Wake with the sound of The Morning After Girls.

3rd Mar 2006

Sacha Lucashenko; voice / guitars
Anton Jakoovjevic; percussion
Aimee Nash; voice / guitars / keys / percussion
Scott Von Ryper; bass / voice
Martin B. Sleeman; voice / guitars

“We want people to have experienced every emotion you can possibly feel. That you’ve witnessed something, not that you’ve seen a band like the other one you saw in a pub last night. We come from a background of creative experience and we want to convey that to our audience.”

Welcome, my friends, to the deep, reflective and mysterious world of the Melbourne founded, Sydney based quintet The Morning After Girls. They are fresh from a European tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and sit in a floor throbbing Kebab House above the Roadhouse in Manchester, soon to be the scene of their slot in support of Stellastarr. Stored safely in their well put together artillery, is the power rocking with a bluesy push of ‘Run For Our Lives’. A longing and forceful feel hangs off this number like groupies do to Peter Doherty. Also, it feels like it is cathartically therapeutic to perform, it certainly is to listen to;

“Well, that song pretty much scales all contradictory things when you are deciding upon anything in life. You think you have a solution sorted, then you feel trapped again. When you play it live every night, you are resurrecting the feeling you possessed when you penned it. It is nice to be mindful of how past experiences intertwine with how you feel now.”

Live shows that have earned them comparisons to My Blood Valentine, The Pixies, Jesus & Mary Chain and for me, anyway, Sonic Youth seem to vary each evening. The reason for this dynamism is;

“We vary the set list each night depending on our mood and the mood we perceive the crowd to be in. Sometimes we don’t decide what to play until the crowd starts filing in. That way we try and get a feel for what they want and how they are feeling. Sometimes you just feel like taking it easy and wallowing in the melodies, other times you feel like producing an onslaught.”

The dynamics of the band are intriguing, as their occasional four pronged vocal attack must take some orchestrating and result in some creative squabbling;

“Everyone has a common vision, so if you are mature enough to deal with it then differences are not an issue. It’s like marriage, how do some people couples stay together for 42 years and others for 2? It’s all about respect, so if you have that then you can’t go far wrong.”

A few musical commentators imply that the band’s music and their stems from a feeling of not fitting in. However, their international recognition that is gaining the momentum of a German bobsleigh team, makes their apparent feelings seem ironic;

“A lot more people will identify with not fitting in than you might think. Everyone, at one point in their lives, will feel alone. There’s a multitude of artists who feel like they don’t fit in.”

On a similar theme, is there a message for those still purchasing Limp Bizkit, Good Charlotte and The Darkness albums?

“Listen to The Morning After Girls.”

Interesting reply;

“Hold on, does that mean I am saying that we sound like those bands?”

You would only have to listen to them for five seconds to realise that this is definitely not the case.

The four guys and one gal crammed onto the cosy stage at The Roadhouse and relaxed into the atmospheric and slightly spacey build up to ‘Corrupted’. Martin B. Sleaman’s dusty vocals settled in quickly to create a mysterious and roving opener. The forcefully bolting rant of ‘High Skies’ catches the attention of onlookers. The antipodeans seems to have spookily second guessed the mood of the crowd tonight, choosing from their more ardent range that incorporates ‘Who Is Gay’. Maybe, they will have to wait until they play somewhere like Cambridge in order to be able to wallow in the melodies?