Sounds on the Ground #1: An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump
By: Dan Monsell
What's the deal?: Gosh, these girls are cool. The trio of black-clad females who make up Experiment... go by the alias' of C-Bird, D-Bird and X-Bird, and are named collectively (though presumably not individually) after a famous eighteenth century oil painting. Musically it's minimal, dark and raw rock, even surf rock of sorts - although substitute any kind of beach these guys would play on with a decrepit underground cavernous pit with a bar in the corner, or a fashion show after party, and you're more along the right lines.
In short, they're like a goth-punk version of 60s beat girl group living in East London circa 2009 (think guitars slung around a punked-up Shangri Las wearing black), and they are just as great as that sounds.
It's probably most obvious to comment on the downright coolness of these stylishly presented femme-rockers, who along with the likes of Ipso Facto, O.Children, Kasms and a troop of others have been making waves in what we can cack-handedly label as music and fashion movement rife in East London. It's a scene that predominately references previous Goth, no wave and grunge scenes of yesteryear and seems particularly healthy at the moment.
However if we do our job properly and dig a little below the surface of this more ostensibly apparent stuff, the thing about the Experiment that's most interesting is that there seems to be a great hard-working punk ethos to what they do. The play shows almost every week - happily paying their dues and doing gigs for the love of playing rather than establishing some kind of industry game plan. Through doing this they've simply just gathered more attention as they've gone on. Why? Because they're great, people are starting to realise. Old school or what?
They ain't just doing things like they used to be done though. The band also blog incessantly about how great Nirvana, Fugazi and all their friends' bands are. Plus they post their dark introverted lyrics up online. It almost feels like Seattle's grunge scene in a brave new world. What's not to like? Given the chance, it seems likely they'd make an awesome album and could be a really great and interesting prospect in the future. We'd say get on that love train nice and check 'em out now. It takes a hell of a lot to play a two-note riff and not leave people bored. But if you've got a bit of meaning and genuine rawness and depth like these girls, it just don't seem that hard at all.
What can I listen to?: The Bird's debut EP These Sins on Trouble Records (Crystal Castles, Kasms) is out now, and you can buy it directly from the band's myspace. Said Internet space is www.myspace.com/anexperimentonabirdintheairpump - and make sure you check out their brilliant cover of Sonic Youth's '100%' whilst you're at that.
When can I see them?:
Take your pick, if you live in London there's an absolute ton of opportunities in the next couple of months...
17 Jan ARTROCKER FESTIVAL ISLINGTON ACADEMY, LONDON
22 Jan HOXTON B&G w/SELFISH CUNT, ULTERIOR & Electricity in Our Homes
24 Jan WIRED RADIO SHOW w/NOT COOL GOLDSMITHS STUDENT UNION
29 Jan ARTROCKER BRIGHTON
5 Feb 2009 LADYFEST 2009 GOLDSMITHS STUDENT UNION, LONDON
7 Feb 2009 STAY BEAUTIFUL 8TH BIRTHDAY PARTY Purple Turtle CAMDEN
19 Feb w/PARTS & LABOR CARGO, LONDON
20 Feb FIERCE PANDA 15TH BIRTHDAY PARTY w/THE WALKMEN, HATCHAM SOCIAL & EIOH THE SCALA, LONDON
We all know music peaked in 1994, so give me a sound-bite about how they could we compare them to some obscure Britpop band - Think Republica, only without the boys, exclusively wearing black and shouting from the underground rather than those rooftops.