Music > Live Reviews

Skinny Girl Diet

Voodoo Daddy's Showroom

05/12/16

All female line-up at the Owl Sanctuary, you say? I didn’t need much convincing. Especially as the first act was Sink Ya Teeth, local minimalist favourites.

The duo always put on a good live show, and Friday night was no different. Sink Ya Teeth, comprising of ex-Girl in a Thunderbolt Maria Uzor and ex-Kaito Gem Cullingford formed late 2015. Despite their novelty, they played with confidence. Uzor’s unsettling vocals filled the room with clarity, keeping in perfect time with her drumming. Gem’s weighty basslines completed the band’s ferocious sound. Innovative and danceable, Sink Ya Teeth’s performance set the bar high for next act, Peach Club.

Also local and developing, Peach Club is a four-piece Riot Grrrl band with huge statements to make. Number one: woman-led punk isn’t just a nineties thing – Peach club’s visceral, feminist lyrics are incredibly relevant to 2016. Front woman Katie Revell delivered them; growling and shrieking in true Riot Grrl style. Powered by potent, cool instrumentalists, Peach Club belted out hits such as My Best Friend and early tune Not Your Girl.

Sink Ya Teeth and Peach Club had the crowd warmed up for Skinny Girl Diet, a London trio. Consisting of sisters Ursula & Delilah Holliday and cousin Amelia Cutler, the band coolly took to the stage to pick up where Peach Club left off. Their performance ranged from grunge-pop to riot grrl to frantic punk, each variation equally loved by the crowd. Although feminist and non-gender conformist, Skinny Girl Diet were unafraid to mix fiercely feminine screams, disaffected drawls and everything in between. Despite ambitious meltdowns and coursing riffs, I lost interest towards the end of the set. Whether intentionally or not, Skinny Girl Diet appeared aloof throughout each song. Their indifferent presence conflicted with their loud, jarring instrumentals and vocals; as such any energy was never maintained.

Skinny Girl Diet’s confusing performance didn’t prevent the night from being a great one. The headliners had some exciting moments and topped a bill of equally exciting bands. Whether you were a disenfranchised woman, punk lover or music geek, Friday night at the Owl Sanctuary was hugely satisfying.