Little Girl Screaming

"..fine purveyors of indie-pop issued from gigantically out of proportion lungs of a very small girl"

The first thing you notice is the energy. This is a band that don't do things by halves. Two minutes into the first song and it's impossible not to watch, impossible not to listen because you'll miss something. The band don't just play their songs live, they attack them. Charging headlong into each song, building up and incredible momentum, a kind of musical kinetic energy, each song feels like the last song you'll ever hear. The last song you'll need to hear. "If there is no energy you can kiss your audience goodbye," says singer/lyricist Theresa to me later.

"Too many bands stand still and concentrate too hard on the playing," agrees guitarist Chris, "Maybe we did that for the first couple of gigs, but after that we relaxed and got into it more,"

"It took a lot of time for me to get into live gigs, I don't know why, I think it was a confidence thing." Adds Theresa, "But now playing live is sooooo good, especially when you have the crowd right in the palm of your hand. I love having that control!!" And she does have that control. Little wonder with the amount of energy that the band put into it. But it's not all mindless bluster. Under the frantic energy there's real musical suss. These songs are well crafted, with intricate melodies and counter melodies weaving around each other, guitar bass and drums constantly shifting creating a rich musical backdrop for Theresa to sing her beautiful lyrics over, "Writing lyrics is such a personal thing. I always write about things that have happened to me. If you don't, you're cheating your listener........and yourself. As I've gotten older I've got more of a 'f*ck you' attitude. If you don't like it, don't listen. If I write something that can make someone think, "sh*t yes", then I know my job is going ok. I think it's wrong for singers to write about shit they haven't got a clue about!! And anyway, it's good therapy for me. Stuff has happened to me in the past, and is still happening to me and I'm not afraid to wear my heart on my sleeve. It's part of me, if you want to know me, you've got to know the baggage that comes with me. If you don't like it, f*ck off!!"

The band's sound is hard to pin down, and they're keen to avoid doing it, "Prolapse covering Belly," Chris suggests, unhelpfully, While Theresa grimaces, "I f*ckin' hate that question. Only because I can't answer it!" And it isn't an easy question to answer. Occasionally a clue will appear, a Smiths-y guitar line, or a Nirvana-esq wall of sound, but the fact that they don't sound like their influences is a further testament to their musical abilities. "Everybody in this band plays with their ears," says Chris, "Everyone listens to what everyone else is doing and reacts to it. It's incredibly organic, and it works beautifully. Christian (bass) and Kris (drums) are such a solid rhythm section it's unreal.

Theresa agrees, "Their individual styles are amazing, and when it all goes together, it makes me shiver............ that's when I know we have a good tune."