Poppy was able to get dressed up for it – with a red poncho-style top over an immensely puffy pink tutu – because this year she was nominated alongside Knocked Loose for her role on Suffocate, taken from the flourishing hardcore band’s acclaimed third album, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. It marks another landmark in a career that’s becoming increasingly full of them, and it also led to her performing the song with the band on massive U.S. talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. They played on an outdoor stage as the rain – very visible on the cameras – poured down on them.
While TV live performances can be notoriously turgid, this one was incredibly visceral. Poppy’s parts, in particular, were full of an untamed, breathless energy that really bursts through the screen when you see it.
“That was really exciting,” she says. “And very last-minute! Bryan [Garris, Knocked Loose vocalist] texted me: ‘What are you doing next week?’ It was really exciting to see a hardcore band in that format and on that stage. The whole day went pretty fast. I remember walking in after the performance with my friend. He was a couple of steps ahead of me and he was like, ‘I think that was really important.’ And I said, ‘I think it was, too.’ It felt very electric and exciting. And the rain came right on cue.”
Who does Poppy feel it was important for? Herself? The scene? Both of those things? It’s a simple question, but one she answers with deep consideration, speaking with care and intention to ensure her words properly articulate her thoughts, even as they meander in a few different directions.
“Both, I’d say,” she answers. “I think putting heavy music on a stage like that in a place that’s usually where the pop stars go is important. For me, it symbolised no compromise. Anybody that knows anything about my career would say that that’s been the ethos and direction from the beginning – always doing what I want to do. Even if I’m the only one it appeases, at least I feel good about it. It’s never a straight shot, because I think if something’s a straight shot, it probably isn’t right. There are certain things that are easier than others, but if something’s obvious to put your finger on and call it what it is, I think it becomes disinteresting quicker.
“As far as the communal experience,” she continues, “in regards to the ‘scene’, I always have a strange time trying to describe what the ‘scene’ actually is, because I feel so many people have a different definition of it. To me, it’s heavy music, and what I get from it is probably something different than what somebody else gets from it. But you’re allowed to love and appreciate and adore whatever you want. So I do!”