The East London based, self-taught singer, writer and producer Ali Love did not manage to entice a large audience at local club stealth this month. The artist who has been firmly labelled new rave due to his Glam-rock appearance, which he exercised on stage with a tight fitting pair of leopard patterned trousers and Rambo style head-ware compares his music to an 'ipod on shuffle'.
Due to have his first solo single Late Night Session out on 8 October, and set to tour supporting Just Jack, Ali demonstrated versatility in his music, which is likely to be a result of his 'edgy life-style', unusual upbringing, and varied musical influences. However, his style seemed somewhat undefined with its poppy soul-electro-folk and even in some aspect, punky feel.
Ali played songs from his forthcoming album Love Music, which includes songs about his personal experiences of living in East London. His lyrics are simple and his songs are, in his own words: 'about three minutes and to the point with hooks and that's obviously what pop is'. With the subject of the majority of his tracks being about girls or drugs on the surface he fits well into the clubbing scene.
The stage, lit with pink neon, mirroring his seventies style, was filled with impressive instruments, and throughout his set Ali was completely in character and entranced with his music whilst trying to involve the audience as much as possible. He said: 'It's all about music, it's all about expressing yourself and it's all about being together in a hot sweaty room, dancing'.
When asked about performing Ali continued to say: 'I'm just here to spread happiness really, if I feel happy on stage and there are people there and I spread happiness, that's my job done'. It was obvious the singer enjoyed performing and put great effort into his performance, but unfortunately it seemed to lack charisma. All in all, the likeable Mr Love gets an A for effort but is perhaps not suited to the style of club Stealth or the ravers who attend it.
Ali Love played at Stealth on Saturday 22 September
We managed to get a few words with Mr Love after the gig...
I assume Ali Love is a nickname, how did this come about?
Erm... yeah it's a nickname well I've been called Ali ever since I was little, my real names Alexander, but no one has ever called it to me. So that's stuck from a real young age like teenager or something, Ali Love just always, dunno maybe, I'm quite funny make a lot of jokes.
So do you like that name?
Yeah, think my mates gave it to me sort of by accident. I was in this band once and I did a shoot for the face with them, and they didn't even know my surname so they just called me Ali Love and so it was in the magazine and when I saw it written down, I was, yeah, a change has happened and ever since then I've just been called it, funny thing, I never said I wanted to be called Ali Love
With your eighties Glam-rock appearance, party kid attitude, and sci-fi influence you have been called new rave, how do you feel about this label and do you agree?
I think New Rave's cool, cos it's you know about people erm, you know putting on a bit of colour, shit on their cheeks, I'm all for it man you know. I was DJing yesterday in this club in London and this kid came up to me and he looked so cool he had like red stripes all over his face I think it's funny, what I wanna do is inject a bit more err kinda, I'm kinda coming from a new rave but also doing something slightly different as well to that something a bit more kinda funk.
Having grown up with a variety of musical influences which have obviously affected your work as an artist, what would you say your recent influences are and what music do you listen to nowadays?
Well, the most recent one is obviously, like, yesterday I went and saw the Prince gig so today all I'm thinking about is Prince and I've got the T-shirt, look, it was really good
You write, play, and produce all your own music and the clubbing experience seems to be at the forefront of all this, is this realism and authenticity important to you?
Yeah, what I'm really doing is writing songs that are quite poppy from a sort of dirty place, you know, kinda, living above a club when I was recording its been quite you know, quite an edgy life-style you know, but err when I write a song I try and do it in about 3 minutes and to the point with hooks and that's obviously what pop is
How would you define your music?
I dunno, it's kinda, the albums like a an I-pod on shuffle but all the songs are good
How did you end up collaborating with the Chemical Brothers and were you pleased with the record?
Well, I was really please with it, I met Ed last year at Bestival and got on well with him, liked the same kinda music and stuff err just got on well, and that's the first thing gotta get on well with people. I'm never star struck by anyone you know in my life and so just got on well and he asked me to come down and things just went from there, it was only one day that I worked with him. It was really good to see that track get in the top twenty and obviously help get them a number one album, was great, was good, and obviously seeing it on the big screens kept seeing my face in front of thousands of people it's quite strange cos I look quite demented
What does the future hold for Ali Love?
I really wanna play after seeing Prince, I really wanna play at the millennium dome one day, I wanna play there, I wanna do a massive show there. It took me a long time to get confidence when performing, cos, I came from my bedroom you know then, kinda, come from that place of like you know kind of that not really showy or anything to standing on stage and actually presenting yourself to people that took a long time to kind of get my head round that I'm stuck for it now I'm just here to spread happiness really, if I feel happy on stage and there are people there and I spread happiness that's my job done, there's nothing else
So, your life is pretty hectic at the moment with all your touring how are you finding that?
Yeah it's cool you know in the van today listening to radio one and late night session comes on radio one that feels good you know, it's cool.
Ali Love website
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