Hello to you Charlotte Church. What’s for dinner tonight?
I’m going to cook two roast chickens. My house is a communal house, basically, and we have a couple of musicians staying with us.
Is it true you have a secret door in your house?
Yeah, I’ve got a secret bookcase door that leads into the music room. Honestly, it’s so cool, it makes my life.
Let’s talk festivals. Did you go to any when you were younger?
I went to the pop ones, Party in the Park etc, but I was always in the VIP area, which I’d never do now. I didn’t go to any proper, credible festivals. When I was doing the classical stuff I did a lot of Proms in the Park. Those things get pretty wild, like, off the chain!
When you’re at a festival as a punter do people stop you for a chat?
They do and it’s fine – I’m a big fan of people. Some people want to talk about politics, some about music, and some want to ask why I’m not fucked up from being a child star.
What tips do you have for going to a festival with children?
I only go to one festival with my kids and that’s Green Man. It’s not that big and there’s equal amounts of party and holistic, family stuff. At some festivals, where people are off their tits, I wouldn’t feel safe taking my kids. It’s fine though, I love the ravers.
You lost your wellies at Festival Number 6 once, right?
I’m not very into shoes, is the thing. When I decide that I do or don’t want to do something then come hell or high water I will follow my instincts. I’m pretty decisive.
What are your festival fashion tips?
On the first couple of days I tend to be practical; I layer up so I can get the feel of the terrain. By day three you need to bring something fabulous so you can fake it when you feel horrific. If you put some sparkles on and make yourself a human mirrorball, everything is fine.
How do you feel about pop stars headlining places like Glasto?
It depends. Beyoncé’s probably the best entertainer in the world; she could sing the phone book and I would be there. When it’s people like Ed Sheeran, not so much. When festivals got more into rap and you had Jay Z and Kanye headlining, whether you like them or not, they’re at the top of their game.
If you could curate your own dream festival who would headline?
The Beatles on the Friday. Prince and Beyoncé co-headlining the Saturday, then Bowie and Radiohead on the Sunday.
Have you had a drug and alcohol-free high at a festival where you thought ‘yes, this is lovely, well done festivals’?
Absolutely. The thing with festivals, and I find a similarity with protests, is you feel such a kindred spirit with the people there with you. It’s a really beautiful communal experience. I also had a break-up at a festival, while watching Snow Patrol, who I can’t stand now, but in that moment it was so unbelievably profound. Elbow came on afterwards and I was just a bit of a mess to be honest.
Can you explain Late Night Pop Dungeon to the ignorant?
It’s been lovingly hand-crafted to be the most fun a human can have without being force-fed drugs and alcohol, but if you partake in that at the same time that’s cool. It’s constructed like a 2ManyDJs set, constantly splicing different songs in, we try not to be too obvious with our selections, and a lot of the time it’s just tunes you haven’t heard for years. For example, we do En Vogue’s Don’t Let Go mashed up with 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson. It’s full of love; like a massive party with a really warm hug at the end.
What’s your favourite song to perform?
At the moment we’re doing a couple of Prince songs which are great. And Killing in the Name is a really aggressive song we do. We take that one seriously because it’s a serious subject. Pop Dungeon is an exorcism of all sorts of emotion, with aggression and anger part of that.
You staged an eco-warrior version of the Little Mermaid last year. Are you a polymath? Like the Welsh, female Damon Albarn?
I’ve been called worse! I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve managed to negotiate a career. It’s pretty niche; it’s just what I fancy doing and not many people get to do that. It’s about trying my hand and having some fucking fun.
Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon is at O2 Institute, Birmingham, 12 May, Mighty Hoopla, 3 June and Bestival, 9 September
