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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.
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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,
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