Girl Friend – Fibbers, York, 13th April 2015 2

Girl Friend – Fibbers, York, 13th April 2015

034It is now Day 3 on the great Girl Friend adventure: a fourteen-date, whistle-stop tour of the UK to spread the word about their forthcoming EP, ‘Arrive Alone, Leave Alone’ which is due to drop later on this month. Having kicked off 48 hours earlier in their Manchester hometown, singer Amory Neish-Melling, his sister and backing vocalist Eleanor Neish-Melling, guitarist and keyboard player Jacob Ward and drummer Sam Dabrowski have already crossed over the Pennines and landed in York via last night’s show in Leeds.

There may not be too many people in Fibbers tonight, but this does not stop Girl Friend from kicking the mundane right out of a Monday night with their spirited, frequently life-affirming sound that may well have its head immersed in 80s synth-pop but whose heart lies firmly in 70s disco and Philly soul. The O’Jays, Sister Sledge and Sylvester blasting out over the Fibbers’ PA beforehand attest to this.

We get nine top tunes from Girl Friend tonight, each and every one bristling with energy, electricity and elan. We get all four songs from ‘Arrive Alone, Leave Alone’. We get the glistening melodic warmth of set opener and the EP’s lead single ‘You Lead The Way’. We get last year’s debut single ‘Perfume‘ during which you can almost taste its inherent passion and desire. And we get the ridiculously dizzying pop 046of ‘Monte Carlo’. We also get a brand new song, the sumptuous ‘Good Morning’ and to bring down the curtain on what is a perfectly weighted set, we get the glorious disco-pop of ‘Chemical Reaction’.

And in Amory, Girl Friend have a bona fide pop star. From his glamorous presence, grand gestures and luxurious voice alone, comparisons could well be drawn between him and the late Billy Mackenzie.  In truth he bears more of a resemblance to a youthful Robin Van Persie, which may go some way to explaining why the Dutch striker could well be thinking there is much more chance of success fronting pop music’s next brightest young things than trying to force his way back into United’s first team.

More photos from this show can be found here

The ‘Arrive Alone, Leave Alone’ EP is released on 27th April 2015 via Tri-Tone

https://soundcloud.com/girlfriendmusic/girl-friend-monte-carlo

TOUR DATES

15 April: King Tuts, Glasgow.

16 April: Think Tank, Newcastle.

17 April: Picture House Social, Sheffield.

18 April: The Shipping Forecast, Liverpool.

20 April: Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham.

21 April: Crofters Rights, Bristol.

23 April: The Cookie, Leicester.

24 April: Also Known As, Banbury.

25 April: Lennons, Southampton.

26 April: Prince Albert, Brighton.

27 April: Shacklewell Arms, London

God is in the TV is an online music and culture fanzine founded in Cardiff by the editor Bill Cummings in 2003. GIITTV Bill has developed the site with the aid of a team of sub-editors and writers from across Britain, covering a wide range of music from unsigned and independent artists to major releases.