Love Me Tonight
one.
The small garden outside a quiet and quaint hostel in Piccadilly is empty and silent, save for the young man and woman sitting on a small bench in the middle of everything. The young man’s torso, clad in a thin black v-neck, is bent over an acoustic guitar, while the petite brunette woman sitting next to him laughs airly. To an ignorant observer, they appear to be nothing more than two normal kids; in reality, these two, Declan Abbott and Estée Blackwood, make up one of the most popular folk duos of our time: Rube & Rake. The two are enjoying the calm before the flurry of attention that is sure to await them after the debut of their first album, The Crow’s Nest, which is set to be released early next week. On the eve before they are scheduled to play a show with Ed Sheeran, among other guests, at the 100 Club, the two take the time to sit with me and chat about their new success and upcoming endeavours.
Nina (N.): First off, I want to thank the both of you for taking the time out of your day to talk to me!
Estée Blackwood (EB.): Oh, it’s no trouble! We’re excited that you actually wanted to interview us.
N: You’ve been receiving a lot of praise concerning the songs that you two collaborate on. Mind giving me some sort of run down of your writing process?
EB: It’s hard to explain, honestly. We just sort of sit ourselves in a room - just myself, Declan and his guitar - and we just talk. We talk about the things that have been happening in our lives, random little things we may have seen throughout our day and somehow a song comes out of it all.
Declan Abbott (DA.): It’s a process that is completely fifty-fifty. There’s never been a time when we’ve come together with one of us saying - ‘I’ve been working through this’ or ‘I started writing that’ - we come in with fresh and clear minds and go from there.
N: Tell me about the show that you’re going to be playing tomorrow night. At the 100 Club?
EB: Isn’t that crazy? I’m still not sure how we managed to get ourselves into that one.
DA: It’ll be the biggest crowd we’ve ever played. It’s a bit scary, to be honest.
EB: We’ve always preferred smaller, more intimate venues. Maybe it’s just a mental thing, but I think it feels like we can connect to people in that way. But I’ve also seen Ed play to crowds of tens of thousands, and he really makes you feel like he’s singing to just you.
DA: Hopefully we can figure out how to do that as well.
N: The rumour is that Ed Sheeran personally asked you two to be a part of the evening. Any truth to that?
DA: We’ve met Ed a few times, and we all get on pretty well. He’s not made it a secret that he’s a fan of ours, and we’re certainly not shy to say that we’re big fans of his. So, yeah, when his management approached ours about doing this show with him, there was no way we could say no.
EB: I think Declan was just hoping that Taylor Swift was going to be there.
N: How excited are you two for your album launch next week? It seems to be all I’ve been hearing about lately.
EB: We’re so excited! This has been something we’ve wanted for so long, and it’s crazy to think that it’s finally happening for us.
DA: Definitely; this entire last year has been absolutely mental, but we couldn’t be more proud or more excited to share this album with everyone.
N: If the both of you could pick three words each to describe the album, what three would you choose?
EB: Oh gosh, that’s a task!
DA: I think ‘Declan and Estée’ sum it up. It’s a product of the both of us, and it’s something we’ve both poured our hearts into.
EB: That was a good answer. You should talk more.
DA: Maybe I would if you talked less.
N: I think it’s fair to say that your performances and even recordings are extremely intimate.
EB: Yeah, I guess that’s not far off.
N: How do you two respond to the rumours and allegations that, off stage, this partnership is anything more than platonic?
DA: I was waiting for that.
EB: *laughs* We’re always asked that, but I’m always still very surprised when it’s brought up.
DA: Yeah, it’s just not like that with me and Estée. We’re mates and we’ve been mates for years.
EB: I think we’ve been friends for so long that it just seems like any chance of a romantic spark has completely flown out the window.
DA: I get a little stomach sick even thinking about it.
EB: Tell us what you really think, Dec.
N: *laughs* Fair enough! Do you have a favourite song that’s on the album?
DA: Estée really likes “In the Back Alley Near Fred’s”, but I’m partial to “That Time I Was Smoking on the Corner and You Came Over to Say Hi”.
EB: We really needed to be reined in when it came to titling the songs.
DA: A couple of them were actually re-recorded from the underground EP that we released a few years ago. We really enjoyed them and thought that they fit the sound of the full-length.
N: Can you tell me a little of what each song is about?
EB: “In the Back Alley” isn’t really based on one specific event or one specific person or moment. Fred’s is a record store in my hometown and a lot of the college kids would spend a lot of time there. I’m pretty sure I spent every other night in that alley. We did a lot of things that we weren’t supposed to, but that was the fun of it I suppose.
DA: “That Time I Was Smoking on the Corner and You Came Over to Say Hi” is essentially about that feeling you get when you run into someone that you really fancy. You know what one I mean. It’s like, you’re really into someone and then by happenstance you run into them on the street or in the market or whatever, and you’re just overwhelmed with this urge not to say or do anything stupid. It tries to talk about that.
N: That sounds great! I don’t really have any more of my own questions, but I thought if it was okay with you, we’d take some questions from Twitter. And these are basically going to be this or that type questions.
DA: Sounds good to us.
N: Perfect! The first one I have is: are you two night owls or are you morning people?
EB: I’m definitely a morning person. Declan is a night owl.
DA: She’s right. I’m never up before ten. It’s like the world doesn’t exist before the double digit time.
N: Tea or coffee?
DA: Tea.
EB: Coffee. Black coffee.
DA: How hipster of you. I like milk in my tea.
N: Cats or dogs?
EB: Cats.
DA: Dogs.
N: 5SOS or One Direction?
EB: I’ve loved One Direction since their X-Factor days. I’m a 1D girl through and through.
DA: I’m with Ess on that one. I’m a 1D girl as well.
N: Small acoustics sets, or larger full-band venues?
EB: Small acoustic sets.
DA: Yeah. I don’t know if we’ll ever have a full-band type of show. We’re the full band. I think it’ll always be two of us.
N: Scary movies or comedy?
DA: Comedy. I think for both of us.
EB: Yeah, I get too paranoid watching scary movies.
N: Sweet or salty?
EB: Sweet.
DA: Salty.
N: And this is my last one, promise. Orange juice, pulp or no pulp?
DA: Extra pulp.
EB: Ew, neither. Apple for me!
Estée and Declan will be joining Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Gavin DeGraw, among others on July 20th at the 100 Club. Tickets are still available here. Rube & Rake’s debut album, The Crow’s Nest, will be released next Wednesday, July 24th, in stores and on iTunes. Links to the band’s Twitter, Facebook page, blog and individual Twitter pages can be found below.
@EssieRake Hey mom, look! I’m on the cover of a magazine!
@Rube&Rake Essie and Declan spoke some words to a person. Check it out!
Nina (N.): First off, I want to thank the both of you for taking the time out of your day to talk to me!
Estée Blackwood (EB.): Oh, it’s no trouble! We’re excited that you actually wanted to interview us.
N: You’ve been receiving a lot of praise concerning the songs that you two collaborate on. Mind giving me some sort of run down of your writing process?
EB: It’s hard to explain, honestly. We just sort of sit ourselves in a room - just myself, Declan and his guitar - and we just talk. We talk about the things that have been happening in our lives, random little things we may have seen throughout our day and somehow a song comes out of it all.
Declan Abbott (DA.): It’s a process that is completely fifty-fifty. There’s never been a time when we’ve come together with one of us saying - ‘I’ve been working through this’ or ‘I started writing that’ - we come in with fresh and clear minds and go from there.
N: Tell me about the show that you’re going to be playing tomorrow night. At the 100 Club?
EB: Isn’t that crazy? I’m still not sure how we managed to get ourselves into that one.
DA: It’ll be the biggest crowd we’ve ever played. It’s a bit scary, to be honest.
EB: We’ve always preferred smaller, more intimate venues. Maybe it’s just a mental thing, but I think it feels like we can connect to people in that way. But I’ve also seen Ed play to crowds of tens of thousands, and he really makes you feel like he’s singing to just you.
DA: Hopefully we can figure out how to do that as well.
N: The rumour is that Ed Sheeran personally asked you two to be a part of the evening. Any truth to that?
DA: We’ve met Ed a few times, and we all get on pretty well. He’s not made it a secret that he’s a fan of ours, and we’re certainly not shy to say that we’re big fans of his. So, yeah, when his management approached ours about doing this show with him, there was no way we could say no.
EB: I think Declan was just hoping that Taylor Swift was going to be there.
N: How excited are you two for your album launch next week? It seems to be all I’ve been hearing about lately.
EB: We’re so excited! This has been something we’ve wanted for so long, and it’s crazy to think that it’s finally happening for us.
DA: Definitely; this entire last year has been absolutely mental, but we couldn’t be more proud or more excited to share this album with everyone.
N: If the both of you could pick three words each to describe the album, what three would you choose?
EB: Oh gosh, that’s a task!
DA: I think ‘Declan and Estée’ sum it up. It’s a product of the both of us, and it’s something we’ve both poured our hearts into.
EB: That was a good answer. You should talk more.
DA: Maybe I would if you talked less.
N: I think it’s fair to say that your performances and even recordings are extremely intimate.
EB: Yeah, I guess that’s not far off.
N: How do you two respond to the rumours and allegations that, off stage, this partnership is anything more than platonic?
DA: I was waiting for that.
EB: *laughs* We’re always asked that, but I’m always still very surprised when it’s brought up.
DA: Yeah, it’s just not like that with me and Estée. We’re mates and we’ve been mates for years.
EB: I think we’ve been friends for so long that it just seems like any chance of a romantic spark has completely flown out the window.
DA: I get a little stomach sick even thinking about it.
EB: Tell us what you really think, Dec.
N: *laughs* Fair enough! Do you have a favourite song that’s on the album?
DA: Estée really likes “In the Back Alley Near Fred’s”, but I’m partial to “That Time I Was Smoking on the Corner and You Came Over to Say Hi”.
EB: We really needed to be reined in when it came to titling the songs.
DA: A couple of them were actually re-recorded from the underground EP that we released a few years ago. We really enjoyed them and thought that they fit the sound of the full-length.
N: Can you tell me a little of what each song is about?
EB: “In the Back Alley” isn’t really based on one specific event or one specific person or moment. Fred’s is a record store in my hometown and a lot of the college kids would spend a lot of time there. I’m pretty sure I spent every other night in that alley. We did a lot of things that we weren’t supposed to, but that was the fun of it I suppose.
DA: “That Time I Was Smoking on the Corner and You Came Over to Say Hi” is essentially about that feeling you get when you run into someone that you really fancy. You know what one I mean. It’s like, you’re really into someone and then by happenstance you run into them on the street or in the market or whatever, and you’re just overwhelmed with this urge not to say or do anything stupid. It tries to talk about that.
N: That sounds great! I don’t really have any more of my own questions, but I thought if it was okay with you, we’d take some questions from Twitter. And these are basically going to be this or that type questions.
DA: Sounds good to us.
N: Perfect! The first one I have is: are you two night owls or are you morning people?
EB: I’m definitely a morning person. Declan is a night owl.
DA: She’s right. I’m never up before ten. It’s like the world doesn’t exist before the double digit time.
N: Tea or coffee?
DA: Tea.
EB: Coffee. Black coffee.
DA: How hipster of you. I like milk in my tea.
N: Cats or dogs?
EB: Cats.
DA: Dogs.
N: 5SOS or One Direction?
EB: I’ve loved One Direction since their X-Factor days. I’m a 1D girl through and through.
DA: I’m with Ess on that one. I’m a 1D girl as well.
N: Small acoustics sets, or larger full-band venues?
EB: Small acoustic sets.
DA: Yeah. I don’t know if we’ll ever have a full-band type of show. We’re the full band. I think it’ll always be two of us.
N: Scary movies or comedy?
DA: Comedy. I think for both of us.
EB: Yeah, I get too paranoid watching scary movies.
N: Sweet or salty?
EB: Sweet.
DA: Salty.
N: And this is my last one, promise. Orange juice, pulp or no pulp?
DA: Extra pulp.
EB: Ew, neither. Apple for me!
Estée and Declan will be joining Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Gavin DeGraw, among others on July 20th at the 100 Club. Tickets are still available here. Rube & Rake’s debut album, The Crow’s Nest, will be released next Wednesday, July 24th, in stores and on iTunes. Links to the band’s Twitter, Facebook page, blog and individual Twitter pages can be found below.
××
@EssieRake Hey mom, look! I’m on the cover of a magazine!
@Rube&Rake Essie and Declan spoke some words to a person. Check it out!
♠ ♠ ♠
I can't stop reading fanfiction about a particular British boy band. I had to.