Girls Names @ NAC
Frankly, I could have watched this band all night
A blustery Sunday in February welcomed Girls Names to Norwich for their tour in support of most recent album Arms Around a Vision. After some pretty relentless listening in recent weeks it’s fair to say I was excited as I stepped into the Arts Centre.
Arriving just as Dog’s Dinner launched into their first song I was struck by their improvement since I had last seen them a few months ago. Channelling their inner Eagulls they certainly went for it. New track Hold My Head in My Hands is well worth experiencing (for all of its 10 second entirety) and I’m certainly interested to see what they come up with in the future. A good start to the evening indeed.
Appearing next on the stage was Gross Net. The opener was a dense, electro tune with a pretty foreboding undercurrent running through it. As powerful as it was, it served as a great introduction to the rest of the performance. The appearance of the guitar changed the course of the set with a huge wall of sound being created (excellent). This was an impressive show considering there was just one person on stage. The standout track for me being Die Kunst Der Blinden which I can only describe as something like an industrial, electro Prayers for Rain by The Cure. Screaming the last bars of the final song amongst the crowd was a great way to end this set and I’ll definitely be checking out more of Gross Net’s stuff.
As Girls Names took to the stage, the crowd finally made their way to the barrier (the first time I’ve ever seen one at the Arts Centre). What followed I can only describe as an hour of live music perfection. I was immediately and totally hooked. Each and every song had me locked into a groove and made me feel like I could listen to each riff over and over and over and over. The effect created was a trance like hypnotism from which you were only pulled out of by some powerful vocals from Cathal only to wilfully descend into the maelstrom again as he stopped. The band, Claire on bass, Philip (of Gross Net) on Guitar and Gib on drums, were seriously good. They were tight and complemented each other fantastically, allowing massive psych like soundscapes to seem effortlessly created.
The crowds’ appreciation for the band seemed to grow after every tune. With magnificent renditions of A Hunger Artist, Desire Oscillations and the soaring Reticence is wasn’t hard to see why. Each song had pieces that reminded me of other bands, namely Nick Cave, Joy Division and Swans but each were distinctly and uniquely Girls Names. It was so refreshing to see a band performing songs that they so clearly enjoyed performing, but also giving the songs the time to develop and breathe and not be constrained to fitting within 3 or 4 minute structures. The abundance of six minute plus songs made this evening what it was. Seeing the band so obviously playing off each other, enjoying themselves and having the freedom to let loose as they did is exactly what I dig at gigs. The epic closing salvo of the powerful I Was You and New Life brought everything into sharp focus and it was at this time I realised I had seen something special. Frankly, I could have watched this band all night.
It didn’t matter the wind had died down by the time I left, I had been blown away already. Here’s hoping Girls Names make a swift return.
