Rachel Rabin’s music defies classification thanks to its mix of blues, folk and pop influences and the Kingston singer-songwriter will be showcasing this eclectic sound at a gig at the Bull’s Head next Friday. Will Gore caught up with her...

Will Gore: How would you describe your sound?

Rachel Rabin: My music has got elements of rock and I’ve also got a folky voice and a blues background. There is a lot of pressure to pigeonhole music but there is a big movement to break those rules because people who like certain artists don’t mind whether their songs fit one style.

WG: What has inspired your approach?

RR: My grandad was Oscar Rabin [of the Oscar Rabin Band fame] so my dad used to play me all the big band music. When I first decided to learn an instrument I chose a clarinet and learned to play blues and jazz. My mum was also a semi-professional opera singer and she was always singing and I used to try and emulate her.

WG: Is it good to be part of a thriving music scene in Kingston and beyond?

RR: It’s absolutely brilliant. There is a really supportive network of musicians in Kingston and there are loads of blues jams there and a little further afield in Barnes, Teddington and Richmond. I spend a lot of my time performing in the jams and at open mic nights because that is what makes us tick as performers.

WG: Any recording sessions planned at the moment?

RR: I’m self-funded so whenever I can afford to go and record something I do it. It’s the way all musicians are having to do things at the moment. There is no money in the industry at all and you just have to be prepared to do it yourself – I’m a dogmatic person who just keeps going and going.

WG: You recently played a gig in LA at the infamous Viper Room - how did it go?

RR: It was scary, doing a gig in America, but it was really, really good. I have family out there, my grandmother has just emigrated, so I was doing the family thing but I also had this plan of attack to do some promotion. I spoke to one agent to ask about how long it would take to get a gig and he came back and said they had one for the Saturday. I found a guitarist, rehearsed and then did a one hour set. It’s nice to have on my CV that I’ve played the Viper Room.

Rachel Rabin, The Bull’s Head, Barnes, April 16, 8.30pm, £10/£5, thebullshead. com. Rabin also plays the Glastonbudget Festival in Leicester on May 30. for more information, visit, glastonbudget.net