To see or be seen? To surprise or be surprised? To watch or to be watched? We chose to be watched, and it is with Flying Teapot that we feel safe and comfortable.
The French band is made up of Loup Sardin and Lenny de Feo. With solid artistic foundations that immediately catch our attention, where names like David Bowie, The Beatles, Syd Barret, Soft Machine or Damon Albarn make us feel like listening to more and better.
Without further ado, we move on to the French duo’s second single. It’s called “The Watcher”, and it’s a song that promises not to leave us indifferent.
The first thirty seconds, almost like an introduction, gently pique our curiosity: we hear sounds, noise and many instruments. It reminds us of the beginning of the album HAARP, by Muse. The tone goes up: the Flying Teapot has arrived on stage. And it is here that voice mixes with instruments and whistles, in a beautiful pure symbiosis. The transition between English and French exudes glamour and we are quickly swallowed by the duo’s beautifully oiled machine. Everything sounds right, different, fresh and unique. We’ve never heard anything like it in our lives – and the bar has, in an instant, been set at a giant plateau.
Our curiosity takes us to higher flights, and we decide to try and talk to them. Almost like vigilantes for good music, they gladly accepted. Here are their answers:
[Where The Music Meets] Who are Flying Teapot and how did the project come along?
[Flying Teapot] Flying Teapot is a French duo including the singer Loup Sardin and the producer Lenny de Feo.
[Loup] I wrote the first songs when I was in Chicago for 6 months, in 2019. I had just gone through a painful period and was having a hard time letting go. In addition, my job didn’t interest me much. It was a 40-hour-a-week job at a big company, the kind of job that can quickly trap you in a routine. I wasn’t even 21 yet, the legal adult age there, and the temperatures outside ranged from 0° to -30°. So I didn’t go out much and naturally turned to music. Then I sent the demos to Lenny, who I already knew from Bordeaux, and who was in a great band there. We then decided to start a music project when I came back. But soon after, I left France to travel, and Lenny was busy with other projects. It was only one year and a half ago that we finally decided to really work on it, and it matched well. We both have different inspirations, but a similar musical sensibility, and I think we kind of succeeded to express ourselves in the songs. But of course, the road is long, nothing is static, and we still thrill to find the best balance between our two sensibilities.
How did the idea for ‘The Watcher’ come about?
[Loup] I remember writing « The Watcher » while volunteering at a hostel in southern India in 2020.
I had been travelling for several months and had passed through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, northern India, and Nepal before returning to India. This was the last stage of my trip. I started this one with my guitar, but it was stolen on the third day of my trip to Istanbul. Instead of buying a new one, I decided to acquire a traditional Turkish instrument: the Baglama. As a result, I almost didn’t play the guitar for almost 7 months, before grabbing the one that was made available in the hostel where I volunteered in India. What a pleasure it was! I quickly felt the desire and even the need to create a new piece. It is in this form of creative effusion that “The Watcher” was born.
I can’t say why I wrote about this theme because I wasn’t so much in the situation I describe in the song, at this moment. But I had already lived this, and I guess the words just came up naturally.
Then, when I came back to France, the song evolved into many versions, and Lenny even changed the chords of the chorus. It is finally with this last modification that we found the ultimate version of “The Watcher”.
What are your biggest inspirations?
[Loup] Many songwriters from the 60s and 70s, like Syd Barret, David Bowie, Nick Drake, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt… There is a heartfelt, something hypnotic in their songs, that I also try to transcribe. And I’m also inspired by a lot of bands from this period, like Gong, Soft Machine, Agitation Free, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Doors, even though the music from some of these bands is a bit far from what we do.
[Lenny] Damon Albarn but I could not even make a move in his presence, otherwise, I really love the work of the French producer Superpoze
With who would you love to collaborate with and why?
[Loup]So, as you can guess, most of the artists I would have loved to collaborate with are already dead… But among the ones that are still alive, I would say, Robert Wyatt, Paul McCartney, and Tom Yorke. Ah and also Damon Albarn, because I know how much Lenny would love to collaborate with him, so it would be amazing for me to see him succeed in that with our project! We can always dream haha!
[Lenny] Damon Albarn but I could not even make a move in his presence, otherwise, I really love the work of the French producer Superpoze
What are you listening to nowadays?
[Loup] I would say that I listen to every genre of music, although I don’t like what sounds too commercial. I mostly like a song when it feels a bit “outside of the box”, timeless… And each week I listen to my playlist “Discover of the week” on Spotify, which allows me to always discovers new great artists.
So, as I said, I’m very inspired by the music from the 60s and 70s, but I also listen to many artists from today, like Flavien Berger, Moussa, Floating Points, The Smile, Andrea Laszlo de Simone, Shpongle, and many others.
[Lenny] Nowadays I listen to the last album of The Blaze « JUNGLE » and a lot of Brasilian music.
Where can we see you guys live at this time?
So for now, you can only see us perform in solo in Bordeaux or Paris. We haven’t begun to perform live with our duo, because we are trying to finish our EP. But you’ll be able to see us live soon!
In one word, how would you describe the band?
[Loup] Aerial
[Lenny] Dreams
More than a song, “The Watcher” is a statement: the Flying Teapot arrived, came and won. A band to retain in your ear for times to come and a WtMM recommendation.
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