She spent six years studying architecture at University College London and a year working in a practice

She spent six years studying architecture at University College London and a year working in a practice (her father is renowned structural engineer Willem Frischmann). At university she became romantically linked with fellow student Brett Anderson and briefly joined his band Suede. She left him to form her own band Elastica, and to go out with Blur’s Damon Albarn, a relationship that lasted eight years. In 1995, Elastica released their eponymously titled début album, which was a huge hit here and in the States. After touring constantly for two years, the band returned to Britain. Bass player Annie Holland left, Justine and guitarist Donna Matthews had a public falling out amid rumours of drug abuse, and Justine and Damon split up.

In 1999 Blur released 13, an album which dissected the relationship; this led to a public tit-for-tat between the two. In April, Elastica released their second album, The Menace.
How much is performing on stage a substitute for sexual activity? Nicholas E Gough, Swindon I don’t think it is at all. It’s a way of communicating and for me that’s something I don’t know how to get across without being in a band. It’s sad you have to see it that way – like a woman has to do it because she’s sexually frustrated. It’s kind of weird.Who, in your opinion, were the most important bands of the Nineties? Rachel Townsend, Chorlton The Manchester stuff at the beginning of the Nineties – the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays, particularly the Mondays. Blur and Suede were important in their time in the mid-Nineties, but it’s hard for me to be objective about that.I guess Oasis as well, much as I wasn’t keen on them.

The NME realised it had the power to push a new band and make them really big, and found Oasis who were perfect – easy-to-understand, simple melodies, and cliched rock’n'roll posing. Unfortunately they were too dreary for the mantle they were given, so the whole thing collapsed in on itself. And in their wake lots of other dreary bands followed – Ocean Colour Scene, Travis, Stereophonics…Are you pleased with the reception given to The Menace? Eddie Maxwell, Rochester I was aware before I put the record out that I was in for a hammering I had a sense of just having to go for it and bite my lip. As I expected, an awful lot of the press for The Menace has been more about the baggage that went with the record rather than the record itself. Most of the bad reviews were personal – all about my private life – and a couple of really bad ones went into the relationship with my ex, who my parents were and stuff like that.But I feel like this record marks the end of it. From now on my personal life is irrelevant: I haven’t got anyone famous in my life now, and when we release our next record it will be something I will refuse to talk about.Do you ever talk to Donna? And is there any chance you’ll ever play with her again? Gabby, by e-mail Donna came on stage with us at our last London gig.