There is a tangible sense of expectancy in the air. The Line Of Best Fit is at Manchester’s Deaf Institute and the first of two support bands are about to play only their sixth gig ever. There is already a sizeable early evening crowd as PINS take to the stage and within a couple of minutes it is clear why the locals are getting excited.
Some bands have ‘it’ – the tunes, the attitude and bags of stage presence. PINS show enough over their eight-song set to suggest that they have ‘it’ in abundance. The all-female four-piece make noisy, textured pop, mixing their stated influences of Hole, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Beach House into a thrilling brew. On tonight’s showing they are still understandably raw, but it is a stunning performance for gig number six.
A few days later, we meet up with singer/guitarist Faith Holgate and bassist Anna Donigan (drummer Lara Williams and guitarist Lois McDonald complete the line-up) in a first-floor room above a pub in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It is their first ever interview as PINS, but Faith and Anna are soon into their stride, regaling us with stories about the band’s creation and expressing their extreme disappointment at the lack of a Smash Hits-style set of quick-fire questions. Part way through our interview, two fire engines pull up outside the pub and several firefighters enter the building. Neither Faith nor Anna flinches from answering the question in hand. These PINS are nails.
