Explosive garage rockers the Courettes released their debut album, Here Are the Courettes, way back in 2015. Brazilian singer/guitarist Flavia Couri’s playing sounds like a crazy mix of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Johnny Ramone.
Meanwhile, her husband, Denmark’s Martin Couri, attacks the poor drum kit with a ferocity that makes The Muppet Show’s Animal look immobile. Their new album, The Soul of… the Fabulous Courettes (Damaged Goods Records), channels Motown, Phil Spector and ’60s pop.
Sonically, it’s a long way from their debut record, but for Flavia, it’s all coming from the same place. Below, Couri gives us the lowdown.
The new album has some pretty lavish production values, including lots of extra instrumentation. Is this how your first album would’ve sounded if you’d had the budget?
“All the influences you hear on the new album were always there for us. We used to live by this dogma that we can’t put overdubs on the records because we wouldn’t be able to play the songs live. But for our second album, We Are the Courettes, we decided to add a few things, and we’ve continued to add more instrumentation to each subsequent album. We made the decision to treat the live shows and the studio as two separate things.”
Would you like to take a bigger band out on the road?
“It’s hard to find the right people. It’s not just the musicianship – it’s about personal energies and how everyone gets on with each other. We’ve been using a bass player for some shows recently, which is a pleasure for me, as it takes some of the responsibilities off my shoulders. We’ve been playing as a duo for 10 years, and I think that’s our identity as a band.”
What got you into playing?
“I started on bass in Brazil, when I was 11, probably because of my mom’s Beatles records. I started on acoustic but then saved up for a bass. I was a big fan of John Paul Jones and James Jamerson. I saw so much great music on MTV growing up: punk, indie, shoegaze and riot grrrl. I played bass in bands then switched to guitar. The Courettes is the second band I’ve played guitar in.”
You use some unusual gear.
“I had been playing a red Billy Childish Cadillac guitar made by Belgian company Fab, that was inspired by the Duchess [Norma-Jean Wofford], who played with Bo Diddley. However, Fab’s Fabian Schweiger has now built me my own signature Fab guitar, a Flavia Cadillac, in black and white, which I’m really excited to have.
“I use an old Selmer Zodiac Twin 50-watt combo from the mid-’60s. For effects, on record I use a 1962 Gibson Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, but live I use a Danelectro Eisenhower fuzz. I also use a Maestro Mariner tremolo, a Danelectro DE-1 Dan-Echo and a Danelectro The Breakdown gain pedal. I have a signature fuzz pedal – the Fuzz-ette – coming out in 2025, made by Reuss Musical Instruments.”
How’d you hook up with Martin?
“We met when his former band was supporting my former band on tour in Brazil. We had no plans to get together musically – it was about two years into our relationship before we ever started to try out some songs.
“From the first chord, we both thought, ‘Wow’, and I quit my band and moved to Denmark. We have so much in common in terms of our work outlook and philosophy. I guess it’s funny; one day he sat next to me on that tour bus, and he’s been by my side ever since. [Laughs]”
- The Soul of the Fabulous Courettes is out now via Damaged Goods.
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