THE GIRLS admit that a diverse array of sound has influenced their musical repertoire. Born into the Children of God cult, band member Christopher Owens says he spent his childhood travelling the globe, attending prayer sessions and busking in the street.
It was in the cult that he learned to perform, and it was here that he was subjected to a rich mix of original music composed within the community. Some specially sanctioned popular music such as the Everly Brothers and the Fleetwoods was allowed and when he reached adolescence some rebellious older teens exposed him to Guns ‘n Roses and Michael Jackson.
Quickly after meeting, group members Christopher Owens and JR White began to spend all their time together, eventually sharing an apartment and even knocking down a wall that divided their rooms. As Owens’ openhearted songs began to take shape, JR White was on hand to arrange the perfect musical backdrop. “I have these visions of grandeur, where I want to hire string sections and timpani, and really go for it like in the 60s’,” says White, “But we were doing it in our bedrooms. We mainly recorded onto reel-to-reel tape, and also on an old computer that shut down on us in the middle of the session. All sorts of variables made the recordings sound like they do.”
Album is a song cycle about the various characters and desires that colour Owens’ and White’s lives. Each song tells a story, some heartbreaking and some hopeful, some mischievous and others plaintive, but always honest. A surprisingly assured debut, Album pays tribute to the majesty of great pop music and the redemptive powers of rock and roll.
Girls with special guest Daithi O'Dronaí, Tuesday August 24, Róisín Dubh @ 9pm Tickets €10.
