Titus writes:
I have been listening to several new bands this
week, and whilst some seem ok, Dirty Blonde have really impressed me
above all others, so I hope you like them too.
They
are Mancunians Ailis MacKay (vocals and guitar) and Hayley Tait (lead
guitar), and they tend to use their own backing musicians for their
live gigs and some studio work. They are described as representing a
cool rock Northern vibe, with a twist of punk – a bit like Blondie
before they became popular. Ailis is slightly more specific however,
and says that they have an ‘Oasis meets Grunge’ feel – she is a former
drummer who sometimes returns to drumming, and loved Nirvana’s
percussion. After both going to Uni, the pair met on Instagram, whilst
doing some part–time work at a circus. Ailis had her little vlogging
camera plus her sound engineering degree, while Hayley had a degree in
videography, so they managed to get started by writing and recording a
couple of singles – ‘Run when I tell you’ and ‘Come over’. (The former
is a gritty song with big riffs, that really resonates at the band’s
live gigs). Then came ‘Don’t cry, it doesn’t suit you’, which has a
positive melodic rock vibe, superseded by a great riff, mid stream. It
is a song about people only being sorry when they’re caught out, and
when Dirty Blonde play this live many people are surprised by the way
the riff kicks in out of nowhere. I believe that this track was the
first time they had ever filmed a video, and even now, they film all
music videos themselves.
Despite
the increasing presence of AI, the duo quite rightly believes that
there is always human creativity which can think outside the box which
AI never can. This group have cut a swathe across the North, and their
first EP ‘Favourite Record’ won critical acclaim from the music
press. A song ‘Northern Twang’ appeared, which is all about charging
head-long into obsession, and warns that even when something feels
right, it isn’t always actually right. The duo comment ”it’s all
about overlooking red flags because someone’s fit” ! They elaborate
further in a later single ‘Polly’ questioning whether falling in love
is a gentle trip or a hard push into the romantic abyss.......oh, the
beauty of being young!
Individually,
they had different routes that led them into being Dirty Blonde.
Hayley wanted to be Mark Ronson and Ailis wanted to be Dave Grohl.
When they’re writing songs, they like to make sure that they like the
song, by stripping it back to acoustic mode. If it still sounds good
then, they are reassured that they won’t be hiding behind any
production technique. Talking of production, Ailis has self produced
certain tracks and has used the help and expertise of Gareth Nuttall at
The Lounge to amplify e.g. demos. Both girls are inspired by fellow
new and upcoming bands who are reinventing the wheel. They are really
developing musically and it really is no surprise that they are
gathering so much positive attention. You probably remember me raving
about the talent of The Last Dinner Party, and I can honestly see Dirty
Blonde (who started gigging a little later) emulating them. I believe
they are destined for big things, particularly more festivals.
Thus
far Dirty Blonde have earned a reputation for punchy guitar &
vocal work, plus powerful live performances. They bring a fresh and
nostalgic take on alternative music, and they are defo ones to watch –
quite literally! I have requested Lex to play ‘Rush’ from the new EP
‘Looking for Trouble’, scheduled for release on 17 April and it can be
found here.