GIRLS NAMES
irls Names have been around for about seven years, and their sound has moved swiftly from dreamy surf pop to their current vibe, post rock
indie with some well crafted lyrics. From Belfast, they’ve chosen to take a bit of a different route through the music industry. Vocalist and main man Cathal told me about starting a band where no one could play any instruments, and how not moving to London has actually played in their favour.
When did you first start getting into music yourself, and what were you doing before Girls Names got together? I’ve always loved music from being a kid onwards, but progressed and got really into it in my later teens. Before the band musically I wasn’t doing a whole lot, I DJ’d around town now and again with a friend. I worked in film and TV actually, and I still dip in and out of it now. None of you could really play any instruments before Girls Names existed. How have you managed to become a valid and successful band so effectively?
16 / February 2016/
outlineonline.co.uk
With a bit of luck I think! It’s been seven years since our first gig, which is a long enough time for a band to progress. It helps that being in Belfast you’re left to your own devices and we’re not really sucked into the middle of the music industry, we’re on the outskirts a bit. We’ve had the time to nurture our sound a little bit. Have you deliberately stayed in Belfast rather than move to London? Yeah, well it was never really an option in our case. We do go over there in fact I’m going this weekend, but the idea of living there as a musician doesn’t really
appeal to me as it’s such a struggle and it’s not worth it. It wasn’t that we set out to be professional musicians or to do this long term, we were just winging it. So the old option of going to London to ‘make it’ or whatever never really appealed to us. I think it’s outdated anyway. Yeah I guess you managed to get your debut EP released by a New York record label without moving to London. I know, that gave us a push and also made us realise we didn’t need to move; if you’ve got the Internet, your music can go anywhere. What have you learnt from the other bands you have toured with? You do pick things up, definitely. It’s interesting. Sometimes you pick up musical things but more life skills and how to balance your normal and tour life and how to finance yourself.
I’m going to ask you where you got your name from even though that must be an irritating question! Ha ha, yeah! It’s a nonsense name really. It just goes to show how this was all
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