Pillow Queens

About

" Moody rock painting in beautiful bitter shades "

Dingey, stark and moody but with a hefty dose of fun somehow thrown into the mix, Pillow Queens – Sarah Corcoran, Cathy McGuinness, Pamela Connolly and Rachel Lyons – are in many ways the quintessential sound of the modern day Dublin rock scene. They’re opinionated, accented, rowdy and employ a sound that shakes speakers in a way that can border on brutalism: like Fontaines D.C in a passionate embrace with the subtler melodies of The Cranberries.

Buzz built quickly around this four-piece, who released debut EP ‘Calm Girls’ in late 2016 and immediately achieved enough of a reputation to tour both Ireland and the UK. Second EP ‘State of the State’, released in 2018, saw them play stadium support slots and feature on BBC 6 Music, yet despite the international recognition the band’s core points remained a commentary on Irish society, a stab at the struggles of getting by in post-recession Dublin, loaded with full-on whimsical infectiousness.

The grinding live show has always been a key asset for the band, but debut album ‘In Waiting’ (2020) has proven a calling card, a record that proves that as well as the capacity to produce singles that bring them all the way to an American TV audience, they can string together a complete long-form collection, too, a memorably pulsating record that ebbs and flows with real depth.

There are a number of key messages to be found on ‘In Waiting’: a healthy disregard for norms, a defiant and welcome statement on acceptance and queer identity, a punch against marginalisation and another stab at social problems. Pillow Queens pack a serious punch, one that sees them able to cut through the chatter of a growing rock scene and strike a defiant pose at its forefront.

In the hooky but almost blasé ‘Gay Girls’ and ode to their hometown ‘Liffey’ they’re a band that’s stuck their heads firmly above the parapet, and in doing so become representatives, brazen and brilliant at the same time. With second album ‘Leave The Light On’ expected in 2022, we’re sure to get more of the same: brash, bold, colourful, and loaded with guitar-led earworms.

Photo: Rich Gilligan