How An Indian Restaurant Transforms Into A Recording Studio

James Drury
By James Drury Last edited 110 months ago
How An Indian Restaurant Transforms Into A Recording Studio
The derelict restaurant during building works
The derelict restaurant during building works
The former Indian restaurant as it was before being transformed into a studio
The former Indian restaurant as it was before being transformed into a studio
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis in their new studio
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis in their new studio
New studio, vintage recording equipment
New studio, vintage recording equipment
Lewis during the recording of the trio's album
Lewis during the recording of the trio's album

When musicians tell you they've put "everything" into an album, think on this: to make their forthcoming release, Kitty, Daisy and Lewis built a studio. Out of a former Indian restaurant in Camden.

Before starting recording on their third album, the London three-piece bought the former restaurant at auction and got to work. "We don't like to make things easy on ourselves," laughs Lewis Durham.

"We used to record in mum's back room, but wanted our own place. The restaurant was being auctioned by the council — it had been derelict for years. No one was really interested in it except property developers who would have demolished it and built some ghastly crap. So we were lucky enough to get it and got to work.

"We had to pretty much strip is back to the walls and bare earth. There were huge gaps in the brickwork — we could see the neighbour's plasterboard in places. Anyway, we built a floating floor and originally planned not to soundproof the walls; but we realised quite late on that we had to do that, so the schedule was set back a bit."

Meanwhile the three siblings were rehearsing with producer Mick Jones of The Clash. "We'd known him for years," explains Lewis. "We were at Notting Hill Carnival with him when we asked him if he'd like to produce our next album. He came round with his guitar and said 'let's play some music'.

"The delayed building schedule meant we spent about five months rehearsing with him before we started recording."

The album is a mishmash of genres, from blues to rock to ska, reflecting London's own social melting pot of influences. You can get a feel for the trio's latest sound on single, No Action, below. The album, Kitty, Daisy And Lewis The Third, is out on 26 January.

Last Updated 10 January 2015