High on Heels has everyone on their feet
Founder and creative head DJ Miss Kelly Marie. Pix by Indika Handuwala
When the ladies of High on Heels walk through the Kingsbury there are murmurs all around, for it’s a little hard to ignore the five leggy beauties striding across the lobby chattering nineteen to the dozen. As they sit down for an interview with the Sunday Times it’s clear why this is a partnership that works as well as it seems it does-“we love being around each other,” says founder and creative head DJ Miss Kelly Marie. “It’s not hard work, honestly.”
It’s a good thing they do, for the girls of High on Heels bounce off each other’s energy and creativity in making their music. An all female group of talented artists, they’ve been at this for 12 years and show no signs of slowing down. Its part of their appeal-the girls are constantly upbeat and energetic, and this is perhaps at its most intense when they’re up on stage.
Emma
Lily
High on Heels was formed in 2002 by Miss Kelly Marie as an initiative to bring together an all-female collective of talented female artists; the line-up includes DJs, vocalists and musicians. Since their formation High on Heels has enjoyed a residency at The Arts Club London, appearances at The Dubai Boat Show and perform as a headline act for a number of clubs worldwide. Together their sound is unique-when they performed at the Axe Blast Party at the Kingsbury last Saturday night it was to a room filled to capacity, and the five artists who flew down from London for the event kept the crowd on their feet when they made their appearance closer to midnight.
Their work is in part a response to the people and places they encounter over their many gigs and travels. The group has played in locations around the world, sometimes at the most prestigious of events. Lily, who joins the girls on the trumpet, remembers playing to a massive crowd and the power going out-“it was such a shock,” she remembers. “But then everyone just rallied together and we played an acoustic set to the crowd.” It’s one of their favourite memories, they smile.
Their work commitments entail a fair amount of travel, so they spend quite a bit of time on airplanes jetting from one location to another. It’s occasionally come back to haunt them-“we were once on a plane where turbulence got so bad everyone had to get their life jackets on,” remembers Jaz, a percussionist with the group. “It was pretty scary!”
Stephanie
Its great coming to Sri Lanka though, say the girls. Miss Kelly Marie, Jaz and Lily, together with violinist Emma and vocalist Stephanie (they are just five of the many artists High on Heels represents) love travel, and playing at new venues and new crowds only inspires them to make better music; on the wish list is South America, Mauritius and the Caribbean Islands. In the process of setting up their own record label right now, they say this is hopefully one of many more appearances to come in Sri Lanka.
Miss Kelly Marie herself was brought up on a diet of Latin, Funk, Disco and Soul, and credits this for her distinctive sound. It’s a trait all her artists share, she says. “The thing about High on Heels is that we’re all from different genres, coming together to create this very different, unique brand of music,” she explains. “Everybody’s at the top of their game and our music is very in your face. We always have a blast.” The audience at the Axe party would echo that.