Belfast shoegaze group Virgins have released their new single, s l o w l y, l o n g. We asked Michael from the band the BIG questions . . .
The new track follows their 2022 debut EP Transmit A Little Heaven.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I have a 15-year-old son who hates all my music. When I was younger, I competed for the title of 'Cycle Safety Champion' against other champions from different council areas, it was basically the antithesis of X-Games on BMXs. I came second and ironically most of my stitches and scars come from falling off bikes, I guess if I had won then I wouldn’t have any. My old band played a show in the downstairs part of a venue, while upstairs the Venga Boys threw down hard, needless to say the two crowds didn’t mix.
How would you describe your music?
We are a shoegaze band. When I started the band, it was very much with the intention of being a shoegaze band. Previously in other bands, for me that would’ve seemed a little strange, we’ll just sound how the music sounds, maaaaaaaaaannn. This time I was chasing a specific thing, and a very genre specific sound, while still attempting to bring something new to the table or at least my own take or perspective on it. I think the term itself was a slur against that original slew of bands who looked sad and spent the majority of time looking at their pedals. Our show isn’t like that, it’s a bit more visceral. I think even today there are a lot of bands who don’t necessarily want the association so they’re tagging themselves nu-gaze or post-gaze. We throw ourselves headfirst into it though, we’re loud, fuzzy, and ethereal, we are shoegaze!
Who are your musical inspirations?
A big influence when I was starting Virgins was a band called Slow Crush, their record Aurora really started me on this shoegaze journey. I still listen to them every day. It’s just this perfect mix of heavy and floaty. Once I started to get into it a bit more, I discovered bands like Nothing, Ringo Deathstarr, Whirr, Slowdive and then obviously My Bloody Valentine have been omnipresent throughout. The shadow of Kevin Shields tremolo arm is cast long and wide. Outside of the shoegaze bands, I’d say Aaron North is my favourite guitar player, his energy, his use of pedals and his song writing all just resonated with me. He played in a band called The Icarus Line, also Nine Inch Nails and then the ill-fated but extraordinary Jubilee.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
The first show I ever went to was a band called Reef, they had one big hit Place Your Hands. They were playing an outdoor, free show in Belfast. I remember I had been growing my hair and used it too full effect that night, absolutely destroying my neck to songs that had never had anyone head bang to them ever before. I wore a pink tie-dye Foo Fighters long sleeve, with holes cut in the sleeves for my thumbs, as was the style at the time and also in the 90s. I remember the bass being super loud and feeling the kick drum in my chest. I guess it was enough to sell me on the whole thing, cause here we are all these years later.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I actually bought two records on the same day, Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit, digipack single and Therapy? - Troublegum. The Nirvana single had Even In His Youth and Aneurysm as the B-sides. That’s a pretty hard-hitting trifecta of songs. Nirvana was very much my favourite band growing up, it was so loud and visceral. The desperate sense of authenticity and honesty that seemed so intrinsic to the music really hit home with me. If you’re not going to be honest about it then you shouldn’t be doing it. Interesting point, the version of Aneurysm on the single is different to the version on Insecticide.
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Troublegum was a much darker affair, even though for Therapy? it was their first foray into a poppier sound. It spoke a lot of isolation, doubt, self-loathing and questioning the world around you. They were from Northern Ireland, which was a big thing for me, well if they can do it, so can I! Every teenage band I was in covered Screamager, it was like a rite of passage.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Right now, it’s One Twenty Two by Botch. It just hella heavy, this great riff, great drums with some tasteful double kick, Brian Cook’s bass is like the steps of Godzilla walking through Tokyo, Dave Verellen’s voice is the lightning rod for the listeners catharsis. The song lyrically seems to be a pretty tragic love story. It’s only two minutes and change long, there’s no fat on it at all. Just classic Botch. I really hope they hit Ireland on their tour and put out another record because time has not diminished them at all.
Favourite lyric of all time?
One of my all-time favourite bands, Pretty Girls Make Graves, have a song, Speakers Push the Air, there’s a line ‘I found a place where it feels alright/I heard a record, and it opened my eyes.’ The whole song is about what music means to you, what it does, where it can take you, it can provide an escape, or it can save a life. Getting into music and specifically punk rock was a pivotal point in my life and going to shows was transformative. Then with this record, it came into my life at a really difficult point in time and it just pulled me out of some bad decisions I was making, made me refocus and put my energy into something I loved instead of some self-destructive tendencies I’d been giving into.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins is my all-time favourite song, I’d happily listen to it forever. It’s this mellon collie laced with hope. We’re all going to die, but there’s all these great things we can do before then. The line ‘headlights pointed at the dawn’ is pretty perfect and conjures up all sorts of imagery and memories associated with that. We’re all rushing towards an inevitable frantic oblivion, but we had a good time getting there.
Where can people find your music/more information?
We are all over the internet, you can find us @bandofvirgins on Insta, Twi(x)tter, Facebook, YouTube and Bandcamp. Hit Virgins on Spotify. Or you can find us on our labels site Blowtorch Records. We’ve our brand-new single s l o w l y, l o n g out now with a super gazey video.
