Little Thief
Interview conducted on Oct. 22, 2021
by Dan Locke
Formed in 2015 by long-time collaborators Charlie Fitzgerald and Rhii Williams, Little Thief has created their own brand of raw, gritty, and soulful alternative rock that defines itself. They have a handful of successful singles under their belts which have seen them play live sets at Glastonbury and Liverpool Sound City Festival, as well as receiving support from the likes of Far Out Magazine, RTE, Steve Lamacq (BBC 6), BBC Introducing, XS Manchester and Amazing Radio.
Throughout Under The Patio, Little Thief’s visceral lyricism takes the listener on an introspective journey of human interactions, through casual lust-filled encounters, lost loves, and crimes of passion all the while blending their inimitable brand of bluesy, gritty rock, unmistakable swagger, Williams’ signature groove and Fitzgerald’s cathartic, raw vocals.
How/When did you start to write music?
We started writing music together about 6 years ago. Rhii joined a band that I was in called Bombs which is how we met. We then started our own band with just the two of us and started writing tunes together and going away for a couple of weeks at a time to work on material and write.
Charlie- How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
I got my first guitar for Christmas when I was 10 or 11. It was a black Les Paul shaped guitar. It had no make. I think my dad picked it up from one of his patients for £100 or so. I do still have it and I actually used it in the music video fro Freak!!
Charlie- What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make, and model?
I brought a 1986 fender Mexican telecaster off a mate for £500 which is what I play now and probably the best guitar I own. I also have a pretty tatty Martin d15 acoustic guitar which sounds lovely. I’m afraid the others have either been stolen, lost or sold along the way 🙁
Rhii- Why did you pick the drums?
I’ve been playing drums since I was 3 and used to run around the house hitting pots and pans. My Parents brought me a drum kit when I was 9 and I was hooked ever since.
How did your band form?
We formed through the ashes of former band Bombs. It felt like the right time to move on and we really enjoyed making music together. It was also a lot easier with just the two of us rather than 6 to organize everything and play shows etc more aerodynamic.
Describe your music.
Unapologetic gritty rock n roll
What is the process of writing your music?
The music tends to start with a song written on guitar then we get together and add drums and bass and work out good parts, play it around for a bit until we find something that fits and works for everyone. Sometimes to the song changes a bit in the process. We’ve actually been working on loads of new material recently and a lot of this was written from an Idea… mainly music first then the lyrics would follow it.
Tell me about the creation of “Freak”. How was it to work with Jamie Panton and Dave Sharp on the video?
The video was really fun to make. We settled up in Dave’s studio after a couple of beers at the Old England in Bristol. We shot from 8 pm to around 9 am the following morning. There was a lot of paint involved and it got pretty messy!! Working with Dave was great.. We really love his art and he’s incredibly talented and hard-working but also really fun. Jamie is one in a million!! We love the video he has made for freak. He was amazing when filming and really managed to make sense of all the madness within the Edits. He’s actually working on something very special for us at the moment which is coming out on Halloween.
How much paint did you get through and did it permanently ruin any instruments?
We got through a lot of paint…. And yes we fear Rhii may have ruined her Beverly drum kit…
Tell me about your song “Under the Patio”?
Under the Patio is one of our favorites off the album. The verses of the song were actually written quite a while ago. The song was finished whilst we were working with Stew during Pre Production and we put it together with him in Liberty House on Stokes Croft. The song itself was inspired by a couple of things. One was a court case I ended up watching about a guy who killed his step dad, cut him up into bits and put them in box’s under his television. I saw the Mum Testify against her son and it was all kinds of weird and dark… The other was about an undying love between a couple of friends who were on and off for a bit which I thought was really beautiful. Its a pretty weird song but I think it touches on being open and honest so things don’t build up and get out of hand… ha .
How was it to work with Stew Jackson?
It was great working with Stew. He’s an incredible producer and really introduced us to the process behind making a record. I think we reached a whole new maturity within our writing and music whilst working with him and look forward to doing it all again at some point.
What is your favorite track on your album?
It changes but currently it’s probably Jackpot.
Anything you like to say in closing?
Thanks to everyone who has helped us to get this album out. We are currently working hard to find a deal to make the next one.. We’ve got 22 demos which we are really excited about and looking forward to making them all real and releasable.
