Kat Stark and Jessica Maryon-Davies create arrangements of pop tunes ranging from girl-pop of the 60s, to iconic dance and disco tracks, ballads, rock anthems and old-school R&B numbers for 70-strong all woman choir LIPS, who they lead in rehearsal each week in London. Founded in 2009 the choir has boomed to over 70 members and sold out the Union Chapel at their last London gig in May. The choir will perform their biggest show ever this saturday at the iconic Coronet Theatre in Elephant and Castle. We caught up with Kat and Jessie to find out why the choir has proved so popular, if choirs are having a renaissance, how they create a nuanced up beat wall of sound so many voices and what to expect on Saturday.

LIPS seems to have grown really quickly since forming in 2009 - both in size and reputation! We hear your waiting list is overflowing. Why do you think so many London women are keen to come together and sing every week? 

KS: The popularity of the choir has been a real surprise - when we started up we had no idea we'd end up with so much interest. I think LIPS has a few pretty unique things that make people want to be a part of it. We're a non-auditioned secular women only pop choir and although we don't take ourselves too seriously, we aim to put on shows that have credibility in terms of the songs we do, the venues we are in, and the quality of our live band. The volunteers involved in LIPS put a lot of effort into the venues we perform at and the vibe of our events. A LIPS gig is like going out - but with live choral renditions of songs you love!

Do you think that communal singing has faded a bit from our culture in a digital age where we no longer need to 'make our own fun' by, for example, singing round the piano at the pub? Or, do you think that there is an unusual emphasis on 'non professional' singing and singers due to the reality TV singing contest phenomenon? 

KS: Communal singing has a tradition as long as human history itself - and throughout time it has changed to reflect the way things are. 'Non-professional' singing has always made up the vast majority of the singing going on in the world - LIPS is part of that tradition but we are definitely a choir of our times! Many of our members have never sung in choirs or bands ever before and say that being part of LIPS, singing in a group, creating harmonies with others, and performing in front of audiences is an experience that affects them deeply.

JMD: I would say that choirs are definitely experiencing a surge in popularity at the moment. Traditional community and church choirs have been there all along but choirs are reinventing themselves to fit in with the times. As highlighted on Malone's most recent series, The Choir choirs are popping up in workplaces across Britain and choirs such as Fisherman's Friends are now signed to big record labels like Universal. In more experimental scenes, artists such as Bjork, Wildbirds and Peacedrums are using choirs in their music.

Yes, we’ve noticed that lately more and more younger/experimental/contemporary/pop choirs such as Gaggle, La Scala (and of course LIPS!) have started appearing… have people realised that choirs are cool? Are we to expect a new craze?

KS: I'm not sure it's ever cool to do something happy in a group with other happy people where we make people happy in our shows - apart from maybe the Polyphonic Spree but they are a bit beyond 'happy'. It's true that many people's perception of what a choir is, isn't that cool but as you say there are a few new choirs doing some more contemporary experimental stuff. Maybe it is a new craze! One of the things that makes LIPS feel quite different to other choirs is the general atmosphere. We're political but not pious, our rehearsals feel like a band rehearsal crossed with hanging out in the pub, and we've been thrown out of every club and pub we've ever been to as a group for refusing to leave at closing time. Whether it's a craze or not is hard to say. Our vibe and ethos is organic and comes from the views and personality of our members - it's difficult to recreate that sort of thing. It just sort of happens.

JMD: I agree Kat and to add to this: I think 'cool' is a tricky word for a choir. Singing in a choir is a physical and emotional activity and one proven to release endorphins which give you a real buzz - you get stuck in; you make silly noises in the warm-ups together; you breathe together; you work as a team; you support each other in concerts; you laugh together; you feel nervous together and you beam together when you see and hear an audience absolutely loving hearing you sing. And they love it because they can hear all the emotion, the work and play, that comes with those voices. I don't think a 'cool' choir would ever achieve this. It's about loving what you do and it's an absolute privilege to work with LIPS because they do this better than any other group I work with.

Can you tell us a bit more about what LIPS sings? What are the challenges and rewards of writing 3 or more part arrangements of iconic and unusual pop songs for a large no. of singers?

KS: Like other secular choirs we love a healthy dose of sing-a-long cheese, 80s ballads, and motown - Boy Meets Girl, Let Loose, Elvis, Survivor, Whitney, and of course Aretha. But we also cover more alternative stuff like Iron Maiden and Fleetwood Mac, as well as more modern artists like Katy B, MGMT, and Chase & Status. The thing that is quite unusual about LIPS is that we do all of our own arrangements, which is not normally the case with choirs. Ballads, motown and cheese are a lot easier to arrange for voices because they tend to be musically less complex songs with big easy chords. They're also easier to accompany with a live band because they don't involve lots of electronic noises. We like the challenge that more modern stuff presents - it makes it more interesting for the choir and our audiences when we do an interpretation of a piece of music rather than just recreate it…

JMD: We've recently put a lot of work into unaccompanied arrangements including Imogen Heap's ‘Hide and Seek’ and our own take on 90s garage hit ‘Flowers’ with a streak of Satie's ‘Gymnopodie’ running through it. A cappella singing presents a number of challenges - without the support of a band every note has to be voiced by the choir - including the accompaniment as well as the melody. This means all the harmony has to be in there and we often split into 5 or 6 parts. It's often a complex learning process but it's worth it when you hear the finished product.
 

What have been Lips' 2012 highlights? Has it been a different year to the first three? And what are you expecting / hoping for from 2013?

KS: 2012 has been immense! Highlights include a sell-out gig at the Union Chapel, singing live on TV with Leona Lewis, and doing our first festival gig. Who knows what will happen in 2013 – we’ll see what comes up and try to make the most of opportunities that come our way. We currently have a waiting list of about 80 women who want a piece of LIPS action so we'll definitely be working out how to include them!

OK so, we know you can't divulge your set list and new tunes but could you give us a hint of what to expect at The Coronet on the 15^th?

KS: There are some old classics like Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' and Tina Turner's 'Proud Mary'. We've also put a new spin on some old hits - expect strange xmassy sounds when we mix Kate Bush with Katy B. As a LIPS first we'll be doing some rock and pop-rock hits which will include some pretty satisfying guitar solos. And of course, we'll be covering a xmas #1 from years gone by - all we'll say is that it's as appropriate to the location as you're gonna get in a xmas #1! Also, there is support from the amazing, Tanya Auclair whose distinctive sound and live energy we love and for the first time we'll host our very own club night at the coronet till 3am with Another night DJs.

Book tickets to LIPS at The Coronet on Saturday 15th December / Enter to win tickets to the show here
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