Spotlight Sounds; Episode Fifteen with PiNKSLiPS

Introducing PiNKSLiPS, a hard rock band from Belfast whose journey began amidst the desolate musical scene of the pandemic. Founded by songwriter Gerry Norman and guitarist David McGaughey within the creative confines of Vault Artist Studios, the band's raw rock compositions evolved with the addition of drummer Shane Watters and bassist Carl Gilmore in early 2021. Their music, characterised by high-energy riffage, rhythmic grooves, and anthemic choruses, reflects a shared passion for live performances and heavy rock.

Emerging from a year marked by challenge and setbacks, PiNKSLiPS made a triumphant live debut at the Vault Artists Summer Festival in August 2022, setting the stage for subsequent milestones including a BBC Radio Ulster Session on The Ee Blair Show and electrifying performances at festivals and renowned venues. Their debut single Young Blood earned critical acclaim, solidifying their position as rising stars in the rock scene. With the release of their second single Ambidextrous and an Irish tour on the horizon, PiNKSLiPS continues to defy adversity, channeling their collective resilience and musical prowess into stadium-sized anthems that captivate audiences worldwide.

Can you start by introducing the band and your musical background?

We're an alt rock band called PiNKSLiPS based out of Belfast and write fairly anthemic melodic rock that'll hopefully make ya wanna shake your money maker and have a good time. We've been together for over 3 years but because of COVID, our drummer having life-saving heart surgery and many other things life throws at you, we're only releasing our 2nd single and going on our first ever tour now. It's been a long process but the slow pace has allowed us to make better art and we're excited to get out there and show people what we know we can do.

How would you define the genre you as a band primarily identify with, and how do you incorporate other influences into your sound?

Generally speaking we're a rock band with the 4 different flavours of each member creating our own take really. I started off as singer/songwriter so melody and lyrics are really important to me, plus I love a song hook, and when I take that into the rock world it really works by throwing on some distortion, lifting the key up a few octaves and screaming into the mic. Mix that with a band who have influences ranging from Earth Wind and Fire, Deftones and Manic Street Teachers and I think we have a really interesting sound. We all like a big anthemic chorus and ya get that in a lot on our songs so I guess mainly we’re heavy and loud riff based noisy bastards. However, to make those moments truly stand out, we like to take things down a notch or two also so we’re not just blasting in your face the entire time. The results are interesting and exciting. I don’t put on a voice when I sing which I think helps when trying to stand out too. Whether people like it or not at least we’ll always sound like us. I sing with my Irish accent and do it proudly.

What are some of the challenges Irish artists face in today’s music industry?

I’ll try to keep this as short as possible….it’s extremely difficult these days and you really REALLY have to be insanely passionate about what you’re doing. It’s nearly impossible to make a living from your own music as every penny has to go back into the band. We all play in pubs at the weekend playing covers to pay the bills and subcidise being in an original band.  Not just Irish bands but any band although we do have the Irish Sea to contend with which is a huge financial burden when you’re going over to play festivals at the weekend. We’re still new so haven’t done that yet but my old band ended up moving to England because the ferry every weekend was killing the bank account. Irish radio aren’t exactly super supportive to small Irish bands too let's be honest. It’s very difficult to get played on the radio unless you’re Dermot Kennedy or The Script. Also for such a small island I’ve never understood how the scenes don’t mix more. Belfast and Dublin are 90 mins apart and yet it seems like a million miles. There should be more bands from the south playing up here and visa versa.  

How do you think Irish music has progressed through the years?

Ireland has always produced amazing musicians and bands and we continue to do so today with bands like Fontaines DC absolutely killing it right now and they’ve started a wave of bands with a similar sound up and down the country. When I started out in bands I was heavily influenced by Irish bands like TURN, Future Kings Of Spain, Berekely, Bell X1, Jape, The Frames, Damien Rice, Aslan and loads more. I’m from Sligo but started my first serious band in Belfast and got stuck into the scene up here that Two Door Cinema Club came through at the time. There are so many amazing bands that aren’t didn’t do as well but should have like And So I Watch You From Afar, General Fiasco, Ed Zealous, Mojo Fury, Six Star Hotel, Lafaro, Fighting With Wired my old band A Plastic Rose were proud to be in the mix too. Up here at the minute the girls are killing it with bands like Tramp, Cherym and Problem Patterns all doing really well. I like what I’m hearing from down south too with Sprints, New Dad, Pillow Queens, The Murder Capital and The Scratch all gaining huge followings. I see Glen Hansard has been announced as main support for Pearl Jams North American Tour this years so he’s still doing alright too.

Can you walk us through the creative process when writing and composing music?

Our songwriting process is pretty simple. As I said I started out as a singer songwriter so I write a tonne of songs on my own with an acoustic in the house or somewhere peaceful and I’ll take the ones I like to the lads to do whatever they want with really. I just replace the acoustic with an electric and the lads help turn it into a rock song. Lyrics are really important to me and they really can’t be forced so I don’t usually go in cold to a session and write a song as a group. I’m working on it and as we evolve it’s something I’d like explore as all the guys write their own music too so that’s exciting. I love the idea of being sent an instrumental track to sing a top line over. I think we have 2 songs where I’ve don’t that and it’s a great way to write and results in something I’d never write on my own. 

In your opinion, what role do live performances and venues play in the Irish music scene today?

I think live performances and venues play the most important role in music for me. I’ve always been motivated by playing live and have always designed my songwriting around having the best live show possible. When I said I write songs in quiet rooms that’s the physical me but mentally I’m on stage in a room full of people giving it stacks. We’re living in a time now that there are so many bedroom acts who can produce music at home, have it up on Spotify the next week and don’t care about having to play it live. That’s fine but not my word at all. Forming a band, gelling, working together and committing to the band is the single most difficult thing about being an artist so for me a band who goes through all that and gets out and plays shows has all my respect. The right venue can change the vibe completely too but to be honest I’m happy enough just playing anywhere. I’ve done huge arenas and the smallest pub and enjoyed them all the same. We’re playing Sin E in Dublin and Sally Longs in Galway on this tour which is exciting because I’ve haven’t played either yet. 

Diversity is an important aspect of any music scene. How do you think your band’s music contributes to the diversity of the Irish music scene?

Yeah diversity is hugely important especially in modern Ireland and music is a great way of showcasing what the real Ireland is like in 2024. A lot of Irish people are stuck in the dark ages but there’s so much diversity in Ireland right now and I for one am all for it. Our diversity comes in that we’re a cross boarder/cross community band. I’m originally from Dublin but grew up in Sligo and there are both protestants and catholics in our band. It sounds so simple now but such a band didn’t exist when I was growing up. In fact, Belfast was a ‘no go’ area and I’ve ended up living up here for nearly 20 years. We’re all products of the Good Friday Agreement I guess and hopefully it will continue to move in the right direction.

As an Irish band, what advice have you got for other artists trying to navigate the industry and find their unique voice?

My advice for other Irish bands navigating the industry is that nobody has a fucking clue how this works, we’re all just winging it and I include myself and the suits who think they’ve got it all figured out. It’s the most unpredictable industry in the world. Don’t try to control things that are completely out of your hands. Don’t get jealous when other bands around you do well, be encouraged and supportive. Keep writing class songs and improving your musical ability. Treat your band like a job and respect your band mates. We’re all giving up our time for this and not getting paid so all we want is to be happy, make good art and play it to people. I’ve been in this game for a long time and doing all those things now keep me sane. It’s not easy and takes a lot of work but don’t rely on your band to pay the bills it kills the joy. Most moderately successful bands have never made a penny from their own music so don’t be discouraged if you have to work a shit job or go on the dole pretending you’re looking for work. I’ve done it all and trust me when ya start writing music to keep other people happy 2 things happen 1) your music gets shit 2) you become very unhappy.

What can listeners expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming releases, collabs or projects you’re excited about?

We’ve a few exciting things happening in the near future but the main thing is doing our very first Irish tour which is amazing. We’ve had so many stumbling blocks and there were so many times where we thought we’d never even get our music out so to be releasing tunes and touring is a total buzz. We’ve a tonne of new tunes to work on so once tour is over we’ll be looking at writing together and getting back into the studio. We’re totally independent which gives you so much freedom as an artist to create the best possible work which is liberating. Over the next year we’ll be chipping away at an album and taking any gig that gets offered to us along the way. We’re just gonna go with the flow and, again, only concentrate on the stuff that we can control as a band and try to have fun doing it.

I am going to finish off by asking you, if your band was a flavour of ice cream what flavour would it be and why.

Great question. I think we’d be a double scoop of pistachio and salted Belgian chocolate salted caramel because we’re all very sweet, a little salty and you have to be a bit nuts to be in a band. It’d have to be vegan though or else our Carl couldn’t have a taste and bass players have it tough enough.