Babygod

Glaswegian four-piece, Babygod, have so far stayed off the beaten path of small venues, choosing instead to occupy hairdressing salons, lap dancing clubs and free masons’ socials, though they know not a single funny handshake between them.

They featured recently as New Band of the Day in The Guardian. Paul Lester noted that forthcoming single, Time, ‘has the jerky quality of early Talking Heads before they discovered funk.’

A review of their last London outing described singer Gerry as having ‘the range of Billy Mackenzie and the gravitas of Bowie.’ Bold claims indeed, though these are fair enough musical reference points. Stuart Maconie played them on The Beeb next to Felt, which pleased them.

Brothers Gerry and Brian Campbell met when Gerry was very young and Brian couldn’t have been much younger. Later, they met Ruth Mills at high school. She sang, she danced, she played violin. She could back-flip down the corridor. Anyone would want to make friends with a girl like that.

She went off to London to study contemporary dance while Gerry went to Glasgow Uni to study French. These two strands are integral to the uniqueness of the group. It’s not unusual for them to be heard covering Serge Gainsbourg (a big lyrical influence) or playing their own Machin Truc, a bizarre, out of character piece of Gallic quirk-punk.

Ruth’s aesthetic sense led her naturally into photography and film making. Often using non-dancers performing simple movements, she choreographs the film in the editing process. These then provide a stunning backdrop for Babygod live shows.

Her work is most commonly shown in the kinds of cinemas where Penelope Cruz only ever speaks Spanish. The most recent piece is a pop video for forthcoming single ‘Time’, which will be released in September. Ruth press-ganged eight contemporary dancers into being drilled militarily for a day. The result is a sharp, angular visual treat.

Gerry’s song writing takes on large themes in small doses. Home, Time, Hope, Ideals and Perfection all come into focus under his forensic lens.

Their self-promoted Black Cat club nights are as likely to include films or performance poetry as much as old-fashioned rock’n’roll. They’re always sold out.

As the song says, ‘There is no time, no time like now.’

“A band this great must not be ignored. Babygod are poise, elegance, subtlety, tunes and originality combined with timeless familiarity” Tim Riley, Wound Magazine

“Their brittle pop sound is suitably idiosyncratic with Wire, Orange Juice and the Divine Comedy all being vague reference points.” Mark Robertson, The List

“Time has the jerky quality of early Talking Heads before they discovered funk, while Home has the slow-burning quality of early Blue Nile.” Paul Lester, The Guardian