13 Scorpios: In the studio with Natalie Reilly

We’re super pumped to have Natalie Reilly - 13 Scorpios - work with us on our new merch. Her trippy, psychedelic lettering vibes were just what we needed, and we’ve gone and put it on one of our favourite coffee cups, the Acme Union, as well as t-shirts in a couple colour ways. We did a bit of back and forth over email recently, and well, here’s our Q&A catchup with Natalie. Get comfy, and get ready to google some bands…

Am I right in thinking you used to live in Bournemouth?

No, but I did do a market there by mistake. Two things to know about me: I have a fairly loose concept of time, and I am terrible at geography.

As we came out of lockdown I started looking for markets to do with my lettering art, and found this amazing one called South Coast Makers Market, which I excitedly booked a stall at. It wasn’t until the day before that I realised how far Bournemouth is from Worthing. Thankfully the day itself was amazing, the drive was a lush opportunity to listen to music, and that market was also where I had Bad Hand Coffee for the first time. So, everything for a reason, and all that?!

Well thanks for coming all this way! Tell us a bit about you? Where are you right now? What does your home studio look like, what music is playing, and is there coffee brewing? 

I’m an artist and DJ living on the south coast (ahem) of the UK. Right now, I am at my desk, nestled by the bay window in my living room; which as well as being my home studio also serves as a music room. I’ve just finished the concept sketch for a mural I’m doing next month in Stockholm, and I’m listening to this amazing record by Japanese group Non Band.

I think my creative setup is reflective of my brain setup. My laptop is currently sat on a stack of sketchbooks, next to post-its with lyric ideas, a Kaoss pad, my iPad (on which I use Procreate like a digital sketchbook), and of course an empty coffee cup and a half drunk one. 

I’ve learned over the years that I work best when I can move easily between creative projects, so while some days it feels a little chaotic, it works for me. Though the records are threatening to take over the room so a bigger space will be necessary sooner rather than later.

There is always coffee. I discovered the joys of an Aeropress a few years ago and remain obsessed. It’s a nice little ritual I get to do every few hours, and gives my back a break from being hunched over whatever creative thing has my attention that day. 

Where does your style come from, is there a story behind the tripped out, psychedelic vibes?

I’ve always been obsessed with letters. At school I loved experimenting with different handwriting styles, and once I learned bubble lettering it was game over. All my notebooks were filled with my attempts at various lettering styles. 

As a teenager I ventured into 60s and 70s vintage clothing, thanks to Camden Market, which was a gateway into 60s and 70s music. All the psych stuff from that era - and all the associated album and poster art - massively influenced me. It also introduced me to different ways of seeing and thinking about the universe. I’m so interested in the things that we can’t see with our eyes, and love trying to capture that in my artwork.

I see a lot of vinyl on your feed. Have you always been into music, and does it influence your work a lot?

I have always been into music, both listening and playing. I started music lessons aged 4, and spent every weekend at orchestra or choir practice until I was 18, whilst also spending evenings at Brixton Academy, the Astoria, or whatever other grungy little venue there happened to be a gig at. I liked living in both those worlds at once. When I was a teenager CDs were the thing, and I amassed quite the genre-hopping collection, and was never without my discman.

Music is absolutely the catalyst for my art. It helps that I have synaesthesia, which for me means when I’m listening to a record and drawing, what goes onto the page is a physical representation of how I see the music. The lettering shapes move like liquid in my mind’s eye which is pretty cool.

You DJ too right? Have anything coming up? Any regular gigs? And what kind of stuff you play?

I do, and I love it! I play genre-bending all-vinyl sets, veering across psych, fuzz,

library, jazz, funk, hip hop, and associated oddities that will make you smile and/or nod your head. I do regular spots in Brighton at The Windmill, The Hand in Hand, and Hector’s, and also play in the HiFi Pub downstairs at Alphabet, as well as at The Earth and Stars. 

I also put on a night called GNOME with my husband (turntable musician Rival Self), under our Bad So Quiet umbrella, the next instalment of which is in Worthing on 13th June. I am also lucky enough to venture up to Manchester to play at B-Music a few times a year which is an absolute treat.

Top three tracks on your Spotify right now?

The best thing about music is that there will literally always be something you haven’t heard before, and my favourite way to do that is by going to the gigs of DJs that I love. But if I can’t do that, the next best thing is hearing their mixes and discovering new (to me) music via their radio shows. Faves include Wyndham Earl’s Way Way Out show on 1BTN, Andy Votel’s Randomonium on NTS , and I really enjoy A Path Through The Haze on SoundCloud, particularly episodes with Jody Moss like THIS.

Where’s good in Brighton? Spots for coffee, vinyl shopping, dinner and dates? Live music? Let us have it. 

When it comes to coffee and record shops we are spoilt for choice! Here in Worthing my favourite is Blend, but my faves in Brighton are Bond St Coffee, and Pelicano. Record shops: it has to be Rarekind Records in Brighton, hands down. But I am also very fond of a charity shop dig, and there are no shortage of those round here.

And dates… well, dates with my husband usually involve having coffee and digging for records. And then grabbing pizza from Love’s, before heading up to The Black Dove where they serve the best cocktails. 

For live music, Alphabet is very good. I’ve seen some amazing acts in their upstairs venue, and downstairs the DJs play records on the most incredible sound system. A real treat.

You can find our collab tee and coffee mug with Natalie on the website and in store.