Girls - HMV Forum 28/05/12

Having never seen Girls before and being a pretty big fan, I've heard that they're absolutely amazing live and was not expecting any less and I definitely wasn't disappointed when I went down to their only UK show this year at the HMV forum. Before Girls took to the stage, support band Weird Dreams, basically a toned-down and less captivating version of Girls - ambled through a set that felt a lot longer than it probably was as each song merged into the next, creating one long song. What didn't help was that Weird Dreams were so low-energy and largely failed to arouse any interest from the crowd. It's safe to say that everyone was waiting for Christopher Owens and co. to hit the stage and blow everyone away. 

Over half an hour of anticipation follows before Girls hit the stage and Christopher Owens is decked out in a white suit and tie - complementing the array of beautiful flowers attached to each microphone stand. Having seen pictures of previous live shows and photos of Owens next to flowers, this came as no surprise but was still equally as lovely. Starting off slow, they open with 'My Ma' and the crowd instantly comes alive as soon as the first note is played, showing their appreciation right from the off. 

A few older songs follow including 'Ghost Mouth' and 'Laura' which come as nice surprises since it's only fair to expect recent material from their incredible second album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. By this point, Owens has already taken off his jacket, feeling the heat as summer has newly sprung upon us. Throughout the first half of the set, Owens barely shakes his hair out of his face and avoids eye contact with the crowd, only graciously but meekly saying 'Thank you' after each song - a humble gesture from someone who exudes such power and emotion through his songs. He leaves the talking to his band mate J.R White who shares a few words about the last time they played a show in London. 

When it comes to 'Vomit', the crowd is completely enraptured in Girls' live show, dancing and singing along the words as the most indescribable rendition is going on in the foreground; and the gospel singers really come into their stride as one comes forward and belts out her part - sounding even more soulful and vivid in real life than on record. The three backing gospel vocalist serve as hype women throughout as they encourage the crowd to clap and dance along to each song, even when they're not participating in the song with their flawless harmonies. The raptures of applause that ensues is astounding as it feels like the praise carries on for a long time, whilst Owens subtly smiles to himself at the reaction and gets a well deserved break in between songs. 

'Morning Light' causes a moshpit at the front of the crowd, as they have much more energy than would be expected in the sudden sweltering heat in London. Girls bring out more older songs than expected but this is welcomed profusely by the crowd who no doubt are eager to hear a mix of the three outputs from the San Francisco band. Unsurprisingly, by 'Lust For Life', the barely audible sing-a-longs to songs have turned into a mass sing-a-long in the Forum, 'Oh, I wish I had a boyfriend. I wish I had a loving man in my life...', as Owens gets completely comfortable and sweeps his hair out of his face as well as maintaining concentrated eye contact with the crowd.

Afterwards, the band leave the stage but it's obvious that there's going to be an encore and predictably, the band return to the stage for three songs, 'Honey Bunny', 'Love Like A River' and 'Carolina'. Although perhaps 'Honey Bunny' would have been a suitable last song due to being one of Girls' most high energy songs, the three songs were the perfect exit to an amazing set, as the crowd and Owens unite to bring energy and fun to the Forum, and by this point, Owens has unbuttoned his shirt - unable to take the heat in his full attire. 
Christopher Owens may sing 'They don't like my boney body/They don't like my dirty hair' but it's safe to say that everyone was united in love for Owens and his band mates at the gig of the year so far. 


Aurora Mitchell

Honourable mentions (i.e Amazing albums that didn't make our year end list)

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Girls' third record is quite simply, a masterpiece. 


Das Racist - Relax

Rap's senior parodists returned with a more produced record,  and luckily the joke is still funny.

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

This is an easy choice as even on the basis of Midnight City alone, Anthony Gonzales created one of the most hauntingly catchy records this year.

The Death Set - Michel Poiccard

Michel Poiccard is a boiling pot of coffee to the face kind of record.

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

Annie Clark fully unleashed her talents on third studio album Strange Mercy, also the most airtight concept album of 2011. 

Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

 2011 was when Smith westerns cleared away the lo-fi haze on their glam rock ditties, and produced a sublime album as equally indebted to Suede as it was to Bolan.

Austra - Feel It Break

Canada's more radio friendly answer to Zola Jesus produced the dark pop album of the year.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

The only record that came out of the blue for me this year and it turned out to be the best discovery this year, with this lo-fi 60s funk influenced record from Ruban Nielson.

Washed Out - Within and Without

The sexy artwork for Within and Without has become one of the most iconic pieces of artwork this year and Ernest Greene accompanies it with the most honest and emotional record chillwave will probably ever get.

Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure

Tom Vek took a bloody long time making this record but Leisure Seizure is worth the wait full of Vek's alluring monotone voice and plenty of futuristic hooks. 

Active Child - You Are All I See

You Are All I See drips in atmospheric beauty but it would never be the same record without Pat Grossi's ethereal falsetto. 

Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years

The cover for Cherish The Light Years is Wesley Eisold in drag and that pretty much encompasses the weird and wonderful music that is inside.

Katy B - On A Mission

2011's underground superstar Katy B brought her 'mash-and-merge of the underground sound' to the mainstream masses and still managed to keep it credible enough to cater to every audience. 

Let's Wrestle - Nursing Home

One of the most charming and humour filled records this year from a great new talent.

Neon Indian - Era Extrana

A polarised record from Alan Palomo with equally measures of joyous bopworthy music and dark electronic sludge. 

Teeth - Whatever

Brilliant trash electro that's as bratty as a trust fund kid. Not for the faint-hearted. 

Lady Gaga - Born This Way

As much as anyone may deny it, this is a dark, European techno influenced, anthemic record from Lady Gaga that is nowhere near as bad as its album artwork.

Toro Y Moi- Underneath The Pine

Chaz Bundick's second record is a funk odyssey, and a long way from playing up to the 'chillwave' tag any further. 

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Regarded by many of one of the hip-hop records of the year, shabazz palaces rip rap's rule book in the most disturbing yet enthralling manner.

The Throne - Watch The Throne

'Watch The Throne' seems like a paranoid statement from Kanye West & Jay Z because they're still the kings of rap.

Girls - Honey Bunny

San Francisco outfit Girls’ latest offering is a glorious piece of wonky foot-shuffling surf-pop which has drawn comparisons to ELO and Belle and Sebastian. With lead singer Christopher Owens’ wavering vocals and backing-singer harmonies, it’s not so hard to see where these comparisons have sprung from. The song contains the sort of lyrics that I expect many an awkward teenage boy will be able to relate to; "they don’t like my bony body, they don’t like my dirty hair..." And Owens’ trademark "whining" (his words) voice only adds to the sense of longing and wishful thinking; the line "I want a woman who loves me, me, me, me..." is sung with such fragility it could break your heart. But the slightly sombre lyrics don’t detract from the rich guitars and rumbling drums of this slightly fuzzy and very summery song (It does make you wonder, however, whether it is being released a little late in the year.)

Girls may have been criticised for being "unoriginal", and they are certainly playing it safe with this single, but those rattling drums and Chris’ heartfelt lyrics mean that this is a pretty damn good comeback. The song leaves you pining for scorching summer’s days spent on a really cool road trip in a soft top car like they do in the movies. Proper pop.

By Holly Read-Challen

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

The second record from San Francisco band Girls sees them take a more expansive sound with everything from heavy distorted guitar solos to soft acoustic moments to gospel accentuating the melancholy of Christopher Owens' voice. The songs make sure they cannot be pinned down, many metamorphosing into something entirely new in their duration. 

No song is simple on this album. The raucous opener ‘Honey Bunny’ speeds up then slows down into a lighters in the air moment before speeding up into an abrupt ending, while ‘My Ma’ is tinged with gospel but features a distorted guitar solo. ‘Forgiveness’ feels like an intrusion until it becomes a funk song with a huge Prince –esque epic guitar solo. ‘Vomit’ twists and turns starting as a simple acoustic riff before growing into a distorted guitar solo which segues into ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ which could be straight off a Beach Boys album before finally blowing up into an epic gospel finish while Smith sings softly “come into my heart” seemingly oblivious to his backing.

But it’s sometimes when Girls stick to one genre per song that their ability really shines through. ‘Die’ is a hardcore head banging piece of heavy rock and ‘Just A Song’ uses a lack of production to highlight a Billy Bragg guitar part and simple strings to allow Owens' vocals to act as a haunting distraction. The catchy, jaunty ‘Magic’ will have you clicking your fingers or tapping toes without even realising, while ‘Love Life’ is straight off a Best Of 50s Rock n Roll record and ‘Jamie Marie’ is a broken hearted goodbye.

It is clear that Girls are not a band to be pigeonholed and their versatility is firmly proved on this record. The ability for every song to be contrasting and different while at the same time to fit together is a rare quality. Majestic song writing spanning every genre, I dare anyone to not enjoy this rather wonderful record.

9/10

By Jessy Parker