Crikey! It’s Ellie Dixon!
Back in September, we interviewed producer and songwriter Charlie Deakin Davies in their studio at Ten87. As part of our interview, we asked what three songs they’re listening to at the moment where the production really blows them away. One of their choices was Ellie Dixon’s single ‘Sucker’, which opened up a pandora’s box of multi-media artistry previously unknown to this music fan.
‘Lover’. Image courtesy of Ellie Dixon.
In between studying for a Maths degree, songwriter Ellie Dixon took to steadily learning the ropes of production, releasing three EPs between 2016 and 2018 called ‘Looking Forward’, ‘Jungle’ and ‘Growing Pains’. At the end of 2019, she released a standalone single entitled ‘Pressure’, with ‘Ugly’ following in March 2020 prior to the start of the U.K. lockdown.
Around the same time, Ellie Dixon started making videos for TikTok, which continued through the pandemic. Her videos have ranged from covers made with household objects, to building harmony layers and adding original verses to popular songs. At the time of writing, Ellie has more than 900 thousand followers on TikTok and almost ten million likes.
Beginning with the release of ‘Space Out!’ in August 2020, Dixon started her campaign culminating in the release of her latest EP ‘Crikey! It’s My Psyche’ in October 2021. This would also include videos for ‘Sucker’ and ‘Green Grass’ in between collaborations with other artists and further videos on her TikTok and YouTube channels. To celebrate the release of the new EP, Ellie Dixon played her first headline show in London at a sold-out Camden Assembly on November 2nd.
After receiving a unique wrist-stamp with the words ‘I Saw Ellie Dixon’ inside a planet with rings, I headed upstairs where support act Claudia Kate was already performing. She was the perfect fit to open the show, playing guitar and showcasing songs from her debut album ‘a damn good place to start’. A personal favourite was Kate’s performance of ‘Fat’, highlighting how hyper-focused we are as a society on weight, especially when growing up. The crowd were attentive - there was clearly already a crossover of fanbases here.
The lights went down for Ellie’s set, you could hardly hear the recorded spoken word introduction playing out over the speakers as chants of ‘Ellie! Ellie!’ filled all the aural space. ‘In the beginning, there was nothing…’ With the cheers reaching a crescendo, Ellie Dixon took to the stage as the recording finished with ‘LET’S GO!’
A brief pause from the two figures now on stage before Ellie addressed the crowd for the first time:
‘Hello. There’s a lot of you. Let’s go.’
It seemed appropriate that the first track would be ‘Sucker’ as Ellie Dixon was wearing the outfit she uses in the music video for that song. Her accomplice was Rosie Frater-Taylor, who played guitar and sang backing vocals while Ellie had a bass guitar strapped on, a keyboard in front of her and a laptop where the backing tracks were playing from. The audience found out early on that Rosie was an exceptional guitarist, playing a solo towards the end of the track with jazzy fluidity.
Released in February 2021, Sucker is co-written and co-produced by Jos Eckert who would also feature on Dixon’s YouTube channel in an acoustic video for ‘Space Out!’ So well produced is the video for Sucker, that for the past two months I thought this entire sequence was shot in a blacked-out studio space.
As for the song itself, Ellie Dixon introduces it on her YouTube channel as ‘the creative climax of my lockdown breakdown’. The beat is infectious, as are the lyrics, backed early on with the sound of electric piano. It’s switched up for the choruses as bass guitar slides in, bringing with it the rhythmic wail of electric guitar. It’s Ellie Dixon’s vocal production that blows me away not only with Sucker, but across the ‘Crikey!’ EP. The more you listen to these songs, the more there is to listen to.
‘You guys! Am I allowed to swear because holy- holy shit! It is so good to see you. It’s been, well it’s been forever I guess hasn’t it? Thank you for coming. This is bonkers. Pre-Covid I’d be lucky to get thirty even friends in a room, and now there’s like two hundred of you and look at you all!’
‘CEO Of Watching Television’ saw release with the full EP, and is about making time to take a break from work. This track particularly shows off Ellie Dixon’s skill in vocal harmony layers, and variety in musical style with this song’s more mellow approach. Throughout this gig, the crowd rarely needed instruction on filling in any vocal space, with this track’s ‘Ayy, ohh!’ part well and truly covered by the two-hundred strong audience.
‘CEO’. Image courtesy of Ellie Dixon.
“I thought this would be the point in the set to introduce Rosie Frater-Taylor! She’s amazing. She also has an album out, it’s called ‘Bloom’.”
‘Bloom’ is indeed an incredible jazz album, highly recommended by Moths and Giraffes. When Ellie brought up Rosie’s album, you could see her heart melting. It was lovely. Dixon continues by welcoming the audience to the launch party. Somebody near the front shouts ‘Crikey!’
‘Crikey! Crikey it’s out! Oh, actually before we continue, Claudia, who you just saw, by the way. So good! She left an envelope for me in the dressing room and she bought me, are you ready for this? Broccoli earrings! So that’s the best thing I’ve ever received, really no present is ever gonna top that, so, sorry Mum and Dad. So, er, I’m just thinking about broccoli earrings. Yeah, so the next song! We’re gonna do a cover for you. Yep. Yep. But, I’m not gonna tell you what it is because I’m cheeky like that. And I’m gonna build it up for you and you’ll see- I don’t know if you’ve seen this on social media, but I build up songs, and you have to guess what it is, and you can never guess what it is. This is one of those, so good luck.’
Ellie reminds Rosie of the next song, then realises that she may have inadvertently told the crowd the name of the track too. I didn’t hear it, and as she began layering the harmonies with a loop pedal, she asks the audience ‘Anyone guessed it?’ Ellie then added a beat to the track with some shaker.
Dixon’s talent with rearranging covers to fit her own style meant that it took a moment to realise the words she was singing were to Charlie Puth’s ‘How Long’. But once the chorus kicked in, the crowd were right back in the moment.
Image Credit: Gurdain Bharj.
“Thank you. This next song is how the EP started. So basically a year ago, I wrote this- well no, it was more than a year ago now, jeez. More like a year and a half. I was in lockdown as we all were, and I wrote this song about feeling very detached and it was the first time I’d made a song where the sound just felt right and it was like ‘Yep, this is it, I’m holding some sort of globule of light and this is what we’re going with.’”
Rosie leant into her microphone and repeated: ‘Globule.’
“A globule? Can we just- Wait guys can we just, three, two, one and everyone says ‘Globule’ please? Ok, ready? Three, two, one-”
The whole crowd shouted ‘GLOBULE’. And Ellie continued, ‘-of light, erm and basically- I really didn’t think that was gonna happen in the set, I love it. I’m gonna go to bed tonight and think about that. (laughs) And, yeah, this started off a lot of things for me, and a lot of you maybe found me through this? A few of you. Yeah I thought I’d show how I built it up, how I made it. So as you guys know, I’m known for using random objects from around my house. I started out with a saucer pan, of all things.’
The song starts playing. ‘And then I got a mug involved. Of course a mug, and then the bassline. And then we just kept that going. And you guys listened.’
It was this build up that led to a performance of ‘Space Out!’, which the audience did everything in their power to be louder than the PA system in. Despite this valiant effort, it still wouldn’t be the loudest The Camden Assembly would be that evening.
“You’re bonkers, the lot of you. Absolutely bonkers. So it’s another EP song now. This is all about anxiety, which we love, we love. It’s our favourite. This one feels the most personal to me on the EP, it’s the one I relate to the most that’s been getting me through a lot recently. So, this is ‘Learn To Swim’. And I- We really wanted me to wear the snorkel for the song, but, erm, if I sang like this-”
Ellie holds her nose to demonstrate how her vocal would sound.
‘-it would not go well. Oh, you love it? Let’s do it then. Snorkel! No, we’re doing it sans-snorkel tonight guys. Sans-snorkel. So, this is called Learn To Swim, and since you guys have been the best - throwback to Globule Moment, we’re gonna do a little bit of building up together on this one. So, I’m gonna teach you- I can’t swim actually. Funny story, the song is called Learn To Swim but I can’t actually swim. I’m getting there, but I’m quite sinky.’
Someone shouts out ‘Learn To Drown!’, which Ellie Dixon follows by explaining how the song was built up, and leading the crowd to clap the beat out. It took a moment to catch on, but as Ellie brought in the other components of the track, the crowd fell into the rhythm.
‘Aqua’. Image courtesy of Ellie Dixon.
Another co-write and co-production with Jos Eckert, one of the things that strikes me about Learn To Swim is how it doesn’t sit still. The beat goes from the handclaps early on, partnered with the basslines that Ellie Dixon is so good at writing, to adding hi-hat and bass drum while her vocal itself acts as a rhythmic instrument. The chorus goes from a cappella, to a stunted rhythm before the drums come in full, which are taken away almost as soon as they start and like a traffic light system are off again.
But the spotlight in Learn To Swim falls on Ellie Dixon’s lyrics, which, like all of the songs on the EP, are a facet of her psyche. Though it’s the shortest song on ‘Crikey!’, Dixon packs in the most words, and with the most meaning. ‘Feel like I’m in denial, cuz the only time I smile is when everything around me is exactly how it was, yeah just so, just so.’
When reading the lyrics to Learn To Swim out of context, it’s easy to imagine a more sombre direction in the musical arrangement. But here Ellie Dixon remains true both to the message she wishes to convey, as well as the style of music she wants to make. People were dancing to this at The Camden Assembly, but the meaning wasn’t lost to them either.
‘You guys, it’s all the energy I’m gonna need for the rest of the year. I love it. So, we’re gonna bring it down a notch now. We’re gonna chill out for a bit.’
Prior to introducing the next song, Ellie Dixon told her story of finishing her Maths degree, improving her production skills and making this EP while gaining traction with her work online. Rosie Frater-Taylor accompanied on guitar, improvising her part in the same way that Ellie’s speech wasn’t rehearsed or written down. The twists and turns in the story brought everyone from tiny gigs pre-pandemic to a sold-out Camden Assembly with two hundred people in attendance, arriving at the next song – which was ‘New Waves’.
New Waves is a natural pandemic collaboration with American artist Austin Prince, recorded and filmed remotely. With this entire performance, the energy remained at a high level for the hour and fifteen minutes Ellie Dixon held court for. New Waves, in its chilled tone, gave the audience a moment to breathe and soak up the atmosphere of the room, beginning with the speech that led up to it.
‘Does anyone know any scrubs? I feel like we know of some scrubs here and there. But this song is celebrating said scrubs, aforementioned scrubs.’
This was all fleeting as the duo then went into a cover of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’. The whole audience shouted each ‘No!’ in the song’s pre-chorus, and were treated, in pure Ellie Dixon style, to an original verse added in too. Whilst Dixon may not have properly recorded this cover for her YouTube channel yet, she has performed it live elsewhere in 2021.
A wonderful by-product of Claudia Kate supporting Ellie Dixon was the crowd were treated to a rare performance of both artists singing Kate’s song ‘Brainworks’ together, which Ellie features on as part of Claudia’s album.
‘I’m sad, I’m anxious, I’m too romantic. I swear I feel so stupid all the time, just for being alive, I’m cringing at my own damn life, maybe I should get one.’
Co-written and performed by both artists on the record with production from Al Middleton, Brainworks is an acceptance of the way your life is going, with an emphasis on mental health. Brainworks is fun and beautiful, it’s the kind of song you play whilst driving home from work after a bad day to make yourself smile again.
“Crikey! I love the fact that at random intervals people are just being ‘Crikey!’ We were just talking about how much mileage we’re getting out of this name. ‘Crikey! It’s my merch.’ ‘Crikey! It’s everything.’ It’s never gonna stop. I’m gonna be plagued by this moment.”
A cut-out television screen could also be seen around The Camden Assembly for attendees to take photographs with. Created in the style of the EP artwork, it was subtitled ‘Crikey! It’s A Photo Opportunity!’ Ellie announces that her next song is a cover with an original verse - at the time of writing it has 11.8 million views on TikTok. Upon discovering it’s her rendition of ‘Toxic’ by Britney Spears, an audience member shouts ‘It’s Britney Bitch!’
The above expanded video on Ellie Dixon’s YouTube account is an amalgamation of everything that makes this artist such a success on TikTok. She’s chosen a modern classic to cover, shown off her multi-layered harmonies, performance and production skill. She’s also used household objects in place of traditional percussion, and added her own verse to round out the whole experience as authentically Ellie Dixon. The added bonus of The Camden Assembly performance is the jazzy flair Rosie Frater-Taylor injects into it, as well as the atmosphere the fired-up crowd brings.
“So, we’re gonna bring back a niche one. But, but. It’s worth it, ok. So basically about maybe a year ago, I started a YouTube series that I ran out of steam with quite quickly. It was called ‘Song Prompts’, and what I would do is I would take a stupid prompt from Instagram and I would give myself a challenge to write like a short song based on that prompt. And basically, someone, who actually, it was, someone called Toby Morgan actually designed the merch, so, already a legend, and did the ‘Green Grass’ animation and cover-art. I got the prompt from Toby – ‘Vibe Like A Biscuit’. Yeah, no context. Nothing. Vibe Like A Biscuit. What the hell. What the hell Toby. And thus ensued, probably one of the weirdest days of my life. And, probably the stupidest, kind of my favourite song that I’ve ever written. So, me and Rosie were talking about it last week and we were like ‘We should do it.’ And we made it into a whole song last week. Warning, this song: groovy. This is a formal groovy warning. Erm, watch out! Watch your backs. Let’s go.”
A backing track mishap stalled the vibe like an empty biscuit tin. Rosie was hearing the backing track, but Ellie was not. She restarted it, then it worked fine. Ellie began playing a bassline James Brown would be jealous of, reminding the crowd: ‘You were warned.’ The above video is Ellie Dixon’s original ‘Song Prompt’ for Episode 1 (there were two episodes), showing the steps she took to make the short track, though there is no fully recorded version as performed at this gig yet. Mid-song, the duo scaled the song back:
‘So I need you guys to help me out ok? So we’re all gonna say ‘Like A Biscuit’ ok? And if you’re good, you might get biscuits. Ready?’
What followed was a call and response of ‘Like A Biscuit’ as Ellie threw biscuits to the crowd. People passed them back. A risky move in pandemic Britain, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind as they fully indulged in the communal sweet goods. This song was indeed very funky and one of many high points at The Camden Assembly that evening.
‘If there was a biscuit shortage, I do apologise. Erm, so guys, this is my last-’ The instantaneous outcry more than overwhelmingly cut off Ellie Dixon before she could even say it.
‘I’m sorry! Sorry! It actually breaks my heart, but before we go, I’ve got a lot of thank-yous because as much as I do a lot of this myself, no man is an island, and I’ve had a lot of support and a lot of help. So, it’s all the emotions.’
Ellie Dixon proceeded to thank her manager, the promoters, and some people from Manchester who came from BBC Introducing. These were the people who got her to Latitude Festival. She thanked the people closer to her such as her flatmates and family too.
‘I’ve had support from my family that most creative people would only dream of.’
Ellie also asked the audience to show their appreciation for Rosie Frater-Taylor. The applause was huge, morphing into a chant of ‘Ro-sie! Ro-sie!’ Frater-Taylor then announced Ellie Dixon, which caught the latter off guard. Dixon didn’t introduce the next song, insisting they already knew what it was by hinting that the broccoli earrings were on show.
‘Joy’. Image courtesy of Ellie Dixon.
I defy anyone to not smile when they hear ‘Green Grass’. The song is uplifting in more ways than one, from the beat, to the melody, arrangement and most importantly: the lyrics. The message in the song is about just living life, despite what might happen. It’s rooted in a conversation with Dixon’s Mum who appears in a sample saying ‘It’s just life, honey’. As much as I’d like to quote the entire lyric, the chorus particularly stands out:
‘You are not an image or a product or commodity, you aren't worth more because you like to eat broccoli, you're made up of your thoughts, habits, hopes, fears and honestly, you're floating through space on a rock, ain't that crazy?’
The song features Matt Jackman performing trumpet, while the music video, with Sophie Winters (who shot the Sucker video) and manager Phil Meadows behind the camera showcases Toby Morgan’s animation in action. Green Grass was later adopted by Shotover Primary School as their song of the week, who sent Ellie footage of the children singing the song in assembly.
Rosie took a solo towards the end of the song as Ellie Dixon held up a confetti cannon saying ‘I don’t know how this works.’ Try as she might, she couldn’t launch the contents of the locked-up cannon. The moment was slipping away. It was hilarious. Then, the song ended, and the cannon still hadn’t fired. Rosie then had a go and couldn’t do it either.
‘Guys, I think it’s not- No you definitely don’t take that off.’ Rosie was asking if a tape seal needed to be removed. The crowd kept chanting ‘Encore!’ The general mood was that The Camden Assembly wanted to hear the song again.
‘Erm, shall we do the final chorus again I guess? We’ll do the final chorus anyway just sans confetti. Fun fact, that’s been sitting in Phil’s garage for a bit. That was our sign really. Shall we just do the whole song again actually? Who wants to do a photo?’
Someone came on stage to take a photo of the duo and the audience behind them. Everyone in the audience chanted ‘broccoli!’ without prompt. ‘Ok, so this is Green Grass Part 2, without the confetti.’
As the song started again, Ellie told the crowd: ‘You gotta sing louder than this guys!’ The audience sang louder than they had all evening. There was definitely more energy from the crowd the second time around, if that was at all possible. The entire replay was a triumph, performed better by the duo than the first time, who left the stage to more chants of ‘Ellie! Ellie!’
However, a second spoken-word recording played over the speakers as the room was plunged into complete darkness. The voiceover talked about Ellie spreading the news of her EP far and wide across the galaxy, then was interrupted with an incoming transmission. Ellie was playing the character of Space Commander Dixon.
‘I’m gonna have to come back to Earth, just for a little bit.’
It was encore time.
The stage door opened once more like the hydraulic airlock of some unfathomable craft, and out came Space Commander Ellie Dixon, wearing the astronaut suit she wore in the ‘Space Out!’ music video. The transmission ended and the lights came up. The suit, usually rotund from encased air, looked a little saggy.
“It’s still inflating! We’ve got one last song, I lied. I’m a liar! We’re doing ‘Space Out!’ again and I’m getting in your business! Are they odd socks?” Ellie realised she was wearing odd socks with the space suit. ‘I didn’t even- oh. No. No, no, no. This is not what I had planned. Ok. Are you ready?’
I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard anything like Space Out! The EP’s opener is full of unusual sounds, pings and vocal samples, which are helpfully dissected in Ellie Dixon’s production video for the track. Space Out! is mainly driven by a bass guitar riff, with a beat that’s made up from Dixon’s trademark household object collection. As with the other four songs on Crikey! It’s My Psyche, Ellie’s vocal production is exactly tailored to the requirement of the song. It’s the subtleties in that department which make this track a cut above Dixon’s work prior to the pandemic.
‘Biggest shout you’ve ever done ok?’
Where the lyrics are concerned, Dixon’s rapped second verse is particularly infectious. Where else have you heard the rhyming couplet of ‘anti-climactic’ and ‘intergalactic’? The catchy nature of the lyrics lent itself well to the audience at The Camden Assembly, who peaked in their battle to let all of North London know they were there.
‘Astro’. Image courtesy of Ellie Dixon.
And like all the videos for ‘Crikey!’, Space Out! is another unique one. Filmed with her family during lockdown, Space Commander Dixon shows her viewership exactly what the average day of spacing out looks like. The work Ellie Dixon put in for this track is unreal. As well as writing and producing the song itself, discussing it in her production video and creating this music video, Ellie also animated a lyric video frame-by-frame. And more besides, for those seeking to further their experience of this visual spectacle, there’s also an outtake reel. It’s a wonder that any one artist can live and breathe creativity at the cosmic magnitude that Ellie Dixon does.
At the song’s conclusion, Ellie thanked the crowd to more chants of ‘Ellie! Ellie!’ Dixon’s battery pack had come off, ending any possibility of continuing the show. After inviting the crowd to stay put in the venue for an informal meet and greet, Ellie finished her EP launch the only way she could’ve:
‘Crikey! It’s The End!’
With Ellie Dixon’s career having been continuously on the rise since the start of the pandemic, I can only imagine what exciting directions she will take in 2022. Continue reading for our Q&A with Ellie, we ask about her show in London, the music on her latest EP, TikTok, working with Claudia Kate and much more below.
Image Credit: Gurdain Bharj.
1. It was great to see you play the new songs at your release party! How did it feel playing to a sold-out crowd at The Camden Assembly?
Thank you! It was absolutely incredible, definitely up there with one of my career highlights so far. My following was born out of lockdown so this was my first time seeing fans in real life and getting a proper sense of what that growth means. Watching numbers on a screen just doesn't quite click in the same way as having 200 fans shouting your lyrics right back at you - I was actually a bit in shock when I started singing the first song and everyone knew all the words.
2. As well as managing a laptop and keyboard, you were also playing bass throughout the gig, did you play in any bands growing up? When did you start writing your own music?
I actually never performed with a band until I made one to compete in a battle of the bands in my final year of uni. That was a real turning point for my performance confidence. Bands were something I was never really aware I could do growing up - I played keys and sang in the school band in secondary school but there weren't any student bands and I was one of the few people I knew playing gigs around my hometown in Cambridge. I also only started playing bass 2 years ago when I got one for my birthday (best present ever) and just fell in love with the instrument. Basslines are now very much at the core of my songwriting.
I started writing music properly when I was about 15. I got into music production first when my dad downloaded a piece of production software onto the family computer (back when there was a family computer!) and I took music GCSE to keep doing it. I got some free singing lessons as part of the GCSE and after much coaxing from my vocal teacher I came out of my very intense shyness and fell in love with singing and writing songs. It all built very naturally from there and my lessons became more of a writing session with my teacher.
3. You've released three EPs before this one going back to 2016, what sets 'Crikey! It's My Psyche' apart from your previous three?
The previous EPs were basically summer projects I would do in the holidays when I was at uni studying maths; really those were just experimentation and a way to get better at writing and production with something to show for it. 'Crikey! It's My Psyche' is my debut EP as a full time professional musician - a fully formed project that I'm actively pushing and promoting and is a statement of the artist that I am and want to be going forward. It's quite a step up from those experimental EPs after 2 years of working really hard on my craft; it's much more confident and polished and I'm so so proud of it.
4. I enjoy how unusual 'Space Out!' is musically and lyrically, did it begin with the track or did the lyrical idea come first?
Normally for me the track comes first but this one came from a songwriting challenge I did over lockdown. Lots of artists were putting out instrumentals of their songs and asking people to write original verses over the top and I saw one from Blue Lab Beats that I really wanted to have a crack at. That day I just wanted to write something fun and silly so I just wrote a stupid amount of space puns which is now the second verse of Space Out!. It had a great response from my followers so I went away and made my own backing for it and wrote the rest of the song and here we are! That was the first single to go on the EP and it also inspired the rest of the music, I just loved the sound I had created and wanted to explore that further. I was listening to a lot of Still Woozy, Easy Life and BENEE at the time so that really inspired the weird, wobbly production.
5. It's fascinating to see 'Space Out!' deconstructed in your studio production video. Across the broad spectrum of music you make, do you have a go-to studio plug-in when recording and mixing?
Oh man what a question! This is super boring but really the one plug-in that I use on basically everything in a song is EQ (it's a tool that lets you change the volume level for different frequencies). EQ is the bread and butter of mixing and it's such a simple tool that takes so long to master, if it's even possible to master something subjective. Learning to use EQ properly as both a mixing tool and a way to develop my ear for music construction was the first thing that really elevated my production and my mixes. I just use the standard channel EQ that comes with Logic too, nothing crazy haha.
6. 'Green Grass' is so wonderfully wholesome, which was inspired by your Mum. What was the moment that sparked this track?
It's so sad because I actually cannot remember the day I first wrote the track! I have the worst memory and it was a year ago now and so much has happened since then. What I do remember is writing the chorus first, being really proud of it and recording it as a draft to post on Instagram. Much like Space Out! it had a great response but it went on the backburner a bit because I was focusing on some other songs at the time. I only picked it back up about 3 months later and couldn't believe I'd left it alone for so long, I actually got a bit emotional hearing it again with fresh ears. It definitely started with those distinct piano chords you hear at the start of the song, but I wish I knew what the initial lyrical trigger was.
7. The choreography is so striking in the 'Sucker' video. How long did it take to prepare for that shoot?
Man, that shoot was madness. As soon as I wrote the song I knew I wanted a choreographed music video - it had such a strong and dramatic beat I knew it would pair really well. We were still in lockdown at the time so I got in touch with a choreographer from Cambridge called Bar Groisman and we choreographed it by sending videos over whatsapp. It probably took about 3/4 weeks to choreograph fully then the actual shoot was bonkers. I had this vision inspired by a friend of mine to have it completely pitch black with just a spotlight on me - anyone who's ever tried to film in the dark knows what a nightmare that is. I realised the only way to achieve true black was to film outside at night using torches. Thank god the suit was warm because we shot it in my back garden at night in January - my friend Sophie Winter was an absolute trooper and would come round into my garden in full boots, hat, gloves, scarf to film it for me. We could only shoot 90 mins at a time because we would get too cold. I'm so proud of how it turned out because that was a far fetched idea that somehow managed to come to life.
8. Going back to 2020, I love the video for 'Ugly', which looks like it was a lot of fun to make. Is that the kind of video you can plan? Or was a lot of that improvised on the day?
That was my first time filming a video with other people actually! And yes, it was a lot of planning which was very new to me at the time. I had the help of a videographer called Tom Norris who helped us timeline the whole day and then the rugby women were utterly fantastic. It was a total shot in the dark asking them to be in it - we all met for the first time on the day and they were absolutely up for anything, I felt really inspired by them. My parents, boyfriend and aforementioned legend Sophie all came as well to help out, my mum brought a camping stove and kettle to make everyone tea, it was all round such a wholesome day. And again we were filming in mid winter, I think I have a death wish haha.
9. I love the variety in the music videos for 'Crikey! It's My Psyche'. Can fans expect visual representation for 'CEO Of Watching Television' and 'Learn To Swim' beyond the lyric videos?
Oh absolutely! I wanted to release the 'CEO of Watching Television' video for EP release day but the video needed a bit more time to get it bang on. I'm actually filming the final scenes this weekend! It's SUCH a fun one, and I don't want to spoil it but all I will say is it features a briefcase full of milk. I shall say no more, haha!
10. Speaking of which, hypothetically, what does a 'CEO Of Watching Television' watch on their television set?
Personally, this CEO likes to watch sitcoms and anything funny. I feel like I seem quite productive online but I watch a LOT of TV which was the inspiration for the song. Some top favourites include Community, New Girl, Brooklyn 99, Schitts Creek, Superstore, I could go on but I'll stop myself there. I like to imagine the CEO character from the song just watching the fuzz you get when the TV can't connect, I feel like that fits the vibe.
11. Back to the gig, you also got to play 'Brainworks' with Claudia Kate, what was it like to make that track for her album? Was your collaboration made remotely?
It was such a pleasure to play onstage with Claudia! We actually met at these youth open mic nights when we were 15, and we're still super close but definitely better at music now haha. I got to hear a lot of her album as it was being made and was honoured when she asked me to feature on Brainworks! It was totally remote, she just shot over the backing and I wrote over the top. The song really resonated with me so it didn't take long at all to write it, I had it all written and recorded in less than a day.
12. 'Vibe Like A Biscuit' was an unexpected surprise in the setlist. Is it possible we might see a fully realised production of that track in the future?
It was actually a suggestion from my manager Phil to play that one! I'm so glad he did because that was probably the set highlight for me. We only arranged it the week before the gig and as soon as my guitarist (Rosie Frater-Taylor) and I started playing it in rehearsals there was just this funky magic in the room. I definitely want to record it fully and at the very least put it up on YouTube because the world needs more songs about biscuits.
13. And equally as important: What's your God-tier biscuit?
The tragic irony of the whole song is I actually can't eat biscuits, haha! I'm allergic to wheat which is incredibly sad, I guess this song was just a love letter to the biscuits I shall never munch. That being said, I do just eat the odd biscuit and feel a bit sick afterwards, so top biscuits that are worth the sickness are definitely those ginger nut cream ones and shortbread.
14. It's fair to say your profile on TikTok is doing well! You were originally resistant to the idea of using TikTok, what brought about the change?
Joining Tik Tok was definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. I think we always resist change, especially when it's something we don't initially understand. I basically only caved in because so many of my friends told me to get it. Sometimes peer pressure is good, kids! It still took a good few months for me to really 'get' Tik Tok and what sort of content worked and why. I conducted some very 'scientific' research where I scrolled through Tik Tok a LOT and just got addicted myself and figured out what I liked and why. If you can't beat em join em.
15. The extra verse in your cover of 'Toxic' fits perfectly. Is there another track you'd really love to tackle in this way, but you haven't had the time for?
I actually just recorded another one yesterday! (hint: Amy Winehouse) I'm aiming to do these extra verses every 1/2 weeks on Tik Tok because they're so much fun and such good content because people get to hear songs they love but also get to hear my style to judge if my music might be something they like. My dream is to work up the confidence to do this on a legendary rock song like Sweet Child O' Mine or something by Queen, I can't quite bring myself to touch them yet haha.
16. So, 2022. Can fans expect more gigs? Maybe a tour?
More gigs, absolutely! 2021 has been a bit of a taster with things opening up slowly but we want to keep playing shows, keep being bonkers, and hopefully get some festivals in there too. There's lots of exciting things on the horizon that I will be announcing soon, so watch this space!
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Ellie Dixon’s EP ‘Crikey! It’s My Psyche’ is available to download and stream in all the usual places here.
Support Ellie Dixon on Patreon to receive early access to music and YouTube videos.
For more information about Ellie Dixon, including news of upcoming shows, visit her official website.
Follow Ellie Dixon on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @elliedixonmusic.
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Download and stream Claudia Kate’s album ‘a damn good place to start’ from her Bandcamp page here.
Explore the works of Rosie Frater-Taylor, including her latest album ‘Bloom’ on her Bandcamp page.
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Follow and interact with Moths and Giraffes on Instagram and Facebook @mothsandgiraffes, and on Twitter @mothsgiraffes.
We have a Spotify Playlist! Featuring almost every artist we've written about on Moths and Giraffes, find some new music here.
Unfortunately we are unable to take any new submissions until January 2022, but if you’d like to send us your thoughts, don’t hesitate to contact us via our social media accounts, our contact page, or via email at mothsandgiraffes@outlook.com.
