Darling Magazine

  by Emily Duff Baltimore-based rock band, Pinkshift, are ready to drop their latest single, i’m gonna tell my therapist on you. In preparation of their debut EP, the tune aims to present their raw energy and angst that fuels their blend of 90s punk-rock and pop-rock. Discussing the idea of frustrations in dealing with a lack of societal cares for mental health services, the tune immediately gives off anger and passion in every aspect from the vocals the instrumentation. With people often being quick to throw around adjectives like, “crazy”, and OCD seemingly being used as a quirky attribute, mental health matters are often underacknowledged which is inevitably frustrating for those suffering from these issues. Even when help is provided, the song goes on to describe a feeling of being ignored anyway and so using this song to claim back their voice and their power, and their listeners, against all of these restraints. Combining kick-ass drum beats and guitar riffs and the vocals of...

By Emily Duff Despite being released 15 years ago, the political relevance of ‘V for Vendetta’ remains unchanged - in fact possibly more pertinent to a modern audience.  A significant role ‘V for Vendetta’ plays in helping to explain my understanding, and love of, film is how different forms of media have had the same important role of reflecting, or warning us of, the current reality. While the ‘V for Vendetta’ comic book was originally published almost 40 years ago, the film permeated popular culture within a new generation after the film’s release (despite Alan Moore being displeased with its production). For me, this demonstrates how plots can remain relevant to a range of people within a range of contexts. As a comic played the role in aiding understanding in the 80s, the 00s film then further developed this idea to a wider audience.  Evocative of The Matrix, it embodies what I love about film; its reflection of an individual’s perspective. The consistent mirroring of Guy...

by Emily Duff Having been brought up at gigs, going solo to every gig I possibly could by age 13 and whilst working at the O2 Academy - I’ve seen a lot of harassment. In fact, sometimes part of my job is giving out flyers to people coming to shows at the venue, which many people seem to interpret as me flirting - they try to hug me or go in for a kiss: an unnecessary response to my free flyer. Physical or not, women are often made to feel sexualised or uncomfortable. This is proven by the February 2018 England and Wales Crime Survey which found that one in five women have experienced sexual assault since the age of 16 . We should be taught what consent is and what is not rather than trying to implicate dress codes - especially when outfits are an unconvincing reason for the likelihood of assault. Concerts should be about togetherness.  Due to these uncomfortable and unsolicited situations happening at most concerts, initiatives are beginning to be set up and taken seriously. For e...

1. How did you meet each other and what’s the story behind your band name? We all went to Leeds College of Music. GK and Grace were flatmates at the time and had discussed being in a riot grrrl band. GK then put a post on Facebook looking for female/identifying instrumentalists and we all came together. We got the name ‘Venus’ because GK’s old Instagram name was Venus Girl around the time we came together as a band. It sort of made sense to be called Venus because of the philosophy and background of the goddess. We go under Venus Grrrls online for our online footprint. The ‘Grrrls’ is heavily influenced by the Riot Grrrl movement which is super important to us and our sound.  Which artists inspire you? We have a lot of artists that inspire us as we all listened to such different music. Some bands that we listened to as a collective are Bikini Kill, Garbage, Dream Wife, L7 and Rosetta Tharpe. The Riot grrrl movement is a massive influence on us as a band and is what brought us toget...

1. How did you meet each other and what’s the story behind your band name?  In year 10 we suffered through music GCSE together and our school was  taking part in a Battle of the Bands competition so we decided to form a band for it even though 2/3 of us couldn’t play our instruments. Our music teacher gave us 20 minutes during a lesson to come up with a band name and Elise thought ’the Samphires’ was cute and meaningful because she thought it was a vegetable that grew in the River Tyne. Sadly she lied and instead we became stuck with being named after a disgusting salty vegetable, “poor man’s asparagus”. We ended up winning the competition and so felt like we couldn’t change our name but it’s kind of grown on us now and we just find it funny.  Which artists inspire you? Our biggest influence has to be Big Thief. Their song writing skills are  incredible; they create a sense of unpolished spontaneity within a tight and beautifully crafted framework. We are always insp...

When did you know you wanted to be a musician? Well, my dad (who is literally my best mate and hero) brought me up listening to all the music he grew up listening to, he was in and out of bands his whole life but never really pressured me to learn an instrument or push me down a musical path. Growing up in a musical family I’ve always wanted to play instruments and sing but it never really dawned on me to be a potential career path I wanted to go down until a few years ago when I started writing songs. It was a way of expressing myself I hadn’t been able to do with anything else and just seemed fun. When I joined the band last year I quickly realised I wanted to make something sustainable out of it. I think music is such a good way of expressing yourself and making connections/meeting people you never would normally, I’ve been so lucky to be in a band with such an amazing group of people who have inspired me so much and made me even more certain I want to be a musician. It’s also class...