Interview with Cathal Cully from Girls Names – Interview by Killian Laher

New album ‘Stains on Silence‘ out June 15th via Tough Love Records

Girls Names play Whelans on Saturday 23rd June

Photo Credit – Florian Thoß

Part One of the Interview can be found here

It seems to me like Girls Names has a special relationship with their fans.  Do you feel this is true? How important do you think it is to connect with your fans?

Yeah you could say that.  It’s weird, despite the naysayers and the music industry mostly shunning us or at least confused by some of our records and our longevity, we sell records in moderate numbers to people time and time again.  Here’s the thing, I’ve a certain social anxiety that stems from class issues.  I come from a very humble background and the idea that I could be anything to someone, other than just another man struggling to get by like everyone else, is absurd.  So that side of things is a bit abstract to me.  Although I can struggle to get my head around it, I do very much appreciate anyone who comes to see us or buys the records and will obviously chat to anyone who wants to or get a photo, reaches out online etc.  It doesn’t make it any weirder.

What do you think of the current Irish music scene? 

It’s producing a lot of great music from what I can garner.  You only have to look at the esoteric and eclectic outputs of labels like Touch Sensitive to hear that somebody else’s idea of somebody else’s world need not be the only pattern to build a world on.

Are you looking forward to your tour dates this summer? Is there anything different we can expect this time round?

We’re going on a short tour of the UK and yes I’m looking forward to it.  UK tours can be arduous to say the least but this is nice and short and hopefully the sun will be shining.  Summer Solstice in Glasgow and all.  It’s back to DIY for us though – I’m driving – we lost our long term tour manager, Jim to that great breakdown of winter 16/17.  No European decadence this time I’m afraid but hopefully we’ll get back to our spiritual home by the autumn.  What can you expect this time round?  Control, more dynamics and refrain, hopefully and the odd multi-tasked instrument swap.

How do you spend your time when you’re not playing or writing music? Any interests that we might not expect?

Cycling.  I’ve got properly back into being obsessed by it the last year, just racking up the miles.  I did a bit when I was a kid but gave it up to pursue a life of regret – something about not doing what you’re told is best for you when you’re young.  But now I’m making up for lost time.  I genuinely believe it’s the thing that’s going to save my soul.  I just want to get faster and faster and ride for longer and longer.  It’s magic.

What’s next for Girls Names?

The ultimate question.  Where can we go from here if anywhere at all?  This record if to be believed, by you crazy journos has been the longest, prolonged effort to make the bleakest music known to mankind in all of history since history and music and time began.  So in theory my tendency would be to do the exact opposite of what we’ve just put out.  But then again going back to my younger days, you just can’t be told what’s good for you.