Manchester born and bred, but this exciting female four-piece are without doubt one of the most ‘Brooklyn’ bands to have come out of the North-West.
I think it’s fair to say that right about now, girl-band power is of the essence. The recent rise to glory for the likes of Haim and Deap Vally out of the US has reignited people’s love for no hold’s barred female musicians, and Pins are no exception to that. Fronted by the alluring Faith Holgate, who has a definite resemblance to Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, this Manchester outfit are a staple of a bygone punk era that was has been in need of a few fresh faces.
After seeing Pins hit The Harley in Sheffield a week or so ago, I understood what everybody was getting at when they spoke so highly of this band. The simple grit of their live performance rocked the venue despite the club only being half-full. Snarling guitar riffs from Lois McDonald and hallowing, visceral rhythm from Anna Donigan (bass) and Lara Williams (drums), are a necessity for these girls whose rock and roll can be seen to nod in the direction of Crystal Stilts, and such greats as BRMC and even further, The Jesus and Mary Chain. ‘Say to Me’ is a prime example of how they bring classic, proven songwriting into a modern music scene and shake it down its cores.
I am a big admirer of Pins. Its a fact that they have been around for a short time and we’ve seen bands like this come and go over the years, but with a fantastically tasty looking support slot for Warpaint coming up, they look every bit like the band that bucks the trend of disappearing after a year, and should they keep doing what they’re doing and preaching hard rock and roll to the masses, we may well see this group grow and grow to the heights that their female counterparts across the music scene have reached.
