Erasure • Features • Private Ear
Talking About My Generation
How did you start making music?
Well I took piano lessons at the age of four and grew up in the church. I did lots of churchy music.
I studied classical music and went to university and sang opera, and when I left I moved to London.
I was in a few random rock bands and hooked up with Adrian and we formed Vic Twenty.
When we split up I just couldn't stop! I had to keep going doing my own project. Luckily someone is going to put out my record!
Where did the name "Piney Gir" come from?
When I was about 2 and when I could first talk, I said my name was Piney! No one knows why or where it came from!
People would be like "What's your name little girl?" and I would go "Piney!" and my mum would go "No it's not!" and I would say "Uh Huh! I'm Piney!" [laughs] So I thought it would make quite a good stage name.
"Gir" comes from I could never say "girl" properly when I was kid.
Touring with Erasure as part of Vic Twenty on the Other Tour must have been an exciting experience.
It was amazing!
When I was growing up I wasn't really allowed to listen to secular music, but when I first started buying rock and roll records I bought Erasure's Innocents album and it was one of my favourite records! I knew all the words to all the songs!
So when I heard I was going to tour with them it was just the most elated I had felt in ages and it was such a wonderful experience!
What do you most remember from the tour?
Well I found Andy was shyer that what I thought he would be, particularly as he's so flamboyant with such an amazing presence on stage.
And he's always got that certain sparkle about him when you see him. But he was more normal then Vince I thought! Vince is a lot more chatty than I expected he would be as well, which was a pleasant surprise! Oh, and they stayed in a haunted hotel apparently!
Really?
Ann-Marie and Val were so scared they couldn't sleep because it was haunted!
I asked Vince about it and he just shrugged and said "I dunno" [laughs]
Ann-Marie and Val worked with you on your solo album of course.
Yes, it came about from meeting then on the tour, we got on really well and I kept in touch with them afterwards.
When I had the idea to do "My Generation", I wanted it to be kinda girly rock synthy kind of thing, and wanted to get some really powerful backing vocals, and I knew who just to ask for that.
Val and Anne-Marie were happy to do it and came up to the studio and we had a really lovely day - they rock, they were so good!
Why did you and Adrian decide to go your separate ways?
Well after the tour we just had different ideas, where it [Vic Twenty] needed to go. I was really pumped up from it; I was like "Right now's the time, lets go and do it, do synth pop for the world!" and he was like "Oh my God I just need a break!"
And so he really needed not to play for a while, and I really needed to keep playing. So it was sad and I miss it, but it had to happen that way. I understand that he is carrying on Vic Twenty so I wish him all the best!
When did work start on your solo album?
Me and Adrian had our last gig at the Truck Festival, and a couple of weeks after that I got offered this deal for Vic Twenty with Truck Records.
I said "I'm not in Vic Twenty any more", but here are Adrian's contact details, which was a bit bittersweet!
So they came back and said "what would happen if we put you with these producers that we know?"
So I worked in the studio for about six months with "A Scholar And A Physician" who produce electronic music, and we came up with the album and I'm very pleased with it! It was all kind of an experiment and we didn't know how it would turn out.
You're also busy with DJ work...
That's mainly just me forcing my music preferences on to other people! I'm not a proper house DJ, I don't mix things up crazily, but I do play a lot of things that people like to dance to, like Erasure, Depeche Mode or some kind of Japanese pop. I just love music and sharing my kooky collection with people!
What's next for Piney Gir, another album?
Yes! I've got a couple of songs already completed for it, and hopefully it will be out next year. But we will have to see how this album does first!