Paddy Elliott-Walker on "The Barbecue Fender": Relationship, Finding Success, Falls Short and Circling Back
Punk Head: “The Barbecue Fender” is a pretty specific, almost cryptic title. What does it unlock in the song that a more literal name wouldn’t?
Paddy Elliott-Walker: A fender, I think, is sort of like a fireguard. It keeps the heat in and lets the warmth out. I chose that as a metaphor because it conveys how one character in the song is able to enjoy the warmth, e.g., enjoying an easy life, while the other is on the wrong side of the fender, suffering. I think metaphorical titles can do more things at once than literal ones can. They can evoke imagery, in this case summer, gardens, celebration etc and also introduce meaning and narrative, such as the one I just mentioned. I think with literal titles, you have to choose one or the other.
Punk Head: There’s a tension running through the track where nostalgia softens things, but there’s still an undercurrent of resentment. How did you approach holding those two feelings together without letting one overpower the other?
Paddy Elliott-Walker: I’m really glad you picked up on that tension, it was exactly what I was going for. Honestly, I didn’t find it too challenging because I think nostalgia and resentment are often very closely linked emotions. People often see nostalgia as a positive, or at least a neutral, feeling, but I think it’s just as often a more mellow form of regret.
Punk Head: How much of the song is rooted in observation versus personal experience?
Paddy Elliott-Walker: There was an element of personal experience. There was a time shortly after I graduated when I was studying for my postgrad, and a lot of my friends had found impressive-looking jobs in the city and abroad. I remember one summer afternoon alone in the house, feeling a bit left behind by it all. However, it’s more based on a general idea I had about how people can start off, say at school, reasonably level in the race, and then ten years later are in radically different places.
Punk Head: This track is framed as a progression for you. When you listen back to it now, what do you hear that tells you you’re getting closer to the artist you want to be?
Paddy Elliott-Walker: I’m quite happy with the instrumental blend. The tropical/orchestral sound is one I really want to perfect, and I think the song has moments where I come close to it. But there’s still a long way for me to go. I feel like I could have introduced more electronic: space age affects from time to time, which I think would have been interesting and surprising. I’m always thinking of things I could have done differently in the song, but I guess no song is ever really finished.
Punk Head: You’ve come up through venues like The Deaf Institute and Matt and Phreds, which are known for quite intimate, attentive crowds. How has that environment shaped the way you think about pacing and narrative in your music?
Paddy Elliott-Walker: I think those kinds of crowds bring an intensity to performing live. You have their attention, but that attention is delicate, there’s no room for filler. When I’m making a song now or performing it, I use pacing and dynamics as tools to try to maintain listener attention, as I think they’re perhaps the two best musical tools for doing this (I try to, anyway!).
