Caitlin Lamb, of Wych Elm fame, recently shared an emotional video on Instagram. In it, she speak about the health issues she’s experienced and how it has affected the band. But the video ends on a positive note – she will continue to pursue music, it’s part of who she is. She’s not giving up.
Since she posted the video, Caitlin has played live, worked on a solo EP under the Caitlin Lamb name, and written more music. She is “fully embracing” the folk style, leaning into it, especially with Wych Elm. She’s now lived in Bristol for more than a year and is becoming embedded in the scene, hailing other musicians from the city as inspiration, including New Cut and Tenby Lacrosse Club.
WAX sat down with Caitlin to chat about pursuing creativity through difficult times, experimenting with sound and having supportive fans.
Wych Elm has seen a lot of success recently. As a band coming from Bristol, how does it feel to bring a bit of the city to the rest of the world?
I think the idea that were bringing a bit of Bristol to the rest of the world feels really surreal. I love that we’ve become apart of Bristols musical history and I’m proud to be from this area. I’ve lived in Bristol for a year and jack around five, and although we come from a neighbouring town, Bristol gave us so many opportunities and support growing up that we’ll always identify with it.
What projects are you working on at the moment and what has inspired them?
We’re working on the next Wych Elm release, and I’m working on my debut Caitlin Lamb EP. With Wych Elm, we’re creating something really beautiful by letting ourselves experiment more – leaning into our more folk-orientated side. It felt like it was the direction we wanted to go in for a while but we were hesitant, worrying that people might not like it. Our fans have always been supportive though, and we know that we’re still giving them the good old Wych Elm, in a new font – if that makes sense. We’re also focusing less on trying to meet industry standards. That pace just isn’t sustainable, especially when you’re dealing with things like health and financial limitations. At the end of the day, we just want to have fun.
My Caitlin Lamb EP is inspired by the journey I went on after having to stop gigging due my health. It’s about grieving my old life while feeling a real excitement for what’s being reborn.
Bristol has often been praised for its very supportive music scene. Recently, you posted a video speaking about your health and how it would affect your music. It seems you got a lot of messages of support for the video – how do you feel as part of the scene here?
I feel really lucky, it’s really nice to know you can play a show in Bristol and see familiar faces, it feels like we’re a family.
When I shared my recent health struggles online, I was trying to update worried fans on where the band was at, but the response I got floored me. I felt so held and I didn’t realise it beforehand but I really needed it. I think it’s easy to assume no one cares about you if you’re not actively releasing, gigging, pushing yourself to a breaking point – but that isn’t the case at all, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Now I just want to write and release a fuck tone of music and hope that it in some way gives back to that support.
What can your fans expect from your music going forward?
I think it comes from a much more calm and healed place. I think a lot of the other releases came from a bit of a manic and rushed state, and I think when these new songs come out that difference will feel really clear.
What do you get from making music that means you want to continue pursuing it through health issues?
When I decided to take a break for my health last year, I thought that meant I was going to stop writing, but taking the pressure of having to write away just made me want to write more – and that’s where Caitlin Lamb came from.
I sat down to write something for fun, but I found myself shunning ideas – belittling ideas before I’d even given them a chance to grow. Then I thought about being a little girl, when all I wanted was to be able to write music. Back then, I had this unwavering belief that it was something I could do and that it would be the most meaningful thing for me to do – if only I could play an instrument. Then I thought, why am I stopping her ideas from coming through?
I wrote down every idea from that moment on, I let them grow by giving them patience and nourishment, and the results have been the most intimate and heartfelt music I’ve ever made. I feel like I’m connecting to that inner-child creativity, and she has the best ideas. So it feels like an otherworldly calling, fate almost, and I have to pursue it. I’ve struggled so much with my mental health and I’ve found that creativity heals all wounds, even creative wounds.
Are there any other Bristol bands you’d like to shout out?
Yes, of course! The New Cut are doing incredible things and always making me feel like a proud auntie. Tenby Lacross Club are so cool and honestly make me jealous that I’m not them.
//Words: Clara Bullock// Photography: Georgina Cadd//