In the wake of the release of their fantastic debut album, Staring at Clocks, we caught up with Bitch Falcon to get the low down.
How did your band come together? What did your early rehearsals look/sound like and how have they evolved?
LF: Our band came together about 7 years ago. My friend’s sister used to let me use her amp (after they would fight about it for a while). She overheard me one day and asked me to join her band.
We got a drummer off an Irish classified site called Gumtree and so Bitch Falcon was born. I’m the only remaining member of that line-up with Nigel and Barry coming later.
Early rehearsals were just your usual step over the puddle jam room vibe. Blasting broken amplifiers to add some volume to our hairdos. After a couple of gigs, we started to take ourselves seriously and the music got a whole load better.
What are some of the main themes explored in Staring At Clocks? What does the lyric writing process look like?
LF: I wrote all the lyrics over a period of three to four weeks, once we had the music down. The melodies I write are generally inspired by the music we’ve written, not the other way around, so I think it can come out a bit more interesting. Thematically the songs are about my coping mechanisms with anxiety and depression, and hope to give people something to cling onto with their own understanding of their brains.
What made you pick Gaslight as a lead single? How did the idea for the music video come about?
LF: I think Gaslight was the song we were most excited about. It came together all so quick when writing, and then took on a new level when we recorded it, especially the vocals. We wanted to put out something really strong so people would pay attention.
The director, Colm Moore, and I just met up for a few pints (back when you could 🙁 ) and hashed out a load of interesting visual ideas for a live music video, rather than your usual run of the mill ‘ard rock band.
Have you been able to write during lockdown?
LF: Yeah, luckily I have a little bedroom setup at home so I can keep writing away. I started doing a bit more electronic production and we’ll be releasing a remix of one of our labelmates CLT DRP’s songs.
What have you been listening to during lockdown?
LF: I’ve been listening to Molchat Doma, Roisin Murphy, Pillow Queens, Ailbhe Reddy, Kelly Moran, Silverbacks, Angel Olsen and New Dad.