LILY FONTAINE: “WHEN I’M ON STAGE I DON’T THINK YOU’D BE ABLE TO TELL I’VE GOT THOSE ANXIETIES”

VOCAL GIRLS chats to Lily Fontaine of English Teacher about their debut EP, finding inspiration in your surroundings, and the intricacies of finding confidence in performance. 

All images shot by Megan Graye, styled by Dani Murden, clothes by Lazy Oaf

English Teacher were born out of Leeds College of Music. The dynamic four piece first came together after a trip to Valencia’s DIY Musician Conference, where vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lily Fontaine was on the hunt for a band to help bring her songs to life. Completed by Lewis Whiting (lead guitar), Nick Eden (bass), and Douglas Frost (drums, vocals), English Teacher have had an impetus to create together ever since. 

On the day of release for their debut EP Polyawkward, Lily video calls me from her phone in a free moment before practice. Named partly in tribute to the long line of English teachers in her family, the band’s lyrical material is all written and performed by Lily. It doesn’t take too grand a leap to determine that her influences lie within art, literature, and film; references to Byron, Shelley, and the Brontë sisters are laid out on a platter, while other inspirations permeate more subtly throughout the band’s catalogue. 

Director, screenwriter, producer, and novelist Charlie Kaufman has had a particular impact on Fontaine: “It seems that he’s involved in all my favourite films, and I love anything that’s dystopian especially, or surreal. Surreal art in general - Kafka’s writing, Dali’s art”. 

These rich surrealist influences are expertly weaved amongst social commentary and nods to the beautiful mundanity of everyday life. This shows itself most unexpectedly in ‘Mental Maths’, where frantic, urgent instrumentals are overlaid with a supermarket scene that was inspired by an episode of Bojack Horseman. 

Perhaps the most enduring thread in English Teacher’s repertoire is the group’s Northern English roots. The 2020 single ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ was written from the perspective of pavement outside the town hall in Colne, Lancashire, and the song features references to everything from the Pendle Witches to Charlotte Brontë and even Lee Ingleby. ‘You Won’t Believe How Beautiful She Is When It Has Snowed’ is also an ode to Pendle Hill, and was released in June 2020 with all profits going to Black Lives Matter. The song is a tender exploration of self worth, and deals with Lily’s own identity in the context of her small Lancashire hometown. 

When we touch on the topic of fondness for where you’re from, Lily has reservations on proclaiming herself as ‘proud’ to be English. “I have a really tricky relationship with England and the British Empire. The history and the current political situation are not something I’m proud of, but I focus on the North because it’s where I grew up, it’s where Lewis grew up too. I think that it’s a good way of exploring ill feeling towards the UK, by putting that next to the things about Northern culture that I do appreciate”.

Across their Theo Verney produced EP, Fontaine expertly paints images that highlight stark beauty in the ordinary, veering through hangovers, supermarkets, pub crisps, and the pandemic - a talent which she carries with humility. 

“It’s not really a conscious thing, I guess everyone writes about the same things really, even if you’re writing about love you’re still drawing from things you experience, it just happens to be that I get inspired by hearing a random story or seeing an unusual situation unfold”. Title track Polyawkward acts as the perfect example of this, with lyrics like ‘He sits on a secret / Cups it in the shower / Rolls it around for at least an hour a day’ referring to polyorchidism - the term for a person with more than two testicles. 

A natural writer, Fontaine succeeds at breathing life into all situations she presents. “I’m a better writer than a musician. Maybe that makes me sound like I’m cocky, but I’m much more comfortable as a writer and I get joy out of being able to express myself through lyrics.”

Though Lily is very much the resident lyricist of the band, the group collaborate on all other aspects of their tracks, peppering the music with their sharp witted flare and exploring ranges of sound within and beyond the realms of post-punk. “We get really bored with albums that sound very samey, so it’s a conscious creative decision for us to explore genres, and I’m glad that comes across. I don’t know what sounds we’ll dip into next, Doug loves hyper pop, so you never know what might happen”. 

We next touch on social anxiety, a subject explored in tracks like A55 where hangxiety is presented with painful accuracy. I am curious as to how Lily’s commanding presence on stage juxtaposes with her feelings on socialisation off-stage. “When I step back and look at the contrast of what I enjoy doing as a performer and what I enjoy just as ‘me’, is weird”. Though nerves are inevitable before a show, the most daunting prospect is speaking to crew, sound engineers, and promoters. 

“It’s invisible, and when I’m on stage I don’t think you’d be able to tell I’ve got those anxieties. I’ve watched myself back and thought I seemed a bit overconfident, but I think it can be cathartic and empowering when you spend so much time wanting to be introverted”. 

At the last show of their headline April EP tour, Camden Assembly is packed and vibrating as the crowd stands to attention for the dynamic ease and energetic command possessed by all on stage. Lily conducts the band and by extension the crowd. Joined by touring cellist Blossom Caldarone, Kristin McFadden on strings and with support from Blue Bendy and Fraulein, effortless, compelling instrumentalism is the theme of the evening. Completed with jocular overtones and sarcastic crowd interactions, the gig feels like a coming together of old friends in the very best way. 

A busy year lies ahead for the group; they have been named part of the DIY Class of 2022, the Dork 2022 Hype list, and are lined up to play across the festival circuit, having most recently been awarded a performance slot at Glastonbury. With a stream of buzzworthy singles, their first EP, and a stack of enigmatic live shows behind them, English Teacher show no signs of losing momentum any time soon. 

You can also catch them at The Great Escape, Green Man, and Glastonbury over the summer. 

Listen to English Teacher’s debut EP ‘Polyawkward’ here: