Since breaking out from south London’s DIY scene in the late 2010s, PVA have built a singular live show that sits somewhere between gig and dancefloor ritual. The trio — comprising vocalist and synth player Ella Harris, producer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Baxter, and drummer Louis Satchell — have spent the last eight years honing a sound that folds together jagged rhythms and icy, sultry electronics, drawing as much from post-punk and industrial as it does from techno and house.
The band released their second album No More Like This back in January, stretching those sonic impulses into more immersive terrain. On standout tracks like Boyface, or the more metallic and tense Rain, it slips into darker, tantalisingly atmospheric territory; elsewhere it opens up into flashes of euphoria. It’s an album that feels like a big night out unfolding at a warehouse-style club in the capital: think Venue MOT, a favourite haunt of Jamie xx and Kelly Lee Owens, or the likes of east London’s FOLD and The Cause.
Speaking to M from Lille in northern France during a rare day off, PVA say they approached their recent UK and European tour with the sole intention of bringing ‘more people into our world’. Ahead of hitting the road, they worked alongside their tour manager to craft a new audiovisual set-up that would allow for synths and looping patterns to interact with lighting cues. The result: the audience at each show being able to experience the music as something more immediate and atmospheric.
‘A real focus on this tour has been building a vision for ourselves,’ Ella explains. ‘We wanted our production approach to be more considered. People who have been with us for a long time have enjoyed seeing our show evolve. It’s been nice to see them look surprised, and really moving and dancing with us.’
For the latest edition of our On The Road series, PVA talk us through how touring shapes the way they write music, contending with financial challenges as an independent act, and what it means to continue to grow as live performers.
Louis: ‘We’ve spent much of this year finding our feet again. Touring is a territory that’s so familiar to us, but we just haven't done it in quite a while. So there was fresh excitement and an eagerness from all of us to hit the road again. We wanted to hit the ground running together; we’ve made a second record that we’re so proud of, and we think our music has come on leaps and bounds. It’s been amazing to play it live and see such a huge response from people, the type of energy you can only get from touring.’
Ella: ‘We’re an independent act, which means we’ve got a lot of stuff to tick off the list when it comes to planning a tour. But beyond that, it’s been really important for us to focus on looking after the mind and the body while touring. Live shows can be so vulnerable, especially when you’re sober. We really try to feel the music and be present in the room.
‘We're also a touring party of four people: three band members and one person who operates as a sound engineer, driver and tour manager. We sell our own merch, too. That's the financial situation of a band of our size at the moment.'
'It's been amazing playing our new material live and seeing such a huge response — it's the type of energy you can only get from touring.' - Louis Satchell
Louis: ‘When it's just the four of you on the road, yes, the energy levels matter: we're responsible for each other and our shared enjoyment. Sometimes you forget how much of a toll that takes [mentally]. An extra person to help us out on tour would be amazing, but that would bring up another set of issues to weigh up in the grand scheme of things when it comes to putting a tour together and making sure that it's financially viable for us.
‘When everything feels as though it’s stacked against you as a touring act, it’s important to share knowledge with others. With our support act Poison Anna, we want to ensure that we're sharing the limited resources we have in order to make these shows as good as they can be.’
Ella: ‘Another thing that keeps us grounded on the road is trying to stick to routines with food or exercise. I'm also working my day job while touring, but that's actually been nice because it has helped to ground me into reality. I feel like it's such a privilege to be able to work your job on tour like that. I do my little morning routine, log on to Slack, do my work. And then after work, I have some time to myself before the show.’
Josh: ‘PRS have been so supportive throughout our journey as a band. It’s an institution: one that is a huge part of independent musicians’ livelihoods, such as the royalties they collect for you or their various funding schemes [PVA previously received an International Showcase Fund grant from PRS Foundation]. Even if you have advances and your record sales, PRS [support] is something that comes every quarter. As I always try to say, it's just such a useful revenue stream for artists. These are royalties that belong to you.’
Ella: ‘Honestly? I've been living month-to-month for the whole of my 20s; being committed to music has been hard financially. PRS royalties have helped me pay my rent more often than not. So many smaller acts struggle to earn enough money while on tour, and if you’re freelance, it can be pretty detrimental to take two weeks off work. We’re going to continue applying for grants as we progress as a band, because funding can be vital to us.’
'PRS is an institution, one that is a huge part of independent musicians’ livelihoods.' - Josh Baxter
Josh: ‘There's a gap between the costs of being a band and the gross amounts that you get from it. Grants are so invaluable to help keep the whole thing going — they help bridge that gap so that artists can thrive. It's important for music in general: just because you can't sell out a 2000-capacity venue, it doesn’t mean that your music doesn’t reach and touch people.
‘Helping to nurture young artists allows them to explore their creativity and be seen by other people, and for audiences to be inspired. It leads to a huge emotional and creative benefit for so many people, whether they are musicians themselves or not.’
Ella: ‘One thing that we've always tried to do is believe in our music. We always want to bring some more people into our community. That stuff takes graft and commitment. We’re in incredibly financially challenging times where the numbers aren’t quite adding up, but you’ve just got to keep pushing on. That's what we've done, and it’s been the most rewarding experience of my life.
‘Touring has been so valuable to us, and I've grown so much as a human along the way. This industry is really difficult at the moment, but with things like PRS funding, you can build things slowly. We're at the point now where we're feeling really mature and proud of ourselves. We’ve done the work to get here.’
PVA's new album No More Like This is out now. Main image credit: Sandra Ebert
Playing live? Find out how you can earn royalties from your gigs by reporting your setlists to PRS.
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