(((O))) Interview: Molly Vulpyne

As one half of highly energetic garage punk duo The Vulpynes, Molly Vulpyne has released some brilliantly brazen and fiery music to great acclaim. Showcasing a different side of her musical talent as well, Molly has recently brought out her first solo EP Amortise and the formation of a solo band to showcase this and the results demonstrate that different side to Molly Vulpynes music to great effect. Gavin Brown caught up with Molly Vulpyne to discuss Amortise and her solo music as well as getting the lowdown on playing at the Rebellion festival, what The Vulpynes have got planned, and the punk scene in Ireland.

E&D: Your new EP Amortise has recently been released. Have you been happy with how it’s been received so far?        

Molly: I was a bit hesitant putting it out, to be honest, because I didn’t think any of the songs were cohesive, but I’m pleasantly surprised. I’m glad people like it, and yeah, I’m very happy with how it’s gone so far.   

E&D: You have said that the EP, was “an experiment I miraculously achieved without overthinking, one that feels truly authentic”. Was the making of Amortise a special experience for you?

Molly: Yeah, I think it was. A lot of the songs were written during lockdown. It was a strange time in my life, in everyone’s life. I was living in my granddad’s house at the time, and he was in hospital, and it was weird, because it was the covid restrictions, like we couldn’t visit, and looking back on it now, it just seems so strange. So all I did during that period was just write a lot of music, and it was cathartic for me, and the songs just came out. With my previous projects, I’m always sitting down and thinking, okay, to finish this song, or I need another two songs for a release, or I’m working with Kaz, she’s the drummer in Vulpynes so this just seemed to come together without much planning or thoughts, which is nice.

E&D: The EP marks a change musically in terms of pace, what brought on this change and is it something that you have wanted to do for a while?

Molly: I didn’t want to do a solo record. I didn’t think of starting another band. I just had these songs that I felt like they were burning a hole in my pocket, and I really wanted to do something with them. I started recording songs just one by one. I do one, maybe one a month, and then I realised I had four. So I said, okay, yeah, let’s do this. Let’s give it a go. Let’s just put them out there, and then the live band evolved from there. I realised that I had no one to play with. I got some friends in to help me with the recording of Amortise, so some of them were available for the live aspect. Some weren’t, so I just started from scratch. But it really all just fell in together. I think the best part of it was I know a lot of really great musicians that are in different bands. It’s a very tight knit community here in Dublin, everyone is in a few different bands, and we all borrow, you know each other for recording and live stuff, so I think that really helped.

E&D: What have been the biggest influences on the EP?

Molly: I was listening to a lot of PJ Harvey, and I was listening a lot of early Smiths. It sounds like a simple way of phrasing, but it still sounds poetic. So I was listening to a lot of those bands. And to be honest, I listened to so many different types of music and bands, some of it doesn’t even make sense. I like listening to the Cranberries and Enya and then I’ll be listening to Alice in Chains in the next breath. So I honestly don’t know where the inspiration or the influences come from.

E&D: How was it working on the track ‘Dead In The Water’ with Peter Jones from Paranoid Visions?

Molly: Peter’s really a good friend of mine, and I knew that I wanted him on at least one of the tracks. I recorded the guitar and the vocals and the bass with Tony Carberry in Darkland Studios, that’s in Dublin, and I just asked Peter to put something over it.  I sent him the track, and I said, do whatever you want. I trust you. I know you’re great at what you do, so he layered some guitar over and sent it back. It’s great having him involved in this project. He’s a live guitarist with the band as well. It’s the first time I’ve ever played in a band where there’s another guitarist, so that’s great for me. It gives me a bit of a breathe out sometimes when I’m doing gigs.

E&D: Have you get plans for a full length solo album?

Molly: Yeah, I do definitely. I have a lot of songs still. I wrote some new songs for this live set that I haven’t recorded yet. I’m writing all the time at home, just to keep the brain active, and I’ve got lots of material that I’m going to I’m going to try get an album together, I’d say maybe early next year.

E&D: How has it been being on the same label in Cadiz music as Killing Joke, Brix Smith and Peter Murphy, is that a thrill for you as a musician?

Molly: Yeah, definitely. I couldn’t believe it when I looked through the roster and saw those names. Yeah, it’s an incredible honour to even be in the same conversation as those names. I met Brix at a gig that my band Vulpynes did in London a couple years back, and she was really lovely to me, and that always stuck out in my mind.

E&D: What have Vulpynes got planned for the rest of the year and going into next year?

Molly: We have a gig coming up in Dublin. It’s an all ages gig, and we do want to record some more material. We have lots of songs that we have never recorded, so yeah, it’s in the schedule. Gonna get around to doing that as well. We’ve never done an album. We’ve released three EPs. So yeah, it’s a good time that we put something else out.

E&D: Is it a challenge balancing this solo work being in the band as well?

Molly: Yeah, I think it’s more a challenge just juggling it with normal life as well, and working full time. I think I picked the worst time ever to start a new band, because I’ve  just started back in college this year as well. So I think if you want to make the time, you’ll use it wisely. I think that’s worked to my advantage because I have such little free time, I always make sure that I get as much done as possible. But next year I’ll be freed up because I’ll be finished for college, and then, yeah, hopefully I’ll have more time to procrastinate and to get things done.

E&D: You played at this year’s Rebellion festival as a solo artist and with Vulpynes, what were the highlights of your time at the festival, and what other bands did you check out?

Molly: Rebellion is a pilgrimage for me every year. I absolutely love it. On the Thursday, I played the almost acoustic stage by myself. I’ve always wanted to do that gig. It was quite nerve wracking, because you’re so exposed, but it was a great way to kickstart the festival. I loved it. I really liked a new band called Split Dogs. They were really, really great. Riskee And The Ridicule. They’re always one of my favorites to catch at Rebellion. My mum and dad came with me this year, and they love Riskee And The Ridicule as well. UK Subs, you’re just spoilt for choice! Benefits are another great act that I saw there, It was a really, really great experience, and I’m already counting the weeks till the next one!

E&D: How have you your other recent gigs gone?

Molly: We played Electric Picnic, that’s a really big festival here in Ireland. There was a festival in the country that I played by myself in County Clare that was more like a boutique kind of festival. And then we had Rebellion, of course. The Molly Vulpyne band played a pre show on Thursday too, so we were on at 1:30am, we were all struggling, like how are we going to keep the energy levels up? But it went really, really well, thankfully. The gigs are great, and I think we have now really locked in together.

E&D: How much of a difference is it playing, playing with your new band and playing with The Vulpynes?

Molly: It feels completely different. It’s just the energy that you have. Me and Kaz have been playing together for over eight years, and we’re very locked in together. I think the music is a lot heavier, so it has a completely different energy to it, whereas playing with the Molly Vulpyne band, It doesn’t feel as intense and in a good way, but they’re completely different experiences. That’s what I love about being in different bands and with different projects They all feel completely different, but it’s quite addictive joining bands, it’s like, I need to stop!

E&D: Would you play different sets again like you did at Rebellion and will you play the festival again?

Molly: Yeah, I think it goes back to the Irish scene. At Rebellion, Peter would play in Paranoid Visions, and then he’d play with the Molly Vulpyne band, and then Jay Bagnall, who plays drums for Molly Vulpyne  band, also plays for Steve Ignorants live band, and he plays for Paranoid Visions, so it’s getting to the stage now where everyone is playing in multiple bands, and it’s great, because my opinion is, if you’re there for a weekend, you might as well just lap it up and play as many gigs as you can, because the atmosphere there is so good. The crowds are really into that particular type of music, which is really important because there’s lots of festivals that you play where you could be just playing to people that don’t want to listen to you at all. But Rebellion is different. They’re there for that kind of music. So yeah, I have no problem playing as many times as they’ll have me.

E&D: What’s the punk scene like in Ireland at the moment?

Molly: It’s thriving. It’s brilliant, there’s so many great bands here, and I think just a great scene for independent acts as well. In Dublin City there’s probably a lack of venues for smaller independent acts, but that’s caused people to go and find creative places to put on gigs. I think that’s more interesting and more fun, but there’s a lot of really great bands coming out of all over Ireland. It’s not just Dublin. There’s a great scene in Cork as well, and in Galway. It’s good and it’s a good community to be part of.

E&D: What bands would you recommend to check out?

Molly: There’s a band called the Coathanger Solution. We played with them at the Rebellion pre show. They’re really, really good. There’s another band called Motion Sickness. We played a festival with them in Kildare that started the summer. They’re excellent.

E&D: What are your favourite venues to play in Dublin?

Molly: The Grand Social is probably one of the more popular venues. There was a three day punk festival there called Social Unrest And the line was insane. Ruts DC played, Riskee And The Ridicule played, this was a week after Rebellion, so everyone was buzzing, that’s a really, really good venue. Like I said, there does seem to be a lack of smaller, independent venues. Fibber McGees is pretty well known. That’s a rock bar and a lot of punk bands would play there, so they’d probably be my top two.

E&D:  How was the experience of working with Meryl Streek and have you got plans to work together again?

Molly: Dave’s new album is going to be out very soon, and I’ve recorded a couple of tracks on that album, and I joined him on stage at Rebellion, which was really nice. Dave’s the type of person that will call you up and just ask you to come into the studio tomorrow, and he’ll say, Hey, I’ve got these three songs, sing something on them. So you just never know with him! I just wait for him to let me know.

E&D: Are you looking to play more and more gigs next year?

Molly: Yeah, I’d like to do a UK tour next year. There’s a couple of gigs that I’m confirming at the moment, that’s with the band, and that’s for early next year. And then I’d like to do more gigs in the UK, there’s so many amazing venues there, I got to play a lot of them with Meryl Streek on his first couple of tours. I’d like to visit those places again. I ust need to plan it, which I will do.

E&D: Who your favourite, all time favourite Irish bands?

Molly: The Cranberries are probably one of my favourite Irish bands. I love Dolores and I love her voice. Whipping Boy would definitely always be up there. Their album Heartworm is one of the greatest Irish albums ever. I have to say Thin Lizzy, because you have to mention them. Sinead O’Connor would be one of my favourite Irish artists as well.