The GPO Team!

Pop philharmonic crew Grand Pocket Orchestra embrace their larger-than-life image. They describe themselves as ‘the lovechild of Pavement and Liza Minelli’, and when they hit the stage, they evoke a distinctly camp energy. How can band member Bronwyn Murphy-White’s wardrobe possibly match that? “Well,” she says. “My hair’s pink now…”

GPO burst onto the Dublin music scene last year with a refreshingly fun-loving attitude and strictly non-discriminatory policy towards instruments (their collection of musical toys includes carrots, scissors and the mandolin). The video to their first single ‘Odd Socks’ found the quintet performing around a make-and-do city with Bronwyn and guitarist Flesh piloting a cardboard ambulance in matching nurse and doctor attire. Luckily for their fans, Bronwyn’s saucy ensemble has graced the non-cardboard city too.
“I wore the nurse’s costume a few times on stage for the laugh,” she says, “I thought all the lads would put on their costumes from the video on as well. But they weren’t having any of it!”
Other than the odd favourite from the dress-up box, Bronwyn’s performance wardrobe is surprisingly practical. “I wear pretty much just my normal stuff,” she says. “I used to make a bit more of an effort. But now I just wear something that’s not too hot, something light. Comfort is definitely the most important thing when you’re performing.”
She lists her wardrobe specifics as plain and simple pieces in block colours and, of course, classic black.
Despite developing her musical talents from an early age with bands Deputy Fuzz and Life After Modelling, a young Bronwyn really had another career path in mind. “I used to want to be a fashion designer, but I don’t think I was cut out for it. It’s too cut-throat.”
She spent her school days customising her own clothes, “Anything I bought, I used to cut up. I’d buy skirts and cut them up short. I’d buy tops and cut the arms off. I made a bag out of a pair of jeans once!”
The Terenure, Dublin native continued her love of all things creative with a degree in graphic design in IADT, which she completed last year.
Still putting her design expertise to use with GPO, Bronwyn has designed both the cover for their 3-track EP and the band’s trademark t-shirt (pictured). “It was based on a t-shirt I made [frontman] Paddy, when I stitched the setlist on by hand and then we just kind of continued the theme on.”
This girl certainly has the creative tools to dress to impress. But Bronwyn says she doesn’t pay as much attention to her wardrobe as she used to.
“I shop mostly in Topshop and Penney’s now. I used to spend all my time in charity shops but I had to stop because I ended up with too much, my room was just stuffed full of clothes.”
Presumably, she’s done a big clear out since her bargain hunter days. “No, no. I still have most of it! There’s some stuff I can’t bear to part with.”
Like the nurse’s getup perhaps?
“Yeah, I’ll never be able to give that away.”

Grand Pocket Orchestra play Upstairs, Whelan’s, Dublin on June 27 and Róisín Dubh, Galway on July 1.