Margate’s own Charlie Hannah is a deft, wry songwriter whose tunes can shimmer like summer and sting like a lemon on a paper cut. He’s also a music therapy choir leader, chronicler of domestic life, and, when the mood takes him, ringleader of a seven-piece band. Over the years, he’s co-helmed the technicolour pop of Itchy Teeth, been hand-picked by the singular Lawrence for his Mozart Estate project whilst quietly building a solo catalogue. His latest album, Tortured Genius, may just be the one to win over the unconvinced; lush with brass, tinged with McCartneyesque uplift, and laced with tales of parenthood and the occasional Wizard-of-Oz-free trip to Kansas. Jason Barnard caught up with Charlie to talk about his new LP, the lure of sunny melodies, and life lessons from Lawrence.
Is there a song on Tortured Genius that feels especially personal to you, or that was particularly difficult to write?
The ‘Greatest Role I ever Played’ is the one that’s very personal to me but one where I had to make deliberately abstruse. If you say things too ‘on the nose’ they can come across as cringe. Sometimes you need to muddy the waters with a bit of poetry and metaphor. But essentially that song is about misplaced pride, nostalgia, parenting and shame.
Can you tell us about how ‘Kansas’ came together?
It took me a while to write. It came from hearing someone say ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore’. I liked the saying and I could hear a whole story in there. And I don’t mean the Wizard of Oz! I was playing around with the verse chord sequence on the piano for months. I finally found out where it needed to go melodically and how it needed to lift for the chorus, feeling emotionally uplifting and determined, yet tinged with sadness. It must have taken me about a year to actually write the whole thing. I was very fussy with the lyrics because I was so happy with the music. I was channeling classic pop rock songwriters like Billy Joel and Paul McCartney, with soaring melodies, singalong choruses and some tasty chord changes!
Do you feel a tension between writing “sunshine melodies” and the sometimes quite self-critical or melancholic lyrics?
Yes. I tend to prefer songs in a major key. Even when dealing with self-critical or melancholic lyrics, I think having the sunny melodies and a feeling of hope can add a sense of pathos or even black comedy to the song. I sometimes feel that if you deal with the heavy topics or depressing feelings in a minor key they can come across as self aggrandising, pretentious or overly serious. I like the expression, ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’.
How did your experience in Itchy Teeth shape your own songwriting?
I cut my teeth (pun intended) as a songwriter in Itchy Teeth. Along with Xav Clarke, we have written hundreds of songs for Itchy Teeth. Sometimes we collaborate, but mostly songs are mainly one or the others’. But each song has to pass the test of the other’s approval, and we like to think we hold high standards for each other! So there’s always the expectation and hope of ‘is Xav going to like this?’. And obviously there’s the friendly sense of competition you get in any songwriting partnership to spur each other on.
How did Itchy Teeth end up forming the core of the live band for Lawrence’s Mozart Estate project?
We did some music for a CBeebies show called Dinopaws. The producer of the show was friends with Paul Kelly, who made the film ‘Lawrence of Belgravia’. I became an instant fan of all of Lawence’s stuff. Xav bumped into Lawrence in Fopp at Cambridge Circus and introduced himself. Lawrence had heard some of Itchy Teeth’s music through Paul and asked us to sing on some tracks he was working on. We then supported Go-Kart Mozart at the Ramsgate Music Hall. I said to Lawrence, if he ever needed a new backing band – then we’d love to do it! A couple of years later the keyboardist Terry Miles quit, and Ralph the drummer was living in France, and I got ‘the call’! And the rest is history.
What did you learn from working with Lawrence? Did it shift your perspective on songwriting or stagecraft?
It’s hard to compare yourself to Lawrence because he doesn’t exist as a normal human. He lives outside society in his self constructed world of pop culture, fashion and art, and refuses to take part in the usual things that most people have to do – a job, relationships, family etc. What I do notice in Lawrence is that he is someone who has a clear vision for what he wants, and a willful determination to pursue it at all costs. At the cost of friendship, money, happiness and an easy life. I admire that in him. But it’s not something I could do. I always knew I was someone who wanted to get married and have kids. And with that you sacrifice the time and freedom to chase your artistic vision at any cost. What I admire most about him is how he sticks to his guns about certain principles e.g. never reforming Felt (as much as I’d love to see that!!) and never using cymbals. He’s a hilarious and fascinating guy to hang around with and hear his funny takes on things. In another life he could have been a standup comedian.
Do you have a personal favourite among your previous albums, or even a song you think best defines you as an artist?
Well, an artist’s favourite work is always the one he’s just finished – so by that merit my favourite work is Tortured Genius. But APART from that one it would be ‘Thames Estuary Blue.’ It’s hard to pick one track that defines me as an artist, but some of the songs I’m most happy with are ‘How I Divide my Time,’ ‘St. Gregor the Good’ and ‘Even God Makes Mistakes.’
Have you ever written songs specifically for your work in music therapy or vice versa?
I’ve written plenty of songs for my therapeutic singing groups. These are songs that serve a purpose – welcoming, saying goodbye, rounds, songs with clapping patterns or actions to give an extra layer of concentration for the participants. I’ve also hosted two big community songwriting projects under the banner of ‘Sing from the Heart’ (also the name of the first song we produced). This year I’m hoping to double the number of participants – from 200 to 400. Obviously not everyone has songwriting input. The way it works is that I bring the subject matter and early sketch of the song to my therapeutic singing groups and a school that I have involved in the project, and we brainstorm lyrical ideas. And then it’s my job to craft these words/images/ideas into the song structure. It’s a really fun way to bring together people of different ages, from different backgrounds and with mixed abilities, into one song where everyone can take joint ownership.
What’s next? Are you planning to tour Tortured Genius with a band or as a solo show?
I’ve been doing a summer tour since the album’s release. When I say ‘tour’ – I haven’t left Kent and I haven’t had a night away from my own bed. But I’ve played many shows in honour of the album’s launch, with my backing band the Houseplants, or various combinations of different members – I made a promise to myself not to turn down a gig because a band member couldn’t make it – as it’s a 7 piece band that happens a lot! – so I just work with whoever is able to make it on the night. We get some interesting combinations of players. No performance is the same. It keeps me on my toes!
