Sceneazine March 15 - April 14, 2015 | Page 6

Sceneazine.com What exactly is the programming job that your bassist Nikki carries, I never understand that. Can you explain that for me? He writes and produces all the programming in the songs- loops, synths and electronic beats that work alongside Valerian’s acoustic drums. Anything you can hear that isn’t played by Valerian, Nikki, Steve and even myself is something that Nikki has created especially for that song. How does the name Bad Pollyanna combine Beauty and Darkness? It’s our way of saying no one is just one thing or the other - the ‘bad’ part is the dangerous, unpredictable, dark, twisted side of you while the ‘Pollyanna’ is the sweet, compassionate, vulnerable side. We are multifaceted beings that cannot easily be defined despite society’s insistence. Life is never black and white; it is many shades of grey. Bad Pollyanna By Lady Spitfire A s their oxymoronic name suggests, Bad Pollyanna represents a mix of both beauty and darkness. The band explores and celebrates the duality of love, sex and the human condition through music and art. Their debut album “Monstrous Child” takes us on the journey of a young woman kidnapped by a grieving scientist who uses her to resurrect his deceased lover in the form of a doll - with disastrous consequences. Having being transformed into a monster, she sets out on a journey to discover the meaning of love, life and the sweet yet bitter taste of revenge. Bad Pollyanna believe that you should be whoever you want to be rather than what someone else or indeed society in general thinks you should be. They are proudly sponsored by cult make-up brand Illamasqua , with whom they have released the first ever official charity single “Invincible Girl” for the incredible Sophie Lancaster Foundation. What made you name your album monstrous child? Nikki Kontinen and I have, for years, joked that Bad Pollyanna was our ‘monstrous child.’ The band is like a hungry demon that gobbles our free time, money and sanity...but that said, you’d do anything for it, sacrifice anything necessary for its wellbeing...just like anyone would for their child as they love it more than they love themselves. Page 6 How is it through music, film, art and performance are you guys able to explore the duality of love, sex and the human condition. I feel that all artists cannot help but explore the human condition in their art. I find people absolutely fascinating. There is duality in all things; a dark and light side of love, lust, sex and life itself. We love to explore that duality and what better way to do so than in music? How did you guys meet? Nikki and I met through a session band and we quickly realized that being in a covers band wasn’t going to work for us. We began writing together and creative sparks flew. We gave up the session band and set out to create something we could both be proud of. Once we felt that we knew what we were about we put the word out that we were looking to complete the line-up. After a small number of changes to the lineup, we finally found Steve and Valerian. What’s life like for you outside of the band? We are all extremely close. We have a very special bond and love to hang out together outside of gigs and rehearsals to talk, have dinner and watch TV as well as party hard with our friends. I love urban exploration, theme parks, rollercoasters, scare mazes and extreme sports too. Also my three cats... What do you consider to be either your greatest accomplishment or life changing moment since the band was founded in 2009? There have been so many wonderful moments, so many incredible people and incredible gigs. But I would have to say that it is whenever someone gets in touch to tell me how many our songs or live performances have helped them get through difficult experiences in their lives. Therefore for me the biggest accomplishment is to have created something that truly enhances someone’s life...or at least makes it easier! If you could hold on to just one memory from your life forever, what would that be? I’d have to say time spent with my dad as he isn’t around anymore. Probably when we were on holiday in Italy together...that was a very magical time. Do you have any regrets? That’s a hard question to answer because everything is a learning experience. Whoever learned anything from having things go right all the time? It would be easy for me to say that I regret any time that I have, through anger or hurt, continue on page 26