A former guitarist with cult 90's Bristol outfit the Blue Aeroplanes, Hazel Winter has since developed a reputation as a commendable solo artist and rich purveyor of scintillating-yet-caustic folk/punk. Her new album 'Situation Normal Then' is released in the New Year and finds Winter coupling her dark and idiosyncratic British charms with an increasingly melodic sound. It's her most potent album to date and has seen Winter compared with everyone from PJ Harvey to Nick Cave across the blogosphere in recent weeks.

FDM.com recently sat down with Hazel to talk inspiration, anal probes and, of course, the Blue Aereoplanes. "We trade insults and recipes on a regular basis..." she told Louise Lake...

FDM: Hey Hazel, thanks for taking to time to talk to FDM.com. Can you possibly start by telling us a little bit about the recording of the new album? I understand it came about via two recording sessions that were 18 months apart?

HW: Yes, The grubby Northern relatives travelled down to Bristol with their packets of tabs and blood sausages. They arrived at my house where they were asked to take their shoes off before walking on my new carpet, filed past the Buddhist meditation shrine and sat down to a meal I had prepared which involved chickpeas. At this point I realised that in spite of being born and bred in Durham I have now been down south for longer than I was up north. The process of re- connecting with my roots by involving myself with the instruments of my youth was rapidly followed by my abandoning several years of vegetarianism and re embracing eating dead things with a shameful fervour.

I lured Adrian Utley into producing because I know he was interested in working with traditional instruments, and so we landed on his house / studio on that weekend, where he was remarkably patient, restrained and kind. In the circumstances. And clever. We did it all live, mostly in a couple of takes; minimal overdubbing.

I spent the next 18 months crouched in the foetal position in a darkened room with my fists in my mouth as Adrian became a father and got busy with Portishead... and I faced the prospect of finishing the production myself.

The second session we recorded at J and J studio in Bristol which belongs to Jim Barr (also Portishead). Producing me and my sister in the same studio ultimately involved a certain amount of bloodletting. Fortunately I managed to break the back of the project before the fur really began to fly. Most of our head hair has grown back now.

FDM: 'Midwich Sleep On' has been the free Mp3 from the album that everyone has been passing around. Why did you opt for this track as the lead-off single - is it the most representative of the entire album?

A; It was the first song I brought to the band and I was insisting it had to be played in C sharp (as I'd written it) which really pissed everybody off because the flute and pipes couldn't tune down. I'd travelled up to Durham to have a go at all playing together and there was an immediate stand off. Then the piper remembered his (Australian) wife had brought back a didgeridoo for him after her last visit and it was in C sharp...he nipped off down the back lane to fetch it and it all booted off properly from that point on...so it sort of felt meant in a weird way...and it all started with that song.

FDM: You played in one of Bristol's most recognised bands (Blue Aeroplanes) in the 90's. How has Bristol changed creatively since then? Is it still as inspirational as it once was?

HW: Absolutely no idea. I hate going out. No idea what's going on. The only thing I've been to in recent memory was a poetry reading at the Grant Bradley Gallery in Bedminster where an elderly gentleman got up and read an utterly fantastic poem about his anal probe. That was pretty inspirational actually. I'd definitely go back there again.

FDM: Where else do you draw your inspiration from? New music? Art? Literature etc?

HW: Books. I read a lot. I think 99% of music is utter shite and subsequently can't bear listening to the radio or going to gigs. My mate makes me a compilation twice a year of stuff I need to hear which I tend to approach a bit like I did swotting for Maths homework at school. As a result I often find my way to things a bit late. By a few years sometimes. I'm fiercely and obsessively addicted to a handful of musicians.

FDM: When you cast your mind back over your career in music is there one particular stand-out moment that sticks in your head?

HW: Headlining the re-opening of The Bath Pavilion with my first band Gorilla My Dreams in about 1985 ...that was the first big gig I ever did. I remember thinking if I can just get through the first track without swallowing my tongue, I'll be fine.

FDM: Are you still in touch with the other central Blue Aeroplane members?

HW: Gerard lives 3 streets away from me which meant I was unable to effectively maintain the vendetta I had hoped to pursue against him after I left the band. It was too exhausting trying to be antagonistic given I bump into him down the corner shop several times a week. So now we are mates. Which is loads easier.

Andy McCreeth (Blue Aeroplanes bassist) is a film person now and has been doing all the filming for my videos (he shot 'Midwich Sleep On' and a new one for 'The CandyMan Walks', which I've just finished editing). We hadn't worked together since we played Glastonbury Pyramid stage in 92, so the video shoot ended up as a reunion/3 day bender in my spare bedroom, where we filmed. The peculiar way I have of holding my head tilted to one side throughout is as a result of Andy shouting "Keep Your Chin Up, You Lose 10 Years..." at regular intervals during shooting. True friend.

Wojtek turns up to my London gigs in a kind and loyal manner whilst John Langley I see periodically out and about / in the studio...I played the Tsunami benefit with him a while back. Ruth Cochrane (Bassist) is my best mate. We haven't done any music together for ages but we trade insults and recipes on a regular basis.

Hazel Winter's new album 'Situation Normal Then' is available now through Death Row Bride Records. You can find more details at www.hazelwinter.com