Girlinky - London Verge, 17/1/2003

  by Olga Sladeckova

published: 16 / 1 / 2003

intro

Energetic and vigorous, Girlinky are one of the rising indiepop bands on the current London indepedent scene. With vocalist and keyboardist Sarah away in New Zealand, Olga Sladeckova finds them finding a unique way of dealing with the problem...

Girlinky are an up-and-coming band on the current London scene, patiently but effectively collecting fans with every new gig that they play. On January 17th the band visited the music venue the Verge in Kentish Town in London to meet their fans and to hopefully recruit a few more. The Verge looks a bit bleak from the outside, but as you walk in things become much brighter . A fully stocked bar runs alongside the left hand wall, and a DJ spins records by the likes of Lee Hazlewood and Primal Scream. Fans are already beginning to gather in the back of the hall. The stage is situated in a corner and with no lights seems a little isolated at first, but by 9:30 the musicians have begun to start to set up for tonight's show. There is a wave of excitement when, as the clock hits 9:45, Girlinky come on to the stage. 'I Dare You to Make Me Happy' the band challenge us with their first song. The lead voice comes from behind the drum kit where Rob plays as he sings. Scott and Chris stroke their guitars in the front of the stage, as lights flash wildly above them The audience remains largely at the back at the moment, but as more fans enter the hall and start to get into the music, it begins to move closer towards the stage. The second song, 'Swimmingly', comes from the band's forthcoming album 'I Want The Tsunami!'. "When I ask her questions she tells me everything she does." Scott sings, taking over on lead vocals. Even though there is no one playing a keyboard, its clear sound echoes across the room. We find out the explanation for that later. A later song 'Dunedin' starts very cautiously. On this slower tune, the keyboards are more prominent and the guitars remain in the background. Before it comes to the next song, 'Newspaper Round', Girlinky explain to us that they are actually missing a member of the band tonight. Sarah, the keyboardist, is away working in New Zealand where she originally comes from. "But she is with us in electronic spirit!" adds Rob, pointing to a sequencer at the side of the stage and explaining all those keyboard sounds. The audience is now spread right across around the concert hall. The fans in the front give in and enthusiastically dance to the music. The band has been playing for nearly 30 minutes now. Rob calls out the next song 'Kim Deal Called Me a Pussy', the last original number by Girlinky for tonight. We are also all invited to the album launch at the Verge on the 21st February. Vigorous guitars strike up at the beginning of the song creating a colourful sound. In the quieter spaces the sound of the keyboard stands out. The actual very last song of tonight's set, however, is 'Bugs', a cover of an old song by Spare Snare. Girlinky squeeze the last drops of energy out of their instruments and bring the set to a complete finish. See you on the 21st Feb! Set list: I Dare You to Make Me Happy Swimmingly Mr Convoluted Dunedin The Dedicated Lounger My Huge Head Hai Wakarimashita Newspaper Round Kim Deal Called Me a Pussy Bugs

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