Northern Ireland’s Gender Chores are hopping over to London to play a LOUD WOMEN night on 9 Feb (with Ill, The Hysterical Injury and I, Doris – a night not to be missed!). We got to know them (Soph, Sam and AJ) a bit better by asking them 10 questions …
Who would you most like to cover one of your songs?
Soph: I’d love to see St Vincent shred Territory
If you could add one member to your band – any person, living or dead, musical or otherwise – who would it be, and what would they play?
Kathleen Hanna on the bass for some original RiotGrrrl angst!
What was the last song you wrote, where were you when you came up with the idea, what inspired it, and how did it turn out?
Sam: ‘Isobel’ is the newest unreleased track. I came up with the idea just chilling in my house last week. It’s inspired by my granny Izzy who recently passed away; I wrote it in tribute to her and the strong women of her time who laid the groundwork for modern feminism. It’s still an acoustic track that we need to build on, watch this space!
Which was your favourite gig you’ve a) played and b) watched?
a) Punkoween with Strange New Places and Sister Ghost in the Oh Yeah Centre. It was our first ever live performance and we couldn’t have asked for a more supportive audience or a more welcoming and talented line up!
b) Courtney Barnett in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin was an incredible performance by one of our favourite rockers! We also loved Rude Health in the Limelight, a bill made of mostly local artists and fantastically showcased the talent across Ireland.
Recommend a record you think our readers might not have heard of.
We would all recommend Susie Blue “Didn’t Mean to Care”- check out the track “People Like Us”. The album promotes a wonderful message and we love their musical style. (Also check out Soaks’ 2015 debut, ‘Before we forgot how to dream’, she’s releasing a new album this year and we can’t wait!)
What’s your best piece of advice for young musicians?
(Soph, channelling RuPaul): As young musicians ourselves (24 isn’t that old, right?) we would openly admit we don’t know everything! One piece of advice we would offer is this: unless them bitches pay your bills, pay them bitches no mind.
Your top 3 most beloved albums ever – go.
AJ: Goldfrapp– Felt Mountain
Sam: Courtney Barnett– Tell Me How You Really Feel
Soph: Sleater-Kinney– The Woods
What are your musical goals?
Smash the fucking patriarchy
What’s the most important thing we need to know about you/your band right now?
Watch out for our upcoming EP and loads more shows in the next few months!
Give your top 5 contemporary bands/musicians:
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
Sister Ghost
Pillow Queens
CHERYM
Roe
Strange New Places
Ireland right now is a musical hub, there are so many incredible up-and-coming artists and these are just a small few! We have had the honour of playing with them or watching them live and think everyone should know who they are. It’s so inspiring to see that amidst budget cuts for arts funding, and political turmoil, our local music scene is blossoming.
Find Gender Chores on Facebook and catch them live in London on 9 Feb, with Ill, The Hysterical Injury and I, Doris. Don’t miss!
LOUD WOMEN 