I am enthused. Let me correct that. I am super-fucking-enthused. A three-piece from Indonesia who cite “the Glasgow/Bellshill scene including Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines, The Pastels & BMX Bandits and […] Talulah Gosh and Heavenly”? Already, I’m sold. I mean fuck supporting copyists and all that shit: we are talking about a band that draws inspiration from something that was happening 30-35 years ago from an entirely alien culture to their own. More importantly: a band who – like my very own French darlings The Wendy Darlings – totally get what made all those bands so wonderful the first time round. Always gotta love shit like that. Even when the guy sings, I still feel shivers forming on top of my shivers forming on top of my goosebumps forming on top of my delirium tremors.
C86 was never actually this great. Rather, it was – but only in limited bursts. So here is another brief burst of star power, 35 years later.
The only downside of this college indie pop/rock band from Yogyakarta is that – despite the fact they are called Grrrl Gang – there is one female, two males. Whatever. This next song is possibly the most wonderful of the whole wonderful bunch, recalling as it does the twin nirvana peaks of The Pastels circa Truckload Of Trouble and sweethearts Tracyanne & Danny.
Or maybe this is even finer:
Plus: A band that write a song called ‘Guys Don’t Read Sylvia Plath’, a song that “takes a jab at the expectation for women to stay at home and take care of the kids that is still persistent in Indonesia”? Damn straight, Damnably.
Perhaps you are not enthused by this at all, though. Perhaps you would rather – like 64m other people – watch Shakira and J.Lo’s halftime show from the recent Superbowl. Whatever. Your loss… although that is for you to decide, not me.
Me. I’m going to stay home and dream…
Please say you’ll play a show with me when you make it across to the UK!
How NOT to write about music 