

And so The Last Waltz was born - Andrea plus guitarist Chris Evans, bassist Si Eccles and drummer Andy Dawson, all veterans of the local music scene, and capable of keeping up with Andrea's mischievous ways, although possibly not her love of spandex.

"I want to rock out!" she says."It's alright playing on your own, it's nice, it's relaxed, but everyone's got a rock god inside them just waiting to get out. Def Leppard tonight you know, it's research - I've got to look at throwing shapes on stage. I need to see if spandex is still in.

"I was thinking of putting Dawson in spandex. All three of them, in fact."

Existing fans, however, needn't worry that Andrea intends to go too far down the hard rock route - she quotes Page and Plant saying the song remains the same, and in her case that means wryly bittersweet lyrics, and enchanting melodies.

"It won't send people running and covering their ears, as long as Evans keeps those bum notes to a minimum," she says, still laughing at the thought of the band in matching lycra outfits.

Hopefully not, as the band's gig at Bury Met on July 5 will also see the premiere of the video for Andrea's new single, North Wind, which should be released the same week.

"It went really well, it was a lot of fun," says Andrea. "I felt a bit of a prat but I think we pulled it off."

• Andrea Glass and The Last Waltz, Bury Met, July 5th. Tickets cost £8/£6 concessions. For more information, or to book, visit www.themet.biz or ring 0161 761 2216.