After supporting MUNA and Fletcher, conquering Glastonbury, and overcoming health hurdles, ARXX are poised for their biggest year yet. Hanni Pidduck and Clara Townsend discuss their evolution, secret projects, and spreading queer joy. Check out the latest cover story for our New Music Friday playlist edit, PLAY.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Photos: Rosie Powell.
ARXX are having a moment. Fresh from supporting MUNA and Fletcher, playing Glastonbury, and releasing their latest single ‘Trouble’, Hanni Pidduck and Clara Townsend are poised to unleash their second album ‘Good Boy’ upon the world. It’s a whirlwind of activity, but for ARXX, it’s just another day in a year that’s been nothing short of transformative.
As the dust settles on ‘Trouble’s release, Hanni’s excitement is palpable as they prepare to head to Wembley for Taylor Swift and The Eras tour. Meanwhile, Clara basks in the afterglow of their recent European adventures, savouring a “little pink cake we brought back from Rotterdam”. You know a band are heading in the right direction if they’re sampling continental confections.
“It’s been wild; it’s truly felt like dreams coming true,” Hanni reflects on their recent live experiences. The duo have been living out fantasies they once considered far-fetched. Clara elaborates, “There have been a lot of ticks off our band bucket list this year, stuff we put on as a completely wild card, never going to happen kind of thing.”
One such wild card moment came courtesy of MUNA, a band ARXX had recently supported. “MUNA asked us to come up and sing ‘Silk Chiffon’ with them in Belfast, which was just crazy,” Clara recounts. But this dream come true came with its own set of challenges. “I can’t sing, so I was frantically trying to find something to do on stage and thankfully had a tambourine in my bag. Although I am notoriously bad at it, there is video footage that will be there forever and ever.”
It’s this kind of self-deprecating humour, coupled with genuine awe at their own journey, that makes ARXX so endearing. They’re living their dreams, but they’re doing it with a wink and a nudge, never taking themselves too seriously.
Their Glastonbury performance, another tick off that bucket list, came with its own surreal moment. “Bear Grylls was in the crowd watching us at Glastonbury!” Clara adds, as if the presence of the world’s most famous survival expert at a music festival is the most natural thing in the world.
But it hasn’t all been tambourines and celebrity spotting. The road to their second album, ‘Good Boy’, has had its share of obstacles. Hanni recently underwent surgery for a polyp on their vocal cords, a potentially career-threatening situation for any singer.
“Yeah, I won’t lie, it was a nightmare,” they admit. The timing couldn’t have been worse, with a major tour looming. “I’m just so grateful that I got the treatment I needed in time to go on our big tour with Fletcher.”
But true to ARXX’s spirit, Hanni manages to find a silver lining. “My voice is all good now; it actually feels better than before. I’ve definitely learned a thing or two about looking after myself from it and being more grateful for what you have when you have it.”
This resilience, this ability to find the positive even in the darkest moments, seems to define ARXX. They’ve taken the challenges thrown their way and turned them into fuel for their creative fire. The result is ‘Good Boy’, an album that promises to be as bold and unapologetic as the band themselves.
“It was a really rapid and instinctive album,” Hanni says of the writing process. The creativity was flowing freely, almost overwhelmingly so. “We started working on it in November last year; we were going into practice and coming out with like seven song ideas a time.”
This burst of creativity seems to have been sparked by a period of profound personal growth for both members of the band. Hanni, in particular, found themselves exploring new aspects of their identity through their songwriting.
“I always know what I want to talk about, what’s important for me. These things show up in songs, and I’m like, ‘Oh fuck, yes, I’m feeling that in a big way’,” Hanni explains. This subconscious exploration led to some significant revelations. “I came out as nonbinary last year, and I think I always knew this record was going to explore those themes more deeply.”
This exploration of identity and self-discovery is at the heart of ‘Good Boy’. It’s an album that builds on the foundations laid by their debut, but with a newfound sense of confidence and clarity. “We are more self-assured as a band about our sound and all that we want to be,” Hanni reflects. “It’s allowed us to be freer and more truthful, both creatively and emotionally.”
This newfound freedom is evident in their latest single, ‘Trouble’. “‘Trouble’ is one of our favourites on the record. It’s so fun and bolshy,” Hanni enthuses. The track seems to encapsulate the band’s evolving sound. “It also glues together a lot of the sounds on the record.”
The creation of ‘Trouble’ speaks to the intuitive, organic process that seems to define ARXX’s approach to songwriting. “I loved making it,” Hanni recalls. “Clara left for the studio for a couple of hours and came back, and I was like, we’ve made something really weird; you’re going to love it.”
This instinctive approach to songwriting isn’t necessarily the norm for ARXX, though. “There’s not really a rule for how we write. It’s changed a lot,” Hanni explains. The vocal cord surgery added an unexpected twist to their creative process. “With this record, because of my surgery, we had to write lyrics and melody last, which I think is why you see us being more bold instrumentally on this record.”
This boldness extends beyond their musical choices to the very ethos of the band. ARXX have made it their mission to spread queer joy, a mission that’s become increasingly central to their identity as artists. But how do they balance this joyful message with the heavier themes explored on ‘Good Boy’?
“I think there’s so much joy in representation, and seeing yourself in others,” Hanni muses. For ARXX, it’s about creating a space where people can see themselves reflected in the music. “Speaking openly about personal experiences, I hope we can give that to people.”
The album isn’t just about exploring heavy themes, though. There’s plenty of celebration too. “We have some songs on this record that celebrate queerness, like ‘Good Boy’ and ‘Swim’, and performing those is going to feel like magic.”
The album’s title itself is a celebration of this queer joy, inspired by what Hanni describes as a “queer and saucy” slogan on a T-shirt. When asked if they considered any other titles, Hanni’s response is unequivocal: “No, my mind never shifted. I knew it was called ‘Good Boy’; even when we had no songs, I knew that for sure.”
As ARXX prepare to release ‘Good Boy’, they’re also gearing up for another high-profile festival appearance: Reading & Leeds. For Hanni, it’s a chance to rewrite some less-than-pleasant festival memories. “I went to Leeds once and had a cup of piss hit me in the head during Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, so I’m looking to improve on that experience.”
Clara, on the other hand, is experiencing the anticipation of a first-timer. “I’ve never been, but I’m so excited! It used to be the one I would watch on TV, and that made me really want to be in a band and play festivals. Hopefully, no piss, too!”
Their excitement extends beyond their own performance to the acts they’ll be sharing the bill with. “We’re really excited to see The Beaches,” Hanni shares. Clara adds, “I’m so obsessed with that Beaches album. Also, Dream Wife are playing; they were our band to look up to when we were starting out, so it will be lovely to see them again.”
But ARXX’s ambitions extend far beyond the festival circuit. They’re hitting the road in October and November. “It’s our biggest-ever headline tour,” Clara exclaims, “and it’s our first headline shows in a lot of the cities.”
The tour is just one part of what’s shaping up to be a packed schedule for the duo. When asked about their recent activities, Hanni teases, “We have a couple of secret projects underway, which we can’t wait to share with you all.” They’ve even squeezed in time to launch a podcast, ‘ARXX Us Anything’, which Hanni describes as “very silly” and full of “awkward chat”. Like all the best bands, ARXX are in perpetual motion, always onto the next thing before the ink’s dry on the last.
ARXX have weathered personal and professional challenges, embraced their identities, and crafted an album that promises to be both a celebration and a statement. With ‘Good Boy’ on the horizon, ARXX are ready to take their place in the spotlight, spreading their message of queer joy one song at a time. ■
ARXX’s new single ‘Trouble’ is out now. Their new album ‘Good Boy’ is out 4th October. Follow Dork’s PLAY Spotify playlist here.
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