Lisa Hannigan talks Bowie, Brexit, her art and repealing the 8th in the new Hot Press

Starring on the cover of the new Hot Press is Lisa Hannigan whose eagerly-awaited At Swim album has already been given a rave [link]hotpress.com/LisaHannigan/music/reviews/albums/Lisa-Hannigan-iAt-Swimi-Album-Review/17934083.html[/link] review by our man Olaf Tyaransen.
In the accompanying interview, Lisa explains how The National’s Aaron Dessner helped her overcome her writer’s block and whisked her off to a church in upstate New York to record her most complete album yet.
“What I’ve really been struck by, in my time working with Aaron, is how hard-working and generous of spirit and creativity he is,” she enthuses. “He’s so open to the possibilities of collaboration, and gives without thinking what he might get in return.”
We get to hear about her close encounters with Paul Simon, Sharon Horgan and Derek Smalls who was sadly without cucumber, but still a joy to be around.
Also up for discussion are Brexit, the haunting version of ‘Danny Boy’ she recorded for Fargo, the much-garlanded Song Of The Sea, Adele, The Grateful Dead, musical Damascus moments – Lisa’s was hearing Kristin Hersh’s ‘Your Ghost’ – and David Bowie.
“It was so shocking,” she says of his death. “It felt like he should always be there. I remember as a kid prancing around the living-room to ‘Let’s Dance’. I’ve taken a bit of solace from the fact that he was still alive when the reviews saying Blackstar was his best record for 20 years came out. It was such an artistic high to end on.”
Lisa also nails her colours firmly to the Repeal the 8th mast.
“Being of child-bearing age it affects me directly, but I think it affects us all directly,” she proffers. “Amnesty International did a very thorough poll in the last few months, which showed that Irish people would by a vast majority like to repeal the 8th and want a change in the laws to make them more reasonable. There’s a certain percentage of people who are anti and will always remain so, but the vast majority don’t feel that the situation as it stands is acceptable on any level.”

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