The Headline Act: Harte Of Rock

There is certainly no shortage of great female artists out there - whether it’s singer-songwriters, folk chanteuses or pop divas.

But bona-fide “rock chicks” remain a rare enough commodity; Polly Harvey and Chrissie Hynde are two that spring immediately to mind while closer to home, Annmarie and Cynthia from Saucy Monky and Ash’s Charlotte Hatherley would certainly qualify under the heading. Leanne Harte is another home-grown talent that might soon make that list if things continue to go her way.
At just 18 years old, the guitar-toting native of Sutton in North Dublin is already something of a veteran of the local scene. She took up the guitar at just eight, started writing songs at 11 - even recording her own demo of originals, which garnered some airplay on 2FM’s Simon Young show. At 16 she signed a deal with True Talent Management, releasing her debut EP ‘Eradication’ a year later. A collection of hard-rocking originals, it revealed Harte to be a gutsy singer and skilful guitar player. It went on to sell over 2000 copies – some as far away as Australia and the USA - impressive for a relative unknown.
Having completed her Leaving Certificate earlier this year Harte is now pursuing a full time music career and is currently hard at work on her first album, as she explains to hotpress.
“I was playing all the time up ‘till the exams but I couldn’t really focus my mind on the music as much as I wanted to,” she says. “Now music is my day job. It’s what I do all the time. My parents know this is what I love and what I want to do with my life. I give some guitar lessons occasionally to make some money but I’m working on the album pretty much all the time. I’ve seven songs written so far and it’s going well. We’re at the stage of looking at producers right now including Ian Stanley who’s worked with Tori Amos.”
Not surprisingly, given her style of playing, classic old school rock is Harte’s main influence and her listening includes a roll call of all the greats. “I’m big into Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Rory Gallagher and Pearl Jam,” she says. “And I’m a huge fan of Thin Lizzy. I love all their stuff. I’m actually quite friendly with Phil’s mother Philomena who lives nearby. She has given me a lot of encouragement over the years and gives me a ring every now and again or I bump into her in the supermarket.”
How about today’s music? Is there anything in the current scene that takes her fancy? “Truthfully, there’s nothing modern that I’m all that moved by,” she says. “I’ve listened to a lot of new stuff but I find myself going back all the time - even The Darkness I find a bit of a novelty and very over-hyped. I prefer people to concentrate on the music not the image. And I’ve also listened to the Irish singer-songwriter thing but after a while it all gets monotonous for me.”
Despite her tender years Harte has plenty of live experience under her belt. With her own band she has appeared at venues like The Temple Bar Music Centre and has performed at the annual Vibe for Philo. She has also supported legendary Focus guitarists Jan Akkerman among others and recently made an appearance on RTE’s Saturday morning show S@ttitude. Playing live is something she says she wants to do a lot more of in the near future
“I did a good bit of touring the summer before last when I was still at school,” she says. “Between now and Christmas we’ll be doing dates in Ireland and we’re hoping to do something in Europe and hopefully The States especially when the album comes out.”
Finally, how does she feel about being a woman in what is still largely a man’s world?
“I’ll be seen as a bit of a novelty for a while I suppose. But I don’t want to be judged as a woman, I want to be able to compete with the best of them. I’m a student of the guitar and I want to get better and better.”
Jack Black would be proud of her!

Leanne Harte’s EP Eradication is available through her web-site: www.leanneharte.com