Interview with Leopardo
Leopardo (from left to right: Blaise Yerly, Isumi Grichting, Noah Sartori, Romain Savary, Radiana Basso)
It’s always impressive how songs can transport people to certain periods of their life and the two singles from Leopardo, I Can’t Help Falling in Love with Nobody and Selfish Spoiled Child do just that. They remind me of the time when I was about to start the blog and was choosing which bands to see at the Kombinat Festival in 2024. It took a bit of searching to find out that “Leopardo and Dizzy Davis” wasn’t the name of one artist but two who would share the set and have the same line-up. I was already drawn in by the compositions and the self-depreciating lyrics (“‘why didn’t anyone smash my face in?’ should be the game”) from Leopardo as well as Dizzy Davis’ latest album (Interview with Radiano Basso (Concetta Spaziale (ex-Dizzy Davis) here). It was a great concert at the Waxy Bar and definitely amongst my favourite performances during the festival.
Earlier in 2025, the band, formed by Romain Savary and with its members scattered across Switzerland, released the singles for Repetition and Île d’Ogoz. I was hooked on them, enjoyed the accompanying videos and was anticipating the upcoming album, SIDE A / SIDE B, and it did not disappoint at all. It’s a fantastic album from start to finish with a lot of memorable moments. Landslide and Temperature are definitely a couple of my highlights from it, with the songs sometimes stuck in my head for hours. The album reignited my interest in going through the band’s catalogue again and helped me appreciate Malcantone even more.
I was interested to know more about Romain: I was curious about his influences, I was intrigued by his personality through his lyrics, if performing in Leopardo was an extension of it or an alter-ego and his approach to song-writing. I also was keen to discover more about the band: their history, how it works being located in different regions and their most recent tour of the States, and, of course, about the latest album.
I would like to thank Romain for his replies to my questions.
The history of Leopardo
Tell us about yourself
Hello! My name is Romain, I come from Switzerland, I live in Biel/Bienne and I’m 33 years old.
What is your musical background - Was there a lot of music in your household growing up? Which instruments did you learn? What other bands and projects were you in?
I learned classical guitar when I was a child, and started playing in a band by the age of 14, thanks to some friends in the countryside of Fribourg who knew I was able to play the guitar. My father played a bit of guitar too and he made me discover some classics such as The Beatles or Deep Purple, but there wasn’t a lot of music in the household. My first band was The Red County (weird trash-garage-punk) and then I also played in another band called Papaya Fuzz (garage-punk-surf).
What influences do you have (musically and non-musically) in your music?
Let’s name a few, but there are so many!
For the music, some classics: Velvet Underground & Nico, Television Personalities, Country Teasers, Swell Maps, …
Some contemporary artists: Fat White Family, Anika, The Drin, Famous Mammals, Wireheads / Dom Sensitive, The Shifters, Eddy Current, Shitkid, Silver Jews/Purple Mountains.
Literature/poetry: Robert Walser, C. F. Ramuz, Richard Krawiec, James Tate, David Berman, Jack London, …
Did you always write the lyrics in English? How do you feel about writing the lyrics in English?
Yes, always. I tried a few times in French but I didn’t like how it sounds. All my influences are in English, so it makes more sense to me. I apologize for all the mistakes and the bad pronunciation. It’s important for me to add a lyrics sheet in the LPs, so people (if they buy the record) can at least read the lyrics if it’s not understandable while listening! It reminded me that I can add them to Bandcamp as well. I’ll do it.
Through the songs I have the impression that there's a lot of humour and self-depreciation in your lyrics - would you say that the lyrics are more of an extension of you or more of a character?
Thanks, I’m happy you understand my humour! I love self-depreciation, that’s true. The lyrics are most likely honest actually, almost only true stories, very at the first degree, but with a lot of irony and exaggeration, so that’s hard to say.
(Photo copyright: Insects in Every Hole)
Do you have any habits when writing music and lyrics?
Music: going to the practice room in the daytime with a cup of coffee and a bottle of sparkling water, or at night with a few beers and cigarettes. I can go on for five hours without seeing any minute passing by when the inspiration is there…it’s a very comfortable way of meditation. I’m mostly alone when I write songs, and then we arrange them with the full band as soon as we meet.
Lyrics: I need a lot of time for that, being alone and in the calm is really important. Sometimes I go for a walk to find inspiration, sometimes I just sit down at home or in the public transport and check the notes I did in the different readings I did recently. I just got a notebook last month in which I write some notes from books, inspiration, words I like, etc. I’m doing my best to become a qualified poet in a language that is not mine. A lot of work for an uncertain result!
Who else is part of Leopardo and how did you meet?
There’s Noah from Lugano on bass, we met a long time ago when I played with my previous bands in Ticino. Blaise from Fribourg plays the drums, and we have known each other since we both played in the rare punk bands of the area. Radiana plays the keyboard, we met through Noah. Check out her solo project Concetta Spaziale and Dizzy Davis! Isumi plays the guitar, and she’s living in Biel, in the same building as me. She also plays with Sun Cousto and Maraudeur.
I read that for the rehearsals and with the band split over two different regions that you would spend three days together making music and practicing. How would you describe the time spent together?
It’s true, we rarely have enough time to meet…and that’s a bit sad, but we’re trying more and more to make music together, even if it’s not with the full band but just some of us. The time together is mostly good, we’re a good team.
Side A / Side B
How did you approach the album? Were there things that you wanted to do differently in comparison to your previous albums? How do you think the band has evolved since Malcantone and Solo Recordings 2019-2022?
I didn’t have much inspiration after Malcantone. It took me a while to get new ideas, it was a long time. We did the first recording session by Summer 2023, but we weren’t convinced for an album, it lacked some good songs. We did another session in January 2024, and it was eventually ok. I think that the band is way smarter now than when we were writing and recording Malcantone. We’re older, we’re thinking and doing our best to be better humans. We go to therapists and to doctors, we read, we talk. Isumi joined the band and she’s smart, it helps a lot.
The closer, Temperature, also appears on Solo Recordings 2019-2022. How was it decided to record the song again?
The arrangement is really different and we thought that it was great to record the band version too. It’s also the song we mostly play at the end of our shows, I think it’s a good closer.
With songs like Île d'Ogoz and Düdinger Moos (as well as the ending to Monday Somersault?) does growing up in Fribourg still have a big influence on your music today?
Yes, of course, these are the lands where I spent most of my life! I’m actually getting more and more moved by traditions and I’d love to learn the alphorn.
The end of Monday Somersault was recorded in Ticino though, where Noah was looking after a mountain pasture.
How did you decide to work with Benoit Erard (who also worked with Fomies, Cyril Cyril, Valentina Magdaletti)? How was it to work with him?
He has a beautiful studio on the mountain, it’s the perfect place for us! And we have known him for a long time. I’m really happy about his work, he’s very talented. And I beat him at darts. Three times.
Tell us about the artwork? It seems there is a recurring them with cowboys, like with the album cover for Malcantone. Was it intentional?
There are a lot of country music influences in our music, the cowboy aesthetic fits. We’re not rednecks…we only pretend. I saw the sculptures of the cowboys at an exhibition a long time ago, and we know the artist Stefania Carlotti too, we met her at one of our first shows. We all love her work and thought it would fit well with our left-wing country band.
What are your feelings of the album looking back at it today?
I’m happy it’s done and looking forward to the next one!
Music videos
The video for Repetition sees Radiana, who directed the videos for Selfish Spoiled Child, Is It An Easy Life?, Summer of Love, behind the camera. How is it working with her for the music videos for Leopardo?
It’s a lot of fun, she just makes her own interpretation of the song. We all feel totally at ease when she’s behind the camera.
Where was the video filmed? Where did you find the outfits for the video?
It was filmed at Blaise’s farm, in the countryside of Fribourg. Very beautiful location! Everything was really DIY and last-minute, so we just got some wings and make-up quickly at a cheap costume store (or a carnival store), and did the shooting in one day. We were freezing…it was a hard day to be angels.
Tell us about the video for Île d'Ogoz.
We did this video with Elias, who also did the one of I Can’t Help Falling in Love with Nobody. He has a great sense of humour and is a close friend, so it’s also very easy and fun to work together! Again, it was really quick and DIY…we wanted to get a fancy car, but in the end we just used my Kangoo that I recently sold for 50 bucks...
What else can you tell us about your co-star, Georges, your punkest social co-worker?
He’s a legend, a comedian, a social worker, a stoner, a Greek punk! If someone ever needs a comedian for a movie, just call him.
Were the videos as fun to shoot as they are to watch?
Hopefully!
Touring and the future
How was the release party at Fri-Son in Fribourg? What are your memories of the evening?
It was a beautiful night, but it’s always very stressful to play in Fribourg. I knew probably 95% of the audience… Some young migrants from the place I was working at came to see the show, it meant a lot to me.
The following evening saw the band at your new adopted hometown of Biel/Bienne before heading across Europe - how was the European leg of the tour? What do you remember the most?
I don’t really know what to say…it was a long time ago! We played two nights with Easy Goat and with Quinconce, who are two very, very good bands!
(Leopardo live in Biel/Bienne, 4th April 2025, photo credits: Patrick Principe)
The album was also released in the USA on Dot Dash Records and Leopardo is on the roster of Feel It Records - how did you become involved with these two labels in the States?
We first got involved with Feel It through SDZ records. After the release on feel it, we did a tour in the US in 2022, and Tom from Dot Dash was there at Goner Fest, so we kept in touch!
How does it feel to be able to release music to a bigger audience?
An honour! We can play many shows and we have cool labels to release our music, we’re lucky. We play mostly for people we like, for DIY organisations that make sense to us, and that’s the most important I guess.
I read in an interview that Feel It Records also assist with your tours there. How do they help with the preparation? What do you need to do in terms of logistics?
They helped for the first tour, but this year it was Tom from Dot Dash Sounds who booked the full tour. We have a great driver who also rents us most of the backline, and for special stuff either we send it there, or we buy it and re-sell it after the tour.
(Leopardo in Buffalo, NY, USA, photo credits: Brandon Olesky)
How was your tour in July? What were your highlights?
It was wonderful. Very intense, a lot of gigs (24!) and only one day-off. Fortunately, the band is solid in terms of relationships, so we could handle it. A few highlights: playing in Mansfield, Ohio again. A little town full of funny and crazy people. A veteran even told me “sorry my English is not French”. Playing at Feel It Records (and discovering the shop) was also very nice, The Drin were amazing once again, they played only new songs, can’t wait for their new album! We played twice with Son Of Dribble, a very good band.
We had actually many great nights with great bands, for example New Orleans with Spllit and New Fools, Atlanta with Nag and Mother’s Milk, Buffalo with Science Man and Spooky Visions, Detroit with Mod Lang, Electric Bug and Pizza King Girl, Philadelphia with Lo-Fives and Military School, Paper Jam in Denton, etc. etc. and WFMU at the end of the tour was legendary, it felt like visiting a museum, a perfect closing.
Leopardo in Tulsa, OK, USA
What can we expect for the future from Leopardo?
We’re going to the north in December for a festival in Copenhagen, we’ll also play Strasbourg, Brussels, Groningen, Berlin and Leipzig. We’re writing songs, slowly, slowly, for the next album. We might soon release a 7’’ with two songs that we recorded in Berlin in January, but it’s not ready yet.
Lastly, as someone who has been involved in the music scene, across several cities and behind different labels for almost a decade, what are your thoughts about the music scene in Switzerland?
Apart from a few major festivals, M4Music, and bands that do sponsored posts on social media, there are some really cool bands for a country as small as ours. Check out our label Chrüsimüsi Records, which offers numerous releases from Switzerland. I also really like Isumi’s label called Mini Distro Label.
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