What is the dynamic of The Nymphs? Is there a leader per se, or is it a democratic union in creating the songs and getting things done?

Bek: Well, Clare manages The Nymphs of course and does a damn fine job, so she leads us in that way, but there's no one person who is the "lead singer" or anything like that. We all have a voice and we can all be heard.  We are very democratic, I think.  We are all heading in a common direction and we communicate very openly about things we need to do to get there.  For us, The Nymphs is not just about music, it's also about friendship.  We dont' just sing together, but we talk together all the time, so many rehearsals have had one or even 3 out of 4 of us in tears! It's good because we can all be there for each other.  We are the original line-up since we started four years ago and we know that's not going to change.  I think that's one of the reasons why we can communicate so well, because without each and every one of us, there would be no Nymphs!  So, even if there are any disagreements or problems, as there always will be in any relationship, we know we're sticking together no matter what, so we'll talk things through till it's sorted out. We love each other very much (awwww) but seriously, I think it's a very beautiful way to be. I've learned more about communication and true friendship through being a Nymph than I have in any of my relationships.

In terms of creative collaboration - we all write songs individually and then bring them to the group, working on them together as a unit, suggesting dynamics, pace, structural changes. Sometimes we change things around and sometimes we don't.  For me, personally, I know a lot of the time I write a basic structure of a song and then say "This is what I've written, now go! Nymphify it!" which basically means I want the girls to make any changes they want. In this way, I believe good songs have become great songs! I love that.

Jane: We are from the Democratic Republic of Nymph.  This is a band with no lead - we consult and reach consensus on all issues.  While this can cause lengthy (and occasionally tense) discussions, it's very important to all of us that we each contribute to the discussion and are all on the same page... eventually!  We have used the consensus process to delegate particular tasks... mostly to Clare who is super organised and reliable and great.  So she is manager, booker and treasurer.  She knows what she's doing.

How did this dynamic translate into the writing and recording process of your debut EP?

Bek:  There were many discussions! We had to not only sort out which songs we were going to have (and being together four years we'd built up quite a collection of originals and covers) but copyright issues, EP or album, money, performances, publicity, design, timeframes, contacts, etc. It was exhausting and exciting all at once! And I think we did very well because it's an amazing creation and the launch was extremely successful. 

Jane: We each contribute to the writing and arrangement of our songs.  Usually someone will bring a song to the band that is somewhere between 80% and 100% complete and we'll 'workshop' it (to use a noun as a verb, as all the suits are doing these days).  Nothing is sacred in the search for excellence!  It's so good to have a team of musicians you respect to bring your composition to - as a result we all get better at songwriting and arranging.  The EP was just so much fun to record.  Everyone had vetoing power so that if you weren't happy with the take, we'd do it again until everyone was happy.  Our ever patient sound engineer Cal Barter was so helpful, we've dubbed him the 5th Nymph.

Clare: Recording was something that we'd been talking about for a while, but hadn't actually had much movement on. We had an idea of what we wanted, and had tried a couple of different recording techniques, but hadn't quite achieved what it was we were after. In the end we decided that 2010 had to be the year - enough was enough - so we booked in to Newmarket Studios and locked it in. 

Going back to the beginning now... how long have the band been together? How did you meet each other and get started? 

Bek: We were in a choir at Melbourne Uni together.  Jane was doing law, Clare was doing drugs, and Kel and I were doing music. And we all ended up in the one choir. Clare and Jane had been sisters since they were born and so knew each other pretty well at the time, so when their friend Jeremy from The Melodics needed some back-up singers they chose myself and Kel to make up the four and that was that! We all just sort of fell in girl crush love with each other. It was mushy. And Jane and Clare are still sisters to this day.

Jane: See Bek's response.

Clare: Ha! Bek has only written that I was doing drugs as she doesn't know what I studied at uni.... Arts/Commerce Bek, that's what it was. The rest is true. 

Where did the name for the band come about?

Bek: When we were rehearsing backing vocals for the Melodics, Jeremy was asking what we should be called and we had no idea. We went through a few really lame names like "The Elements" (Earth, Air, Fire, Water HEART GOOOOO PLANET!) and then someone laughingly suggested a rude name with a sexual innuendo to it and then someone said "How about The Nymphs?" 

I'm a bit of a hippy and this appealed to me.  A nymph in Greek and Roman mythology was a minor deity represented as a beautiful maiden who was personified in nature. Water nymphs would sing to passing young men, seducing them through song, much like sirens and I like to think we do this! 

A Nnymph is also simply a voluptuously beautiful woman or a beautiful girl. And we're all a bit of all right, I reckon.

Jane: See Bek's response.  'Captain Planet, he's our hero...'  Oh and add in the word 'total' before the word 'hippy'.

Clare:  I think The Nymphs has turned out to be a great name - for reasons Bek has mentioned above, but also because it is memorable. This may be because people find it a little tricky to pronounce sometimes (Niffs is a common replacement), but also because people are a bit suspicious of what innuendo might be behind it. I like it a lot.  

Do you think there has previously been a stigma attached to ‘girl bands’?

Bek:   Great question! Without a doubt!

Jane: Yes.  Unfortunately it seems that every girl band that has been around since, well, the Andrews Sisters (possible exaggeration) has dived headfirst into raunch culture, preferring to portray themselves as strippers, hookers and pole-dancers who are pretty handy at lip-syncing while a jet engine blows in their faces (pun intended).  We are not like that.  We want to have garden parties with pimms and lemonade and scones with jam and cream.  Possibly dabble in croquet or boules.  You see the difference?

Clare:  I've never really thought of us as a girl band, perhaps because there is a stigma attached to it. When people say girl band, I think of groups like the Spice Girls and Bardot, which were specifically created as girl bands, so it was pivotal to what they wore, what they sounded like - it was their image and everyone had a character to portray. When we got together, it was to support a band of men, we weren't trying to be anything but backing vocals, and then we grew from there. For that reason I don't think we've marketed ourselves as a girl band, and therefore it doesn't limit what we're trying to do. Also, as Jane said, pole-dancing type of dance moves aren't really our cup of tea.

What can you tell us about the band that people might not know about you?

Bek:   In some of our photos we are in line so that our bust sizes are in order.  This tickles my funny bone a lot.

Clare:  I'm glad someone came up with something for this one, I couldn't think! We're pretty honest performers, so people who have come to our show get a taste for who we are and our personalities, so there isn't much that people don't know about us, generally if they ask we tell! 

What has been getting a spin on your iPod/mp3 players lately?

Bek:  Lately, Augie March, Eddie Izzard, Henry Rollins and Queen. I love "Don't Stop Me Now" and love having it playing on a sunny day when I'm walking down the street or on the tram. I imagine everyone suddenly breaks out into a big musical number. I have a vivid imagination and sometimes my giggling can disturb the other passengers. Other people just smile at me kindly.

Jane: Punch Brothers, Washington, Broken Bells, Glen Miller Orchestra, Elbow, Henry Mancini, Joan as Policewoman, an awesome compilation cd called Forge Your Own Chains that I heard whilst drinking alone at Joe's Shoe Store.

Clare: I've been listening to Clare Bowditch, The Beatles, Fabulous Hits of the 30s and Spanish Conversation that shuffles in between songs and teaches me interesting phrases like "para dos adultos" - for two adults.  

What can audiences expect from one of your live shows?

Bek:  Frills, thrills and red wine spills!

Jane: Good times.  But no strippers.  Wait... that's not strictly true.  We've done a show with strippers before.  Damn. 

Clare:  I think people can expect to get to know us at our gigs - our banter is generally pretty telling of what type of people we are, and how we have fun with the music.  People often say that we're fun to watch, as the joy we have on stage when we're performing rubs off on the audience. So, prepare to get happy!

What are your plans for the next 6-12 months?

Bek: Find a boyfriend.

Jane: Find Bek a boyfriend.

Kel: Find Bek a boyfriend.

Clare:  Although Bek would like me to say find her a boyfriend, I will be the sensible management type and tell you that after performing at Queenscliff's Music Festival in late November, we have a Saturday residency at the Builders Arms for December and our first interstate performance in January when we venture to Tassie for MONA FOMA. We've also just been offered a show in NSW in May, so we'll try and construct a little tour around that time, just as Melbourne starts to get a bit wintery. I suppose we should start thinking about an album too...