Girl Band (Irish band)

Girl Band are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 2011, the group is composed of vocalist Dara Kiely, guitarist Alan Duggan, bassist Daniel Fox and drummer Adam Faulkner.

Girl Band
Girl Band at the Horn in 2014
Background information
OriginDublin, Ireland
Genres
Years active2011–present
Labels
Associated actsHarrows
Websitegirlband.ie
Members
  • Dara Kiely
  • Alan Duggan
  • Daniel Fox
  • Adam Faulkner

History

Formation and early years (2011–13)

Prior to Girl Band, Dara Kiely, Alan Duggan and Daniel Fox played in the indie rock band Harrows[4][5][6] alongside vocalist Ben Wadel and guitarist Kevin Towey.[7] Harrows was formed when the members were in secondary school at the age of 16 and was described by Kiely and Fox as "a shit version of the Strokes".[8] Harrows were not signed to any label whilst active[7] and have uploaded what little songs they have online, on sites such as YouTube and Myspace.[7][9] The band self-made a music video for their track "Leave Again".[10] Kiely played drums in Harrows and it was not until after Harrows disbanded that he attempted singing.[5]

Girl Band was formed in Dublin in July 2011[6] by vocalist Dara Kiely, guitarist Alan Duggan, bassist Daniel Fox and drummer Adam Faulkner.[4] In April 2012 Girl Band released their debut single "In My Head", through Any Other City Records. The song gave the band a name by gaining the band some attention from internet bloggers.[11]

The band followed up their debut single with an EP which was recorded live and produced by the band. This EP was titled France 98 and was released through Any Other City. Both the band's debut single and EP were released as a free download on the band's Bandcamp page.[12][13] Following this, Girl Band recorded a cover of "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?" by techno artist Blawan,[14] which furthered their reputation and expanded their fan base, setting them up for a handful of UK tour dates throughout April 2013.[11]

Rough Trade Records and debut album (2014–2015)

Throughout 2014 the band released a number of limited 7" singles through Any Other City. In December 2014 Girl Band signed to Rough Trade Records.[13] The deal with Rough Trade came about when the founder of the label, Geoff Travis saw the band perform live numerous times,[4][6] which eventually led to the label getting in touch with the band. The label wanted to "facilitate what [the band was] doing [at the time] on a bigger scale".[5][13] Girl Band felt really comfortable with the offer and the way it was set out and accepted. Girl Band got full creative control and produced their own records.[4]

In February 2015, Girl Band announced their first US tour and their first release through Rough Trade, this release was titled The Early Years.[14] On April 21, 2015 Girl Band released The Early Years, the EP contained material such as the band's 2014 singles released on Any Other City and their popular Blawan cover, "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?".

On September 2015, Girl Band released their debut album Holding Hands With Jamie, through Rough Trade. The album was recorded at Bow Lane Studios in Dublin and self-produced by the band.[15]

The Talkies (2019-present)

In June 2019, Girl Band released "Shoulderblades", their first single in four years.[16] A second single titled "Going Norway" followed in August 2019.[17]These songs are the singles for the bands second album The Talkies, which was released by Rough Trade on 27 September.[16]

Musical style

The band has received numerous positive reviews over their debut album; Pitchfork positively stated, "Dara Kiely brings heavy vibes and great songs to Girl Band's new album. Should you laugh? Holding Hands With Jamie is as discomfiting as Kiely’s mental state".[18] The Guardian dubbed the band "Full of sound and fury" and stated "This Irish four-piece howls at you from the very start, an unbroken series of thumping, crashing songs strewn with fractured, imagistic lyrics".[19] Rolling Stone commented about Dara Kiely's vocal performance stating, "[Dara Kiely] sure sounds convincing. But he doesn't seem too shy about it, either – less like someone cowering embarrassedly in his room than a guy who's turned his fish-belly skin and concave abs into a creepy point of pride. That kind of confrontational, matter-of-fact ugliness is what this Irish post-punk crew does so well, torturing their instruments with dead-eyed precision and diabolical resolve. The dank, relentless music sounds like it was recorded in a meat locker under a fallout shelter". Rolling Stone also compared the band to Liars and Nick Cave's Birthday Party.[20]

Influences

When asked about influences in an interview with Stereogum drummer Adam Faulkner stated, "Most of the bands we get compared to we don’t really listen to. For ages, for like a whole year, we got compared to Mclusky, and none of us ever listened to it. And then we all did and were just like, Nah, don’t like it."[6] The band claim to have influences ranging from bands such as Bad Brains,[21] James Chance and the Contortions,[21] Neu!,[21] and The Chemical Brothers.[21]

Controversy

The band caused offense with their name, with some claiming it is misogynistic. In an interview with Noisey Fox responded to the backlash over the name:

"At the time of coming up with it, we didn’t really think about that kind of aspect of it and it was upsetting to have someone think that about you. I can see where people would be coming from but they are kind of inherently misunderstanding—I think if you met us as people you’d understand where it's coming from. It isn't a super ironic thing plus we are probably the least macho people, ever. Some people probably think we are taking the piss out of girls, which we are very much against. It was like “Look. We’re really against what you think where we’re coming from.” I’d really hate to think that we put any women off, or any people off. But you could only do what you do and if people choose to get offended, whether they are men or women, they are entitled to feel the way they feel about it."[8]

Band members
  • Dara Kiely – vocals
  • Alan Duggan – guitar
  • Daniel Fox – bass guitar
  • Adam Faulkner – drums

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected information
Title Details Peak chart positions
IRE
[22]		 UK
[23]
Holding Hands with Jamie 11—
The Talkies
  • Released: 27 September 2019
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: CD, LP
 11
[24]		73

EPs
List of extended plays, with selected information
Title EP details
France 98
The Early Years
  • Released: April 21, 2015
  • Label: Rough Trade
  • Formats: 12-inch, digital download, CD

Singles
List of singles, with selected information
Title Year Album
"In My Head" 2012 Non-album single
"The Cha Cha Cha" 2014 The Early Years
"Lawman"
"De Bom Bom"
"Pears for Lunch" 2015 Holding Hands With Jamie
"Paul"
"In Plastic" 2016
"Shoulderblades"[25] 2019 The Talkies
"Going Norway"[26]
"Salmon of Knowledge"[27]

Music videos

Title Year Director(s)
"Lawman" 2014 Second/Frame[28][29]
"De Bom Bom"
"Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?" 2015 Bob Gallagher[30][31][32][33][34][35]
"Paul"
"Pears for Lunch"
"In Plastic"
"Shoulderblades" 2019
"Going Norway"

Other appearances

Year Song Album Comments
2013 "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?" Quompilation #3[36] Cover of a 2012 Blawan song. Later released on The Early Years.

References
  1. "Girl Band's Batshit-Crazy Post-Punk Makes Them One of Today's Best Bands". Observer. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  2. Sullivan, Caroline (2014-01-16). "Girl Band – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  3. "Girl Band: Dublin indie-rockers with revolution in their heads". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  4. "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Shakedown The Breakdown: Girl Band Get Serious". The Quietus. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  5. "Music Interview: Girl Band". Totally Dublin. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  6. "Band To Watch: Girl Band". Stereogum. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  7. "Harrowsband". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  8. "Why a Group of All Dudes Named Themselves Girl Band - Noisey". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  9. "HARROWS". Myspace. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  10. "Harrows "Leave Again"". YouTube. 2008-11-15. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  11. "Girl Band | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  12. "Girl Band". Girl Band. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  13. Records, Rough Trade. "Rough Trade Records". Rough Trade Records. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  14. Records, Rough Trade. "Rough Trade Records". Rough Trade Records. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  15. Holding Hands With Jamie by Girl Band, retrieved 2017-01-08
  16. "Girl Band Announce New Album The Talkies, Share Video for New Song "Shoulderblades": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  17. Records, Rough Trade. "Girl Band - Going Norway 7"". Rough Trade Records.
  18. "Girl Band: Holding Hands With Jamie Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  19. MacInnes, Paul (2015-12-17). "Girl Band: Holding Hands with Jamie review – thumping, crashing sound and fury from Dublin punks". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  20. "Girl Band 'Holding Hands With Jamie' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  21. "Girl Band |". anyothercity.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  22. "Discography Girl Band". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  23. "Girl Band | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  24. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  25. "Girl Band are set to return this summer with their new single, 'Shoulderblades'". Dork. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  26. "Girl Band announce new single "Going Norway" with exclusive B-side "The Talkies"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
  27. "Girl Band - "Salmon Of Knowledge"". Stereogum. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  28. "Girl Band – "Lawman" Video (". Stereogum. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  29. "Watch: Girl Band – De Bom Bom". The Thin Air. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  30. "Girl Band – "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?" Video (NSFW)". Stereogum. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  31. "Girl Band – "Paul" Video". Stereogum. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  32. "Girl Band Resist Convention in 'Pears For Lunch' Video". Spin. 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  33. "Girl Band "In Plastic" (video)". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  34. Girl Band - "Shoulderblades" (Official Video), retrieved 2019-10-07
  35. Girl Band - Going Norway (Official Video), retrieved 2019-10-07
  36. "Quompilation #3, by Quarter Inch Collective". Quarter Inch Collective. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
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