"Football felt like a 'club' I wasn’t invited to..."
You may know Ana Perrote from the Spanish indie rock band, Hinds, but did you also know that the singer, guitarist, pianist, and model is also a painter? After working with Ana last summer on the Horizon’s United Football Club ‘20/’21 jersey and “Horizon’s closet” painting, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ana about her artwork, a Hinds football club anthem, sustainability at Glastonbury, and the patriarchy in football.
Wandering eyes, this is Ana Perrote’s story…
Growing up in Madrid, Spain, did you play football? What was your upbringing like?
So, I’m gonna be really honest with you, ok? Growing up, I didn’t care about football - at all. If I didn’t like something, I judged people that were obsessed with it. In Spain, soccer is such an important part of social gatherings, talks, news, and etc. It’s everywhere, and it’s very much a male dominated industry and fan base. I never met a girl that liked it.
When I would see guys talk about it, it didn’t feel like it was something I could be part of. It’s not that I didn’t want to, but it was because of the “hegemonic masculinity” that made me uninterested. Football felt like a “club” I wasn’t invited to.
Of course when you are a teenager, you feel radical about everything: everything is black and white. But as I grew up, I realized there’s technique and talent in football. I was able to see and appreciate the unity that it creates and started coming to terms with what football can do.
I watched some finals with friends, and enjoyed the general excitement and experience.
What inspired Hinds' "New For You" music video?
When we first started touring, and still now, the first thing that a taxi driver asks us when we get off a plane is where we are from. When we tell them (Madrid, Spain), it’s, “Barça o Real Madrid?”. We took this thing so close to our culture and country that felt inaccessible to us and made it ours. Cc (Carlotta Cosials) had this idea of bringing all of our friends together, shooting a game, and showing how normal it would be to see girls and boys play together.
What football teams do you support?
Nottingham Forest!
When did you start making football art? What kind of football art do you have the most fun making?
Well, for the past 3 years, I’ve been learning more about football than I had before. No one in my family was really into it when I was younger, but I actually started dating my boyfriend “because of” football.
He is a director from England and works in the football industry. He has shot everyone like Messi and Beckham, and is named after two football players. His whole body is covered in football shit. So yeah, football is a big deal for him. When he saw our (“New For You”) music video, he contacted our team to be featured on Soccerbible. We met on that shoot in London!
Anyways, I started making football art because of him. I got to go to a lot of games, and create great memories in stadiums, pubs, and gardens with his family and friends. My second painting was an English team flag adaptation that I did for his birthday, and one of my personal favorite painting is “Keane’s closet”. It’s a compilation of jerseys he wears everyday, and some vintage ones I found online (that are probably fake). I am very attracted to football jerseys: the patterns, colors, shapes, and logos. It blows my mind how different and creative some of them are. I always pay attention to them so naturally I wanted to include them in my art.
(On the left, Ana's England painting and on the right, "Keane's closet")
Out of all the songs that Hinds has written, which Hinds song would you like for a football club to play in a stadium or before a game? Would Hinds ever write a song for a football club?
I think “Riding Solo” would work well. And of course we’d love to write a song!
Outside of Hinds, would you ever want to design football clothes or accessories for a club? What about a Hinds jersey?
Yeeeees! I’m secretly wishing that after I show the design I did for Horizon’s United Football Club, someone hires me to design more kits lol
I would love to see one of my designs worn by fans.
We (Hinds) design all the Hinds merch, and the more special the idea, the better. We’ve designed condoms, reusable water bottles, beer openers, Spanish playing cards, and etc. We are open to everything!
You are really passionate about the planet, environment, and sustainability. Do you think football can be more sustainable or eco-conscious? Environmentally wise, what would you like to see changed in football? How do you think we can all contribute to it?
Everything could and should be more eco-conscious. Live football is pretty similar to live music because it’s a big gathering of people drinking and enjoying themselves. I always hate to see how many single-use and non-recyclable plastic cups are wasted every day. I think it should be illegal. They should be replaced by reusable ones that people pay for. For example, Glastonbury does that; you pay some pounds to get it, you keep it, and use it all night. If you give it back, they give you your money back. This avoids waste because random people would pick up the cups of the lazy/irresponsible ones, and make money!
Do you feel as if you are taken seriously? Do you feel seen, heard, and valued as a female football fan? What else do you want to see changed in football?
I think so. I’m still not the biggest fan compared to everyone around me, so I don’t know if I’m able to talk about this properly. I would love to see more female players, on prime time TV, and see both men and women supporting them.
I was incredibly shocked when I found out how many insults Cristiano received on the field because of rumors of him being gay. I cannot believe how homophobic the industry is. It’s to the point where no (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and etc.) football player has come out of the closet (I’m sorry but it’s impossible that 100% of them are heterosexual). It’s like the worst representation of the hetero-patriarchy society we live in - it makes me sick.
I was also disgusted to see the racism that came after England losing the Euros final. If the unity of football is only for straight white cis men, I’m out baby! We need to change that!
What does soccer mean to you?
Soccer means family to me. We enjoy soccer as a gathering. It’s an excuse to get together.