Nashville punk quartet Gloom Girl MFG are saving music city from an onslaught of tacky bachelorette parties — reclaiming the Tennessee town by way of intense and guitar riff-filled rock and roll. Last week, they threw a shindig to celebrate the release of their latest EP, Polycrisis. "Playing our biggest headline show to date at The Basement East was exhilarating," singer and lead guitarist Paige MacKinnon tells us. "Looking out at the crowd and seeing friends, but also new people we’ve never met, singing our songs back to us was incredible."
Evening highlights included "a proper mosh pit" and the band getting to see their fans react as they played tracks live. "We’re really enjoying playing 'I Love You' at the moment," MacKinnon says. "It’s the band’s second song where I mostly get to step away from the guitar for a while and just sing. But everyone in the band gets a chance to really express themselves. [Bassist] Stephen [Sobelewski] gets to step up to the piano, [Rhythem guitarist] Ethan [Waggoner] switches gears to slide guitar and delivers a haunting and beautiful solo. Connor [McCourt] really gets to play with dynamics on the drums and Rocky, our newest auxiliary player, gets to hold down the rhythm guitar."
"It’s very emotive and we feel limitless as artists performing," she adds. "Plus, if you were at the release show you know that we got creative with the live version’s ending." Want to check out the celebration in person? They've got you covered. "You’ll have to come to the next show to find out how, but that was a lot of fun."
The band also had a blast closing out the night with their new track "Batshitlorette." "90 percent of the song is an epic sprint," she says. "You’re really giving it everything you’ve got, and it’s hilarious to get to play into a kind of absurd and hilarious character. It makes the heavy halftime riff in the other 10 percent of the song that much more satisfying. You could really feel the room bounce with the groove. There's something about those subs at The Basement East that just hit you in the chest whether on stage or in the crowd. There’s nothing more satisfying to see as a musician than a whole crowd head-banging to the beat like that."
The band also tells us that the "dedication it’s taken to get this far was worth it would be an understatement" and that they're overjoyed to experience the support beaming from their city. "We are humbled and honored by Nashville’s support," MacKinnon says. "There’s such a rich history and pedigree of music born here in Nashville. We hope to make this city proud of the art we can make. Equally, we're only able to do this awesome thing thanks to the love and belief of the folks around us. It's a gift to receive all this support and love, and we strive to spread that energy as far as it can go. As always, our ethos is love in the face of gloom."
Photography: Abe Munguía, Alexzandra Roy, Georgia Hutton
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