This feels in character for the pair, especially when they share that their “side-quests” outside The Pretty Wild shape it as much as what they do within it.
“I don’t think we would be the band that we are today and would be going where we’re going, trajectory-wise, if we didn’t have these things. They’re huge parts of our lives,” says Jules, who is a playwright and actor outside of the band, and throughout our trip points out some of the playhouses she’s visited as we pass them.
For Jyl, meanwhile, her side-hustle of choice outside of music is acrobatics.
“It’s a way to get in touch with my body, to really learn to tune into my body and how that speaks to me,” she explains. “That was always how I would find my centre, because it’s so instinct-based. You’re constantly interacting with your subconscious, but in a conscious way. It always gives me clarity and direction. And then later on, we ended up doing music that way, too.”
It keys into her sense of spirituality and fascination with the metaphysical, which in turn bleeds into their music. It also enhances how they view touring life. Trundling from venue to venue eating up miles on the road might seem like a monotonous existence between shows, but Jyl sees it as a positive test to her sense of self, a way of understanding aspects of herself that only come to light when she’s living without her creature comforts.
“What I really like about touring is that it forces you to cut your patterns,” she says. “You get to interface more with another version of yourself that you would never have been forced to otherwise.”
So you have a ‘tour self’?
“Yes, yes! A tour self!” she agrees. “And your ego gets really defensive when you’re used to certain patterns, so when you’re just constantly threatened by things, it’s cool, because it forces you to find stability within a more internal part of yourself.”
Jules is in sync with this school of thought too, but in a rather spooky sense.
“We’re really attuned to each other,” Jyl says. “If I have a thought, sometimes I just know that Jules is getting the exact same thought. It’s really weird. And then, what will happen is, we won’t even talk about it, then she’ll say this really weird thing and I’m like, ‘Oh! You’ve got that thought, too!’”
“It’s actually happened a few times talking to you today,” returns Jules. “It’s a little bit creepy. It’s kind of like living with a paranormal entity in your home.”
Eventually, the teapots are empty, and the bus loops back round to the expanse of Victoria Coach Station, and the tour is done. Full of sugar and caffeine, Jules and Jyl say their thank yous and prepare to head off to get ready for showtime.
Who knows – perhaps when they next return here, they’ll stop off for a nose round two-bed properties in Hackney.
Either way, we’ll have the kettle on.
Stay tuned to Kerrang! for all the latest on The Pretty Wild.
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