Our Girl

Name, where are you from?
Soph - from London!
Lauren - from Hitchin, Hertfordshire originally, now living in London.
Hey, I'm Josh, from Weston-Super-Mare.

Describe your style in three words?
L: Comfortable, minimal, classic.
S: Comfy patterned shirts.
J: Plain, loose, classic.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
L: Probably seeing Arcade Fire at Reading Festival. It was a spiritual experience, just so emotional and raw and exciting, it was very life-affirming.
S: I saw Adrienne Lenker, and Buck Meek from the band Big Thief perform a set together, and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever watched/listened to. It moved me more than any live performance I can remember seeing!
J: Fleet Foxes at Brixton Academy, have always been a fan but never got to see them until they toured their latest album this year, got to see them in London and from the first note it was absolutely captivating. Well thought out and rich arrangements felt like a very special moment.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
L: Warpaint - they are just so cool, Stella Mozgawa is one of my favourite drummers, and I just love their energy they have as a band together and that they aren't afraid to just jam and figure stuff out together. They're also all insanely talented, there is no weak link in that lineup! And Fleetwood Mac this band and all its different forms mean a lot to me, but I'd have to pick the Nicks/Buckingham Fleetwood Mac for this. Stevie Nicks is my all time favourite, watch videos of her when she first joins Fleetwood Mac, she is the most electrifying performer.
S: I’d agree on Warpaint. I always wanted to be a musician growing up, but Warpaint made me really wanna be in a band. The way they come together as a unit and seem to jam and play off each other, I find really admirable and special. I'd also love to be on a line up with The Beach Boys, so we could go and watch them after playing and sing our hearts out. OR ABBA!!
J: Firstly Sigur Ros because they put on an incredible, rich and diverse show that is very emotive, and secondly Deerhunter because they're such a great band, their live show is very hypnotic, and all of the sounds are very unique.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
L: Over the years I've been influenced by a lot of different subcultures, mostly because of the music associated with them. I studied musical subcultures and sociology at university, and I wrote my dissertation on the genre and subculture definition of Shoegaze music!
J: I’m not sure if there's been a specific movement or anything but I moved to Brighton and spent five years there in what turned out to be a very exciting time for the city in terms of new bands, live music and national attention - I think it always is there but it felt like quite a fresh wave of music. Getting to know people in different bands or following a creative lifestyle was definitely influential on me.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
L: George Harrison. I'd love to talk to him about him about lots of things - music, meditation, spirituality, Indian music and culture - maybe he could give me a quick sitar lesson.
S: It would be super interesting to go back in time and talk to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was an amazing blues guitarist in the '30s/'40s, I think people called her the godmother of rock & roll... she's awesome.
J: Edward Thomas, who was a nature and first world war writer and poet, I'm reading about him and his work at the moment, and he is often hailed as the grandfather of 20th Century British poetry.

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
L: I really enjoyed playing Shepherd's Bush Empire, we had a bit of Spinal Tap moment where we got lost trying to get to the stage from the dressing room - haha!
S: Yeah Shepherd’s Bush was one of my faves too. It was at the end of a tour supporting our friend Marika Hackman, and we’d had a great time and really felt in the swing of playing live every night. Another fave was our own show at Moth Club in London. The crowd were amazing, and it felt like a special evening for us!
J: It'd have to be Shepherd's Bush Empire, it's a beautiful old building and it felt exhilarating to play to such a big crowd. Kind of an out of body experience I'd say, I don't really remember doing it.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
L: I would say Meg White actually! She was the first woman I'd ever seen play the drums, and that was very inspiring for the 11yr old me.
J: It would have to be Nick Drake, even though he's become much more of a sung hero in the last 20 years or so thankfully.

Our Girl are a London/Brighton trio that originally featured in our British New Wave 2017 feature, in August 2018 they released their debut album 'Stranger Today' which you can purchase here.