An art teacher, an architect, an illustrator and a yoga teacher – these are some of the professions of the six-piece all female band, The Periods. Hailing from Dundalk, the like-minded women formed in 2015 in the most DIY manner. Only two of the members have a musical background, but, “even though none of us played instruments or were in a band, we were like, ‘This has to happen.’” Vocalist Sophie Coyle prides herself on the organic nature of the band’s music.
Labelling their sound as vampy psychedelic with an ‘anything goes ethos’, Sophie compares The Periods to the style of her musical partner, Jinx Lennon: “We share his punky goth in that we play for the fun of it.” Sophie also says that the tunes are generally “based around a lot of cups of tea and biscuits.” Punk rock and electronic acts that have inspired the band include Micachu & the Shapes, CSS and Broadcast.
With regard to the band’s name, Sophie says, “It’s brilliant to create conversation. I think that’s a lot of what we are doing. We want to be really involved with people and our audience as well.” The name derives from the concept of time, and is a spin-off from a male band called The Seasons. From the name down to the performance, the band likes to think of their music as a whole interactive experience, and they plan to work on “little snippets to screen behind us as we play.”
Regarding The Periods’ future, “We don’t have stardom in our sights. It’s more about the process to be honest.” Although there are no album releases yet, Sophie muses “Who knows, by the end of 2017 we may have an album!” The band currently has a four-track EP that they bring to local Dundalk gigs in venues like the Spirit Store, Leeson Lounge and An Táin Theatre. On November 4, The Periods will support Jinx Lennon’s album launch at the Spirit Store, and will return for their own gig a few weeks later.
See: The Periods play the Spirit Store, Dublin on November 24.
Hear: soundcloud.com/theperiodsrock