Big in Lithuania

Dubliner Erica Jennings has topped both the album and singles charts, headlined before crowds of 20,000 people and even performed in the Eurovision Song Contest finals. So how come – I hear you ask – is her name a tad unfamiliar to most of us? One reason might be down to the fact that she has enjoyed this impressive roll call of successes in her adopted homeland of Lithuania. In fact, for the past five years, the 23-year-old Rathfarnham native has fronted Skamp, one of the most popular outfits in the Baltic States.

“I ended up over there completely by accident, “she explains. “My dad got a four-year contract and the family moved to Vilnius in 1994. It was a completely different place back then – they only got their independence from Russia in 1991. There was only one nightclub in Vilnius, which was full of mobsters. Young people made their own fun, mainly by going to cafés. Now they have everything, though prices have gone beyond the reach of a lot of people.”
She began writing songs and poetry while still at school and subsequently met guitar player Viktoras Diawara and singer Vilius Alesius in a pub in Vilnius, as she recalls.
“There was a chemistry between us and we just started making music together. That was around ’95/’96 and we became good friends as well. It was much later in ’98 when they asked me to join the band full time.”
Jennings enjoyed her first taste of fame with the band when they recorded a hip-hop version of the Gershwin classic, ‘Summertime’.
“The record companies didn’t like it at all and it got stuck on a compilation,” she explains. “But radio picked up on it and it became a huge summer hit in 1999. After that we got a deal with a Lithuanian record company. We had total freedom to do what we wanted, even down to the artwork. We were signed to them for a few years before we got the chance to set up our own label.”
Skamp combine a wide blend of influences, from funk to punk, pop to rock and soul to hip-hop – a kind of a cross between The Fugees, Faithless and the Chilli Peppers, with a strong pop sensibility and a metallic edge. How do they fit into the Lithuanian music scene?
“There isn’t really anything like us in Lithuania,” says Jennings. “Russian dance pop is the main kind of music over there but they listen to western music and follow the UK charts as well. We always play live, which is kind of unique – most Lithuanian bands mime on stage. They don’t want to waste money on equipment. When we go to play a festival, it’s like ‘are you playing live?’ People are surprised.”
Skamp had arguably their biggest moment in the spotlight when they represented Lithuania in the Eurovision finals in 2001 in Copenhagen.
“It was a good thing for us to do at the time,” Jennings says. “We knew it would be a one-off and that we’d never do it again. It was certainly the biggest audience we’d ever played to and we came in thirteenth place, which was quite respectable. After that we were able to set up our own label.”
Skamp have temporarily relocated to Dublin, commuting to London where they are working with the renowned GMW Entertainment team of producers and writers (including Jez Coad who has produced Andrew Strong and Sean Kelly who has written songs for Simple Minds and Lisa Loeb.)
“We want to do more outside Lithuania and to get an international deal you have to work with people like that,” says Jennings “They liked our stuff and we ended up recording six new songs. Our plans are to do a showcase gig in London early in 2004 and hopefully we’ll be gigging in Dublin around February.”

Skamp play the Voodoo Lounge, Dublin on February 13