Five Favourites: ĠENN’s Sofia Rosa Cooper

Having completely blown us away playing for us at both The Finsbury and The Five Bells over the last year, we cannot wait for ĠENN (fka Cryptic Street) to headline The Finsbury for our gig there this Friday!

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking them what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with ĠENN‘s drummer Sofia Rosa Cooper to talk about her ‘Five Favourites’ – five songs that have influenced her playing and songwriting techniques, or simply take her back to a specific feeling or time. Check out her choices below, and make sure you listen to the band’s ‘Let’s Go Suki’, ahead of the gig this Friday, at the end of this post!

Kashmere Stage Band – ‘Kashmere’
Sounds varying from jazz to rare groove/funk have always been an inspiration source to me, no matter what style I play and this is just one example. The drums are tasty af and worth grooving to if you can keep up (I can’t!).

Angel Olsen – ‘Woman’
This song!!! I can’t be the only person to have stumbled across Angel Olsen and wondered why it took so long. It’s just so nice to see a rise of powerful and raw artists that are striving unapologetically. Writing music almost always serves as an outlet for me and I’ve found that part of putting pen to paper is being open and honest with myself. I can’t imagine the process being any easier without influence!

Funkadelic – ‘Maggot Brain’
I don’t need to say much! but Funkadelic have definitely played a part in my growth as a musician and I just love ‘Maggot Brain’. Unrelated to this song, one of my favourite drummers of all time Dennis Chambers played for Parliament/Funkadelic and this was the connection that brought me to them. If you’re unfamiliar with Dennis but a Santana fan like me, Dennis was also an asset to Santana’s never-ending supergroup and toured extensively with him. Watch some Dennis Chambers content today!

Yellowjackets – ‘Summer Song’
Yellowjackets are a band I revisited after listening to a bunch of my dad’s records and I instantly felt nostalgic. I love this song so much and it’s definitely my favourite of theirs. Also, I always associate these kinds of songs with nature and being outdoors, and they’re usually the type to get my creativity flowing!

Hollie Cook – ’99’
A sweet and tropical song to finish, and an easy choice really! I first saw Hollie Cook when she was supporting The Skints a while back and I’ve been following her ever since. It’s really cool to see artists really innovate with genres like reggae and dub whilst staying true to their foundations, and she’s done exactly that.

Big thanks to Sofia for sharing her Five Favourites! Make sure you catch ĠENN live headlining The Finsbury, this Friday 11th October, and listen to their immense track ‘Let’s Go Suki’ below!

 

Photo Credit: Maria Galea

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Get In Her Ears Live @ The Finsbury w/ Chorusgirl, 13.09.19

Following a host of amazing bands playing for us lately, including Witching Waves, CLT DRP, Crumbs, Mammoth Penguins and ARXX, we were back at The Finsbury on Friday with another dream of a line-up, for a jam-packed night of the best new music.

Kicking things off is the energy-fuelled power of Swimsuit Competition. With raging riffs, immense pounding beats and the soaring gritty force of Amber Scott’s vocals, the band radiate a sense of frenzied fun and vibrant passion.

Next up, adults charm the ears with their ‘tweecore’ indie-pop goodness. Despite guitar issues (soon remedied with the help of Chorusgirl!), their emotion-strewn scuzz, jangly uplifting energy and candied, dreamy harmonies leave me feeling all the feels and a bit more in love with this South London group with each fuzzy note.

Penultimate band of the night, Tape Runs Out, deliver their genre-defying soundscapes with a joyous energy. Filling the stage with seven incredible musicians, each showcasing a sparkling musicality, they create rich, textured offerings, complete with folk strewn strings and the twinkling tones of a hammered dulcimer (a first, I think, for a GIHE night!).

Closing the night, Chorusgirl return to the GIHE stage, nearly three years after playing for us at our first ever night at The Finsbury. It’s pretty special to have them back, having been solid faves for so long, and they certainly don’t disappoint. Treating us to their dreamy garage-pop, effervescent harmonies and impressive driving riffs flow as Silvi’s distinctive, lush vocals soar throughout. Delivering tracks from both their albums, with their utterly unique, shimmering sounds and endearing modest charm, they ooze a heart-rending, cathartic energy. And no more so than when Silvi dedicates my most favourite song to me; as the poignant emotive power of ‘Stuck’ fills the room, I feel my eyes gently moisten, as I’m filled with a wave of joyous pride at how far both this band, and I, have come.

I’m so grateful to be able to bring like-minded people together each month to share their love of great music, and show support for each other, and Chorusgirl remind me of just how important this is.

Huge thanks to all four bands who played for us on Friday! Join us next month, on 11th October, back at The Finsbury with headliners GENN (fka Cryptic Street).

 

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Jon Mo / @jonmophoto

 

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Get In Her Ears Live @ The Finsbury w/ Witching Waves, 12.07.19

Following a host of amazing bands playing for us lately, including CLT DRP, Crumbs, Mammoth Penguins, ARXX and Wolf Girl, we were back at The Finsbury on Friday with another dream of a line-up, for a jam-packed night of the best new music.

The immense, soaring power of Hubert’s Friend gets the night off to an energy-filled start. With frenzied riffs and the seething emotion of front woman Elly’s vocals, songs about everything from depression and false economies, to rabbits of doom, are blasted out with an impassioned force.

Next up, Finish (“not as in the country”, we’re reminded by the band) Flag charm us all with their dreamy lo-fi indie pop. Flowing with twinkling hooks and luscious harmonies, their angst-driven offerings – interspersed with welcome Love Island banter – cement them as new firm favourites.

I can’t help but fall a little bit in love with Milk Crimes‘ catchy scuzz. Propelled by driving beats and whirring jangly hooks, each offering is delivered with a sunny, uplifting energy, marking them out as definite ones to watch (and listen to, at every opportunity!).

Having been a fan for a couple of years now, it’s a real honour to have Witching Waves headline for us. Propelled by Emma’s frenetic racing beats, their energy-fuelled post-punk packs out the venue and lifts our spirits. With an infectious, visceral power, each offering showcases perfectly in-sync musical layers, as Estella’s driving bass and Mark’s metallic melodies accompany propulsive rhythms, and raw impassioned vocals.

Massive thanks to all four fantastic bands who played for us on Friday, making the night so special. We’re actually taken a break next month (who knew weddings took up lots of time?!), but will return to The Finsbury on 13th September when faves Chorusgirl will be headlining.

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Jon Mo / @jonmophoto

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Get In Her Ears w/ ARXX, 20.06.19

Kate, Mari & Tash were back in the studio this week with plenty of fresh new music from the likes of ANNAVR, Friedberg, Personal Best, Scrounge, CRONICLE & Witching Waves.

Hannah & Clara from ARXX joined them for an exclusive live acoustic session and a chat about their upcoming festival appearances.

Listen back:

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