Finbar Hoban Presents… welcomes Dublin alternative noise makers Girl Band to the Garbo’s venue in Castlebar on Saturday night January 23.
2015 was a momentous year for Girl Band. At the year’s start their potent mix of groove and shattered guitar noise was the subject of excited whispers coming from those plugged into the Irish underground. By the autumn they had released their debut album Holding Hands With Jamie on Rough Trade to acclaim from The Guardian, NME, NPR, Vice, and more, and were being named one of the best new bands of 2015 by Stereogum and one of the best rock bands active today by SPIN.
The band's album Holding Hands with Jamie, comes a few years into their tenure; a few years after their first tour, which saw them for nine days crammed into a Fiat Panda; a few years of stamping 7" sleeves to sell at merchandise tables and mail-order; a few years of writing songs, touring, and developing a live ferocity unmatched by nearly anyone. The album was recorded in April 2015, two days after returning home from their first US tour, the nine tracks making up Holding Hands with Jamie capture, more than any previous recordings, the tension and abrasive energy of a Girl Band performance.
Girl Band make a mockery of comparisons, because you can only get as far as "oh this bit sounds like–" before a guitar scuff-screams, the bass crunches like a car in a bailing press, or something else visceral and glorious comes from the speakers, and the thought is erased. One look at the new video for “Baloo” from their Rough Trade session and it is easy to see why the band have been the subject of such adoration. The quartet harnesses existential anxiety and wields it like a weapon, crafting a captivating cacophony.
Also on the night expect to see Jet Setter while opening the night's proceedings is Galway outfit Music For Dead Birds. Tickets for Girl Band live at Garbo’s are now on sale and are available through Downtown Records and Hogs Heaven Bar in Castlebar, for further info visit www.finbarhobanpresents.com
