International entertainer of mystery, Feral, was preparing to take her brand of sexy, grimy, reggae-infused electro to Glastonbury when Don’t Panic interrupted her preparation to find out whether less is more, how sound ages and which came first the music or the art.

Hi there, great show on Friday night. Do you prefer singing solo as Feral or with Cantankerous?

It’s a totally different set up to when I play solo. The tracks are the same, but the energy is different. The solo shows aren’t any calmer. The performance is different because you have one person as opposed to six people on stage, but I enjoy both set ups. I love playing with the others. When I play solo it is usually due to the promoter’s budget restrictions. There are other tracks like Dskasting, Drama or Todos los Gitanos that I've co-written with Gary Gecko and Pig Bwoy from Thailand and Ibiza, Jenny Fairfax in London and the Baymont Brothers in Spain. They are yet to be stripped down so I can play them fully live.

You're no stranger to singing solo though - in the early 1990s you sang under the dance/pop name MC Kinky and signed to Boy George's label. How do you feel you've developed since then?

Well my voice has got deeper, I’m a lot older, but the way I work hasn’t particularly changed. I co-wrote Generations of Love with [Boy] George and Simon Rogers, but I'm still collaborating with other writers. I enjoy working with other people. I don’t feel the need to be in control of everything. When I work with Simon Rogers we spend half the time cracking up and the other half writing.

You're not only a vocal artist but also an accomplished visual artist, having had work commissioned by galleries around London. Which came first: music or art?

The music came first. I had a strong interest in photography in my early teens, but a freaky careers woman told me if I hadn’t got it sorted by 15, I should think of an alternative career path... bad advice for a kid at an uptight 300 capacity grammar school. I fancied being a barrister, but a slick New York style one, not a frumpy English one. My mum wanted me to be a surgeon, but I couldn’t handle blood... I chose the disco.

Image is a big part of Cantankerous. Can you take us through the idea behind your look? How long does it take you to get ready before a show?

It takes me about an hour if I’m sober and if I’m not chatting to any one. Glastonbury last year it took me hours! The look plays with gender, nationalism and the tribal.

Do you not find the costumes quite restrictive/sweaty? Is it more about the visual or the anonymity?

'The sheep' look consists of a mask, heels, knickers, bra and a t-shirt so that’s less restrictive but I still get sweaty and hot because that’s the nature of the performance. Other looks are more problematic but, yes, it’s totally to do with anonymity and visual intrigue.

Visit Feral at the following:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FERAL/66519855119?ref=ts

http://www.myspace.com/carongeary

http://ww.myspace.com/feralfromcantankerous