Horror, monsters, and Rock n’ Roll. Half Girl is a band that wasn’t born yesterday. Still, it took a while before their first real record was released. But now “All Tomorrow’s Monsters” is here and it’s making a lot of noise.
What did Stereo Total sing so ironically? “The woman in the music always annoys!”. And that is just the cliche that Half Girl took to heart. Because it is clear that this female quartet has absolutely no interest in denying their feminism. And that is a very good thing. But it took a while for the band to really find their way. Not that they weren’t always feminist, but the lineup wasn’t quite right.
FOUR WOMEN, ONE GOAL
Julie Miess founded Half Girl in 2009. The ex Britta bassist brought the Louise Pop guitarist Vera Kopf, the drummer Anna Leena Lutz from Die Heiterkeit, and Jens Friebe on board. Three years later Jens was replaced with the Pop Tarts bassist Julia Wilton. The only reason given for that change was a mysterious reference to “amorous tendencies”. Whatever that might mean. In the end it doesn’t really matter, though, because with that lineup change the band finally found their true identity.
That identity? Rock n’ roll mixed with 1950’s naïveté and a hint of horror. The horror comes from band leader Miess, who spent many years academically examining the themes of women and horror. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that Half Girl likes to refer to themselves as a group of monsters. Not because they are frightening, but because of the outsider role women in the music business play. Particularly women who write feminist lyrics.
The politics on “All Tomorrow’s Monster’s” is a gentle one, though. Like on the ironic track, “Lemmy, I’m a Feminist”. A song dedicated to Lemmy Kilmister, the deceased frontman from Motörhead. Although Miess and her bandmates are fans, it’s clearly despite Lemmy’s questionable attitudes toward women. And then there is “Girl in a Band”. A track that shows how scandalous women in music can be when they don’t live up to the typical feminine ideal.
Musically, the band rocks and grooves along to their lyrics. The surf-guitar sound plays an important role in establishing their retro sound. Their melodies are vaguely reminiscent of rockabilly bands like the B-52’s or the Cramps, although Half Girl don’t play anywhere near as fast as the latter. And then their is the bands humour, which is obvious in songs like “Bootyman”. A song that isn’t just ironically sung, but is based on a joke. “All Tomorrow’s Monsters” is an album that makes it clear that the band doesn’t just fit together well, but that they were able to make their vision a reality.
Adapted from the German (Anne-Marie Darok) by Dave Dempsey
Half Girl live
2016-09-20 GER – Oberhausen, Druckluft
2016-09-21 GER – Lüneburg, Anna und Arthur
2016-09-22 GER – Hamburg, Hafenklang
2016-09-23 GER – Berlin, Ausland
2016-09-29 GER – Karlsruhe, Kohi
2016-09-30 GER – Nürnberg, K4
2016-10-01 GER – Leipzig, Handstand und Moral
2016-10-12 GER – Schorndorf, Club Manufaktur
2016-10-13 GER – Freiburg, Slowclub
2016-10-14 GER – Kassel, Goldgrube
2016-10-15 GER – Köln, Privat
2016-10-16 GER – Offenbach, Hafen 2
2017-01-11 GER – München, Unter Deck
2017-01-12 GER – Regensburg, Alte Mälzerei
2017-01-13 AUT – Wels, Alter Schlachthof
2017-01-14 AUT – St. Pölten, Vinzenz Pauli
2017-01-15 AUT – Feldkirch, Graf Hugo
2017-01-16 AUT – Innsbruck, Weekender
2017-01-17 AUT – Graz, Sub
2017-01-18 AUT – Wien, rhiz