Dublin based post-punk band formerly known as Girl Band have made the decision to rebrand themselves as Gilla Band. The decision came not as a grudge, but a lesson for the band after being indirectly educated on the damage their name may have caused individuals as a result of the misgendered name. A statement has been released following the decision.
We are changing our band name. We are also playing some shows in Dublin in January. pic.twitter.com/PNhZ19dL2m
— Gilla Band (@GillaBand) November 16, 2021
The band have highlighted their initial decision, labelling it as nothing more than an oversight, “It was chosen without much thought” and that the choice came from a place of “naivety and ignorance”. The band go on to say that the decision was not intended to be harmful towards anyone; but in today’s climate, with talks of gender and sexuality being as prominent as they are, it would have been “impossible to justify or explain their choice”. “Regardless of our intentions, the effect of the name has been damaging to individuals. To try and negate any unfortunate role we’ve played in propagating a culture of non-inclusivity in music or otherwise, we have decided to change it.”.
The band then went on to thank those involved in the decision to change the name. “Thank you to those who spoke up about it and educated us on this. Either directly or indirectly. Moving forward we will be performing and releasing records under the same Gilla Band.”. They then kindly clarified, “Gilla being a given name taken from old Irish.”.
The announcement also came with the news of a brief stint of gigs at Whelans in Dublin next January. The gigs will take place on Friday 14th and 21st, then Saturday 29th. As of yet, there is no more information on the gigs. No support acts, and no hints at new music. But you can still buy tickets here. The gig follows a sold-out show on new years eve in Limerick.
Thank You! x@girl_band NYE @mydolans is now SOLD OUT!!!
— Seoda Shows (@seodashows) November 9, 2021
The band are also set to tour with post-punk behemoths IDLES on their 2022 European tour. See the IDLES, Gilla Band, and Brighton band Porridge Radio, dates below.
18/02/22 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks
19/02 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Melkweg
20/02 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Melkweg
22/02 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
23/02 – Cologne, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria
24/02 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
26/0 – Brussels, Belgium – AB Brussels
28/02 – Paris, France – Elysée Montmartre
