CUNNING, wiley and oh so vulpine; when it came to picking a stage name, for Louisa Rose Allen there was only one choice.

As the stunning-voiced Foxes, she is capturing the attention of listeners all over the world – with fans entranced by her ethereal vocals and engaging stage presence.

But how did this young singer end up with her ‘daft as a brush’ animal epithet?

“I needed to change my name and someone said ‘how about Foxes?’,” she recalls.

“I thought it was really silly but then the next day I rang my mum and asked her what she thought about the name. She said ‘I had this dream last night that foxes were running up our street and making these hauntingly beautiful sounds’.

“She said it reminded her of my music and it was really beautiful. After that I just sort of went with it as I felt mum’s always right and she had had this dream, which I thought was quite funny.”

The charismatic singer from Southampton is among the main attractions at this Saturday’s Gathering festival which takes over venues in East Oxford for the night. It will be a double treat for Oxford fans; Foxes was in the city on Monday, supporting Marina and the Diamonds.

How does she describe her shows? “I just get into it,” she says. “I really enjoy magical stage performances. I like it when the artist can take the listener away for half an hour and make them think they have gone into another world.

“I’m a big fan of magical moments and the occasional jump about. It’s taken me a while to get good at my craft, stage confidence and performance. And I don’t get nervous now.”

It is that stage craft and striking voice, which have won her a huge following – much of it over the past few months.

“It has been an odd year,” she admits. “But because I’m in it I’m not really noticing anything.

“I just feel the same as normal as I’m working. I still feel like I am very much at the beginning of things but things are trundling along nicely.

“Probably the weirdest moment so far was when I had my music used at the end of Gossip Girl because I am obsessed with that show.”

Despite being an unashamed fan of pop, Foxes claims to be more influenced by the silver screen.

“Growing up I loved the Spice Girls and Eminem, it was very pop,” she laughs. “I was a typical young kid in the 90s and I loved all sorts of stuff. I was a big fan of dance music but I really liked Kate Bush, Patti Smith as well as Björk, Portishead and Massive Attack. I actually get my inspiration more from film, though. It’s visually more inspiring for me, so I watch a lot of films and listen to soundtracks.

“I love Leon and, more recently, I think the Drive soundtrack is brilliant. When I was younger I used to watch Leon five times a day and the same for Forrest Gump. My mum said I would sit there and have them on repeat.

A talented musician from an early age, Foxes initially went down the classical route, but fell into performing after dropping out of a music course in London.

“I feel that music can’t really be taught,” she says, controversially.

“I think it’s something you learn yourself. I just wanted to run off and write songs and sing them on stages.

“It was a bit too much of a classroom for me and I just wanted to go and create some sounds. It was great fun but it wasn’t really for me.”

Dropping out hasn’t done her any harm though. A mini tour of the US saw venues full of fans all singing her lyrics. It was, she admits, surreal.

“That was crazy because we were doing headline shows and I thought no one was going to turn up and we were going to be singing to ourselves. But it was packed and people were singing the words. I was really shocked. I felt like someone had paid people to come and sing all the lyrics.

“It was a really strange feeling but it was amazing. It must have been because of Gossip Girl; it’s crazy what that stuff can do.”

Her Gathering gig will see her getting into role – rocking her own ‘onesie’ fox suit – complete with brush.

“I am in it now!” she says. “I wear it on the tour bus when we are sleeping during the day.

“It’s so cosy. I couldn’t live without it.”

Foxes play The Bullingdon on Saturday from 9pm.

 

  • WE can’t get enough of the latest trend for urban multi-venue festivals.
     
  • The latest event to fill the extra large footsteps of the late lamented OX4 festival, is Gathering – a one-night mini fest taking place at venues across East Oxford on Saturday.
     
  • This Oxford Punt-style event, which follows last weekend’s similarly-themed Oxjam Takeover, features some impressive names, with Dry The River, Jake Bugg, Spector, Liars and Lucy Rose topping the bill.
     
  • Other names include Foxes, see main interview, Wild Swim, Clock Opera, Bruno Charles, Dan Croll, Ides, Karima Francis, Luke Sital Singh, Ottilia, PAWS, Splashh, Swiss Lips, The Other Tribe, The Staves, Wall, YRRS and many more.
     
  • The always exhilarating Black Hats and King of Cats are among the local contingent represented.
     
  • Action takes place at the East Oxford Community Centre, Cowley Road Methodist Church, O2 Academy, The Bullingdon, Port Mahon and Truck Store.
     
  • The whole show, which is open to all ages, rolls into motion at 4pm with one wristband granting entry to all venues.
     
  • Pick up your wristband on the night at the East Oxford Community Centre.
     
  • For details see gatheringfestival.co.uk