Pengilly's

Review of Pengillly's on Bobby Friction's show on the Asian Network. - Asian Network

Interview with Ric and Jim from Pengilly's conducted by Tom Robinson on his BBC 6 Music Introducing show. This was aired on the 17/1/2011 - BBC 6 Music

Experiencing some sort of epiphany while drunk, and then finding yourself unable to articulate it – or even remember it –the next day is something almost all of us can relate to. “All I want to do is write something plain in a way that reads true, but I’m a terrible poet so all I can do is try to describe what it’s like sitting on a curb in July” sing Pengilly’s in debut single ‘Ode VIII’.Well, don’t beat yourselves up too much. Nobody’s that good. Nobody can quite recreate that perfect clarity which reverts to eluding us as soon as we wake up in a sober state. And this frustration of feeling what seemed so important last night just slip through our fingers before we can properly articulate it is a feeling just as potent as the drunken state of mind we’re failing to recapture and represent – a feeling which Pengilly’s explore with this song. Groping through the murk of a hangover, ‘Ode VIII’ tries to form coherence from a mess of drunken thoughts which at least seemed like profundity at the time – trying to connect the dots between jarring feelings of nostalgia, itchy feet, and wishing that things were just different.

But, of course, a song about drinking in a concrete jungle need not sound like it is played by a band which is drunk. Instead, ‘Ode VIII’ is a meticulously constructed piece: rolling piano chimes, fragmented flourishes of strings, and textural electronic murmurs each take their turn to bubble to the surface across the duration of this four minute patchwork of hyper-technical musicianship. Indeed, at times, all the diminished flats, nineteen part harmonies, and occasional forays into H# major threaten to push the song into the realm of music-for-musicians rather than music for listeners. However, the song escapes this fate by granting the layperson’s ear an anchor in the form of a languidly finger picked chord progression, softly underpinning the whole track, keeping the thing grounded. The musicianship remains awe-inspiring without being confrontational or alienating. And that’s to say nothing of the shimmering colour of the song’s chorus: unfurling in a wash of interwoven male and female vocal, with complex harmony spreading texture across the bed of instrumentation. In many respects, it’s a bold choice of song for a debut single: ‘Ode VIII’ boasts no obvious hooks, and has a slender regard for the importance of a sing-along chorus. But, beyond these shallower touchstones, this song showcases a band that can play their instruments infinitely more competently than most of us could ever dream of, whilst giving voice to the metaphysical paradoxes of your latest hangover. ‘Ode VIII’ is an enrapturing phonic experience to both admire and to explore. - Muso's Guide

Leeds newcomers The Pengillys release their debut single Ode VIII this week through newly founded independent label ‘Good Foot Records’. This band mix both live instruments and processed beats from the laptop to adapt a chilled out yet complex sound. The project and songs are the musings of 20-year-old Ric Hollingberry. Ric has previously collaborated with artists such as Corinne Bailey-Rae and is currently part of Emmy the Great’s backing band.

Ode VIII is a chilled out experimental piece of music which starts out with a promising up beat classical come contemporary riff, mixing both strings with an electronically processed sound. The vocals – both male and female – outline a degree of emotion and pain that transcends the music. The real focal point of the song is summed up when the vocals begin to harmonise, leading you to imagine a picture of a broken relationship in which both sides decide it’s time to call it an end.

It should be said that Ode VIII gives the listener very little to go on and hardly leaves you compelled to want to listen to the song again. Yet, this project shows signs of experimental talent along with promising vocals that you could find intriguing in the long run. It’s how I imagine the Gorillaz would sound had Damon Albarn never tasted the mainstream success of Blur. - Counterfeit Magazine

Live Review: Pengilly's @ Brudenell Social Club
Words: Kieran Toms

Live: Pengilly's + The Vagabond Trills at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (28 Jan '11)

The first thing that struck me upon entering the Brudenell Social Club was how busy it was. It was clear that Pengilly’s, recently profiled on BBC 6Music (and this very blog), are starting to get the attention their talent deserves.

First though, was the support band, The Vagabond Trills. Their four female singers’ delicate harmonies were not quite given due deference by the audience, and thus suffered somewhat from the background chatter, fading into the hubbub somewhat.

Perhaps too, their songs lacked a little structural punch, and whilst their set was enjoyable enough, the band didn’t stand out as anything particularly special, but perhaps in a more intimate setting their strengths, barely glimpsed here, would shine through, for their performance still indicated they are a band of not inconsiderable talent.

Following a gap which was impressively brief, considering the number of instruments the band have to set up, Pengilly’s took to the stage, and frontman Ric Hollingberry’s strong voice immediately impressed during their as-yet-untitled opener. Throughout the set, their on-record strengths, such as the intricacy of their harmonies, and the careful instrumentation, were all spot on, testament to the skill level of all members of the group.

But as well as these qualities, which a listener to their music might expect anyway, the rhythm unit in a live setting proved itself to possess quite a groove, which underpinned the music terrifically. This particularly came to the fore in an exuberant version of R Kelly’s 'Ignition', which got the whole venue dancing and singing along.

However, despite having highlighted this cover, the original material of the rest of their set was by no means inferior. Tracks such as single 'Ode VIII' were melodious and catchy and heartfelt. Having seen the band before, it has sometimes been the case that their songs sprawl slightly into pleasant but not necessarily very focused noodling; but this flaw has almost been completely banished now, and the newer songs they performed showed the increasingly first-rate nature of Hollingberry’s songwriting.

Judging by the rapturous response from those present, I was not the only one to be impressed by this confident performance. - Faded Glamour (Blog)

Surfacing: Pengilly's
Words: Kieran Toms

Pengilly's have been going for a good few years, chiefly the product of a young man named Ric Hollingberry and a rotating bunch of extremely talented musicians, their base flitting between London and Leeds as members shuffled higher education and band business.

However, they are now a bit more settled – both personnel-wise, and also geographically, in Leeds. And things are starting to happen for them - current single 'Ode VIII' has been raved about on Tom Robinson’s BBC 6Music show, and they recently headlined the lovely Brudenell Social Club in Leeds.

How does their music sound? Well it’s got lots going on, there are harmonies and strings and complex basslines and wistful lyrics and more besides, and but it is clearly very carefully crafted so that all these wonderful and complex things fit together very naturally and simply. It manages to achieve the admirable feat of being both immediately striking, and also mysterious enough for further listens to grant further treasures.

'Ode VIII' is a great example of the simultaneously grand and earthy sound of Pengilly's, listen to it below. Download it from iTunes. - Faded Glamour (Blog)