Golden Grrrls- UK band fresh off their debut album for Slumberland Records, and Sea Lions (also on Slumberland), team up with newly-minted Philly band Literature (who’re scheduled to play NYC Popfest in May), and locals Royal Shoals, for a night of C86-inspired fun. Doors at 10, music at 10:30.
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Golden Grrrls
Glasgow, Scotland-based indie pop trio Golden Grrrls came together in the late 2000s as a time-killing bedroom music experiment between friends but quickly bloomed into a more realized band. Comprised at first of guitarist/lead vocalist Ruari MacLean, keyboardist Kate Manning, multi-instrumentalist Lorna Gilfedder, and drummer/lead vocalist Eilidh Rodgers, the band developed a sound rooted in the fuzzy indie pop of fellow Glaswegians from several eras, spanning from the ’80s and ’90s output of stalwarts like the Vaselines and the Pastels to contemporary popsmiths such as Veronica Falls. They chose their somewhat regrettable band name on a lark, solely because it was funny and idiotic-sounding to all the bandmembers. The band played shows locally and began releasing a string of limited-edition 7″ and cassette releases in February of 2011. They toured with Sea Lions as their profile grew, releasing a split 7″ with their tourmates just for the shows. Eventually Manning and Gilfedder left Golden Grrrls, and second guitarist/vocalist Rachel Aggs streamlined their lineup into trio form and helped move them toward a more concise pop sound that focused on all three members weaving vocal lines throughout their short, melodic tunes. A self-titled full-length album was released in early 2013 on Slumberland in the U.S. and Nightschool in the U.K., with a tour supporting Veronica Falls coinciding with the album’s release.
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Literature
In their brief time together, Literature (recent transplants from Austin, TX to Philadelphia) have released a two singles, a full length album (which was cited bythe Pains of Being Pure at Heart as being one of their favorite albums of 2012), performed at SXSW, played with the likes of Ted Leo, Pissed Jeans, Hospitality, and recorded a song for Esopus Magazine. They are about to NYC Popfest alongside The Bats, Close Lobsters, The School, and more of their idols. They are also planning to tour the UK in the Fall of 2013.
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Sea Lions
When Adrian Pillado formed Sea Lions in 2007, he wasn’t really sure what it would be. His influences were something of a musical snowstorm, involving Crass, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Orange Juice, and K Records’ flagship band Beat Happening. In the beginning, it was just Adrian singing and playing guitar, with his best friend Pat playing drums. Both had a history in Oxnard’s D.I.Y. punk scene, but something new was starting to happen in that town. A group of young kids had been listening to a lot of K, Postcard, Sarah, Creation, and (naturally) Slumberland records; new bands started forming, and bands that were previously more into punk and noise started working in these new influences. Maria’s Eric Bellow started YAY! records to document the Sound of Young Oxnard, and Sea Lions fit right in on the roster. The early days of Sea Lions were a learning curve, Adrian and Pat crashing and bashing their way through songs, often stumbling upon something beautiful in the process. Still, something was missing; a full band? more time to woodshed? They were always just teetering on the edge of something great, but when would it come?
That greatness came one night at the cooler than cool L.A. indie club Part Time Punks. They had recently added a second guitarist, and a bass player… and they killed. Adrian had really grown as a songwriter, the songs were still shambolic, but they were also assertive and direct. They were in a race to the end of each song, and were running that race with swagger. They thrilled the full time punks in the crowd with a cover of Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown,” and wowed us Northern Soul junkies with a downright saucy cover of the Freda Payne classic, “Band of Gold.” There was the exact point at which you could say, “Ladies and gentlemen, Sea Lions!”
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Royal Shoals
Royal Shoals features former members of The Ropers (Slubmerland, Teen Beat), Saturday People (Slumberland), Public Record (High Two Records) and Motor (Captain Cape). Their first EP, Dirty Water, was recorded with Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, War on Drugs, Pink Skull) and is available as a pay-what-you-wish download at www.royalshoals.com.
