On this page you can find reviews of album releases. If you scroll down there are some interviews with the band.
Organ's review of our latest album
Speak, Shape Create Time:
Gertrude are different, pretty much everything about them is just a little bit of different. Their energy is different, their positive attitude, their visions, their hopes and their frustrations... The hopes and frustrations all on here with their positive infectious creativity and their different colours, all there to explore on this their self-produced third album. Recorded and self produced over at the RampArt squat in London , Gertrude are a proper DIY band, they're not the type to sit around waiting for The Man to do it for them. Gertrude have never been easy to pin down, like we've said before, that's the way we like it - their music has always been unpredictably good, their gigs are always full of positive colourful energy, alive with so many good things. There's a surprising amount of depth here that they haven't quite had before though, they've evolved again – a more confident sound? Maybe, they've always been a confident group of creative people though... just more crafted and accomplished this time then? The electric cello, the melodica and the weaving clarinet are all pulling together with the guitars, drums and voices now. They've always been the ones drawing their own line... You want some signposts? Well like we said, they're always difficult to pin down. Let's see... They've got bits of Raincoats in there, The Slits, healthy hints of Sonic Youth, a fair bit of Gong , The Calvert side of Hawkwind/Hawklord (Window Watching is pure Astounding Sounds with that observing the dark corners of the city claustrophobia) , there's some Shellac in there now, some Ani Difranco, a more tuneful less angry Crass all there, all just hints in there with some clever tempo changes, some lush strings, some scratchy agit pop, their London post punk, their spiders webs and their positive gender politics. Gertrude don't sound like anyone other than their ever evolving ever positive ever inspiring selves, they never have sounded like anyone else – they're another healthy branch of the real creative diverse colourful positive inspiring London underground. Speak is their best album by far, last one was good, this is the first that really captures what they've been doing live for quite some time now – they still have their rough raw edges and their DIY feel, lot more musical depth now, some decent production at last, the first album to really capture their positive creative spirit and their let's-get-this-done attitude, the first to capture their kick against the pricks smiles and all their lush colour, their string driven chamber punk creativity, their politics and their ever perky lyrical/musical quirkiness. An album alive with their words that know where the power is, with their anarchic cross-fertilisation, their chamber agit pop, their new wave post-punk goodness. We've always loved Gertrude gigs, and now we have an album that captures their upbeat dynamic and tells you why, the four girls done really good this time
Read Lee McFaddens review of the second album, Fetch The Parrot Blanket which was published in the Morning Star Feb 4th 2006
Organ review of the bands debut album Up the Wrong Tree now follows:
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At last, a decent set of recordings from Gertrude. They’re excellent live with their anarchic cross fertilisation and it’s impossible not to bounce and smile and be happy at a Gertrude gig however bleak and angry their subject matter may be – it’s because they smile so much, its because they’re attitude is so positive and they’re as punk as a skunk, its because they thrash hell out of their cellos and guitars…. Thing is they’ve never captured it in recorded state and we’ve always struggled to say good things when we’ve really really wanted to. They’ve got it now, it’s still scratchy and lo-fi and D.I.Y and its real punk rock but now it’s in the most positive of ways where as before it was a little too messy. The Wrong Tree is like some kind of Disney musical Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music only its directed by Crass… indeed think Crass, think Poison Girls, think Gong, think Mother Gong meet Seven Year Bitch – anyone out there remember Evil Edna’s Horror Toilet? Part of the Stonehenge free festival punk rock scene of the 80’s – alright then, how about a grrrl powered Oroonies – yeah, we had to mention that Gertrude are all girls at some point in the review, it really really shouldn’t matter in 2003, it still does though, girls still have to fight for attention. This is the real spirit of RiotGrrl meets free festi anarcho punk – it’s a perfect mix led by three interweaving multi instrumentalist lead vocalists. Actually there’s massive amounts of classic Gong in Gertrude – HERE WE GO, IT’S FLOATING ANARCHY! Hey, let me quote from the piece of paper they sent with their album – “Who are Gertrude? A Jagged, power-cello mutant orchestra, offset by lyrical clarinet madness”. They’re a four piece, a collective doing things totally their own way both musically, politically, creatively and in every other way – so refreshing when even the so called punk rock bands seem to want to follow the rules and ape the big labels and big bands with their identikit glossy big cheeses and household name pr marketing campaigns (get the free stickers for your skateboards now kids). Gertrude are refreshing in every sense, they have the right attitude and they deal out so much rich musical adventure - let’s smash the state, it’s never too late – Gertrude are real punk rock, you can never ever really kill the spirit, here it is alive and well. Gertrude are yours to celebrate, this is brilliant, don’t miss out, we’ve got a million albums in here in Organland, very few become treasured possessions like this will. NME review of the EP She Bang, She Boom is next:They've got an agenda! They got a manifesto! Oh no! They're Riot Grrrls! Quick lads, cover yer cocks and run for the hills! If we mention Huggy Bear, Kleenex, The Slits or Delta 5, you'll probably guess what we're talking about. The only thing that stops this being an absolutely brilliant record is the fact that it fucking JUMPS all over the place. Unless it's not jumping and it's meant to sound like this. In which case it's amazing. Stephen Wells. Interviews Teenage kicks Alva's tour Diary. Germany 2003. One fans view of life on the road with gertrude.
Photo of Jamie Driver letting go on the Germany tour, August 2003 The following article is written by a woman who saw Gertrude on the US 'Beg, Borrow and Steel' tour. It is taken from the Voice is Venom web site and is written by L. Hayle. It was my distinct pleasure to catch the London Based group GERTRUDE, on April 13th at the Covered Wagon Saloon in San Fransico for the first gig of their West Coast tour. The electric cello waiting on stage excited me before I even heard them. Quirky would not even begin to describe the stage presence and music of this cast of characters. A partner in odd for the cello was the clarinet, played by Iona Tanguay, a Pippi Longstocking looking girl who also played the guitar and sang. This group makes an unusual first impression but the listener is soon charmed by the sweet scruffy vocals of lead singer Zoe Gilmour, that stretch unbelievably well over the broad dynamic range of the music. Zoe is also the cellist in the group - and yes - sometimes she does both at once! GERTRUDE's drummer, Dawn Rose, manages to nail down driving beats as well as do more random and spiced percussion that is the foundation for the poetic and angry coming from the other musicians. Ayesha Taylor makes her distorted guitar scream its passionate angst, giving the songs a rhythmic accessibility. Audiences have the tendency to feel the bass, rather than actually listen to it - but Debbie Vanozzi's bass playing is impossibly good. Her command of the instrument both physically and technically gives the music an irresistible groove and power. Few bass players have impressed me as this woman has. GERTRUDE amazes not just because of the individual talents of its members - but because together these women evoke a musical carnival. The songs come to life because of their energy on stage. This ensemble's inspiration is infectious. Inside one of their CD's they have written: We are committed to writing songs and music collectively. We send out a shout to all girls playing guitars and banging drums in bedrooms. |
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Check out the article written by Julie Travis
and published in Diva Magazine with photos and views on a range of
topics.
Read it... |
