TigerDrive – Girlfriend Lobotomy x Freakspurt Henry
For the release of their sophomore singles Girlfriend Lobotomy and Freakspurt Henry, Tigerdrive set out on a mini three-date tour in partnership with House Proud from northeast England. I caught up with them in the middle at their date at the basement of Home Bar in Edinburgh on the 1st of August. Here, they were also joined by Aberdeen’s own psych-punk band Vibrator, and rounding off the evening was Edinburgh horror-punk band the TV Casualties, all brilliant bands in their own right.
TigerDrive – Photos by Rachel Dawkins!
Descending to the basement of Home Bar, I was greeted by Tigerdrive’s lead singer Poppy and guitarist Aaron, stoked to play their set. The crowd is eager and waiting to see what they have in store.
Tigerdrive’s set thunders out of the starting block with their brand-new single Girlfriend Lobotomy, followed closely by a fan favourite, Frogspawn. In a small venue like Home Bar, it’s impossible not to be drawn into the performance of the band, and Tigerdrive delivers spectacular energy. Ben’s frantic drumming drives through the songs, and it’s clear the audience can’t help but nod along and tap their feet to Tigerdrive’s enormous sound. I will never not be blown away by Poppy’s insane vocal performance on their track Ruby Enlighten Me, but hearing it live always gives me chills, and bassist Craig’s backing vocals elevate it even further. The track provides some heartbreaking respite from their faster tunes at a nice midway point through the set, but you can feel the tension building up in the room, full of shuffling feet and nodding heads. Then, as the last few notes of Ruby fade away and Aaron begins the intro riff to Skint, the crowd erupts into its first mosh of the set…
It’s a frenzy of bodies dashing about and crashing into each other while shouting along to the chorus. Poppy delivers a furious momentum throughout the next songs to the onslaught of eager moshers. New single Freakspurt Henry hails a fast and ferocious drive throughout, and it is another very welcome addition to the set. The set rounds out with Stomach Bug, louder than ever till the final note, when the crowd erupts into cheers.
They have burst onto local scenes, and I’m eager to see where they will go from here.
Girlfriend Lobotomy x Freakspurt Henry is a set of two singles from the Aberdeen alternative group and it meets the moment intelligently. More than an acknowledgement of the current rollback of women's rights, it captures the listless frustration and bitterness that come with being quashed by the patriarchy, in both big and small ways.
On Girlfriend Lobotomy, the wrathful guitar wails and action-scene drums are cut by vocalist Poppy's cries of 'Oh no!'—mocking the subservient sympathy that's being demanded of her. This track switches from exhausted introspection to all-out anger with no warning, a unique quality that makes it an extremely fun and unpredictable ride despite the heavy topics at play.
The first track deals with misogyny on an overwhelming societal scale, but Freakspurt Henry provides a more personal tale of a man who won't leave the singer alone as she tries to evade him on the High Street. The track's most chilling moment comes when it builds up tension, teasing an explosive instrumental finale, only for it to evaporate into a distorted comedown. It leaves us feeling like we only just escaped something violent.
Live review written by Carrie Brown
Single review written by Rohnak Sharma