VALERIE CHAIN

Putting an interesting twist in today’s Rock and Metal work seems to be what the genre is all about these days. Pink Stik seems to have this “interesting twist” down to “t” without question. Seemingly a combination of pop, rock, metal and a little punk tossed in for good measure, these girls like it loud and heavy!



For the hardcore metal fans, it may take some time to get used to these girls; but for the open minded that like it “different” and interesting along with loud and hard, I think those would like Pink Stik just fine.



Not a bunch of “hotties” on stage whose success is solely derived from their looks, these “ordinary” girls actually have “balls” behind their music and their intent. They aren’t afraid to come on strong with heavy guitars and the over used yet popular “cookie monster vocal sound;” however, they can be very melodic with great melodies whether is be slower material or in your face stuff with great hooks. They cross many lines combining many styles to create something that is marketable and seems to packing venues in Australia.



As their press kit states: “In 2005 a group of girls from the NSW Mid-North Coast rolled up their beach towels, swapped their pink surfboards for a band name and created the beginnings of a new era of Rock Music “Pink Rock”.”



So, some of you are already thinking, “Geez, another girl band! They’ll never draw!” Well, think again! Pink Stik has no problem packing them in at venues in their homeland. I say venues because “packing them in” for Pink Stik doesn’t mean only smoke filled bars with a capacity of 100 counting the bar tender! These girls have no problem bring CROWDS to places like Sydney’s Taste of Chaos, Triple JJJ’s Festival of the Sun, The Metro, The Hopetoun Hotel, and more recently Subbies Band Room at HOME in Sydney these girls are a favorite wherever they play. Their EPK (Press Kit) goes on to say the following: “Pink Stik were invited to play the “Gritty in Pink Tour” on Vans Warped Tour in 2006, and the track “Stay” from Pink Stik’s Forthcoming EP is featured on the Gritty in Pink Compilation. The track “So Mean” also won the National YouthWeek RockiT People’s Choice Awards 18-25 Category in June 2006.”



I enjoyed listening to their 3 songs in their EPK. With songs like “From The Top” with some great hooks, solid guitar work and vocals that range from sweet to gutsy. This song is followed by a number called “Stay.” This has the sound that reminds me of straightforward rock-n-roll combined with a bit of a post-punk edge, another great song. Last but not least in the EPK was a song called “So Mean.” Another well-written song with great lyrics you can follow. A solid rhythm track and some good drumming backbone; All together, coupled with their trademark gritty guitar, this makes three for three in the “I Like It” column! Check out Pink Stik! I think you’ll enjoy what you hear.
- Bob Donovan

From the opening track “From the Top” this EP rocks! Four heavy tracks that have the ultimate combination of crunching guitars, solid beats, melodic vocals and a wicked screamer in there just for good measure. Plus an acoustic track at the end for a breather.

Okay, so I know what you’re thinking. “Chick rock band, heard it before”. But don’t be too quick to pigeon hole these girls. “From the Top” shows a high level of songwriting not particularly common in today’s pop driven music scene. I would call this EP refreshingly heavy, with a great mix of melodic lead vocals and grinding guitar riffs that have enough of a listenable value without using the dirty “pop” word. With tracks like “Stay” that have great verses and a ‘make you want to sing along’ chorus, you’ll be lulled into a false sense of security until you hit the build up and the lead vocals start screaming at you like a demon… I know when my stereo was yelling at me to “stay, please don’t leave”, there was no way I was going anywhere!

If you’re into the likes of good Aussie rock, check out Pink Stik’s “From the Top” EP, you won’t be disappointed. Good tunes, Aussie rock Girls, and a future that’s only going to get brighter, do yourself a favour and drop in on Pink Stik.

Muel. - The Local Scene

Reported by: E-Mack - Wednesday, Dec 28, 2005.

Whether it's a bunch of feminist wannabes or some ill-talented guitarists, it seems everywhere you look girl bands are being hired simply because they happen to have breasts. But this is not the case for up and coming Port Macquarie youngsters, Pink Stik.

With rhythm guitarist Corina McGuire who can growl with the best of them and bass player Leal Turner who has more energy than your average energiser bunny, my call is that it won't take long before these girls will develop their stage presence to be a sought-after act. That's right - they actually have talent. FasterLouder spoke to the girls after they'd played the first set of the day at Festival of the Sun on Decemeber 15.

It was a far cry from when they recently played the Sydney Taste of Chaos, headlined by The Used. "This crowd was a lot more chilled (at FOTSUN)," said lead singer, Naomi Wright. "There was a lot more anger in the Taste of Chaos crowd. We were there first local band to play there, so most people didn't really know what was happening. They thought it was just the big bands and didn't know local bands played in the middle." According to Corina, the girls copped a bit of flack for being chicks. "They were really shocked to see a girl band up on stage. A lot of people said to us that when we got on stage they were 'oh, that's a girl band', but when we started playing they thought 'wow'. It can be really hard because people judge you really harshly because you're a girl band ... but we want to make it for our music."

Corina, Leal and drummer Lauren Cooper formed the band in March and searched long and hard before Namoi appeared with her attitude-laden voice. Renee Gibbons was then enlisted to take up the role of lead guitarist - and so the band was complete and started hitting the live circuit. For a band so young and fresh, they certainly have their shit together. Pink Stik describe their music as 'rock meets girl, with distinctive lyrics and hardcore riffs with a passion for distortion and heavy beats.'

And that's pretty much spot on. Not only is their sound developed, they are already peddling their talent in live shows from Sydney to the Central Coast and everywhere in between. They even made an appearance at the Big Exo Day at the Sydney Tennis Centre, with a crowd of around 10,000. Then there was the Port Macquarie Christmas Carols, which the girls assured me was 'a lot cooler than it sounds'.

There's no doubt the girls have only started (Corina only learnt how to change guitar strings the day before Festival of the Sun), but they will go a long way as they develop their own attitude - particularly if Naomi gets angry and follows the sound of her voice with her stage presence and as they become more comfortable with each other. But with a MySpace page they are already developing a fan-base and with an aim to take the band full-time and get an EP out next year, good luck to them.
- www.fasterlouder.com.au