There’s a shroud of mystery overarching all-female London trio An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump. The black clad three-piece, named after a Victorian painting and overwhelmingly influenced by the darker side of glam rock, has taken a different approach to their development.

For one thing, they prefer to keep some of the details concerning their brand under wraps, such as their full-length release plans or even their real names. Instead of publicising themselves, they simply went to Chicago to record an EP with Steve Albini.

This EP, titled Buy A Life, was released late last year, and asserts the trio as the next darlings of London, even though their music is highly critical of the scene they work within. Sarcasm and a thin veil of cynicism ride atop distorted guitars, stand-up drumming and plenty of howling, creating a sound that critiques the hipsters whilst simultaneously drawing them in for the kill.

And it’s all here on Buy a Life. It’s a dusty, dirty listen, one filled with class, crass and vigor, a sound seeping out of the dirtiest of East London’s dives. Yet, in its cacophony comes ebullience, soul even. It’s wry, incredibly enlightening stuff, a set of music that sounds fresh, new and unlike anything else in London at the moment.

“Our songs are created though jams to start with,” explains stand-up drummer X-Bird. "It’s about letting yourself relax into it and enjoying the experience. Personally, if I think too hard about the writing process as a whole, I find it difficult to immerse myself in a song. Primarily for me more than anything else, I find the whole songwriting process to be about relaxing into the flow with the other Birds and having a natural instinct in working together. I think the songs on the EP showcase this.”

“It’s a primeval jam session,” adds vocalist and lyricist C-Bird. “There are no set rules or regulations or a process we lay out before hand. The only aspect where I prefer to work alone is when I’m writing lyrics, and the rest is controlled chaos.”

This attitude reflects the acclaim received by the East London-trio since their emergence last year. Originally blasted as a gimmick the band are winning over a music world which is coming to realise that these girls are the real thing. Like The Velvets and The Banshees before them, An Experiment may not always sound warm, but what emerges with a thorough listen is enough to fire up the chilliest of cockles. ‘With us, you get thundering drums, screeching bass guitars, booming voices culminating into a mass explosion of raw energy, sweat, tears, pain and by the end of it all, three very exhausted Birds,” adds X-Bird.

“I don’t believe in theatrics, so our drama is played out as we sing and play from the heart. And, in terms of our ethos and sound as such, I feel we’re on our own private island, which I think is a positive thing. Although it is great to feel that you are a part of a wider circle, and we know we are, it is deeply important to take a step back and assess where you are and to want to go as a band on a personal level. I personally do not feel it’s important for us to be in step with anything or anyone, as ultimately being creative is about being an individual, and I feel that this is what is at the core of our sound.”

And this brings An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump back to their home, one that often prides glitz over gall, a trait that the trio is aware of but claim does not affect them. Style may win over substance ephemerally, but substance always trumps over time. This band, trust these words, is crammed with ideas, creativity, substance. “People tend treat London like a village,” adds bassist D-Bird. “They will only venture into parts they already know. I suppose that’s how scenes are formed. London is a big city. People should explore it more. Your run away from your small town in the suburbs only to run to another. What is important, to us, is that people who are interested in music keep running nights and booking bands that should be heard.”

“Through being contemporaries of certain bands and running my own clubs, [Decasia and Sick Club] there will obviously be references to the London ‘scene’,” says D-Bird. “There are definitely links between bands, some of those being strong and others tenuous. I think it all boils down to who your true friends are and which bands you like. There are a couple I feel a strong rapport with, but mostly I feel very few bands in London are doing something new and groundbreaking. Still, it’s the best place to try out new things and get your voice heard.”

“Coming from outside of London and growing up in the sticks, there was this mythology behind the city that I found alluring growing up but more than anything it was an influence on me to get out of my small town and think bigger than the small town ideals I was surrounded by growing up,” says X-Bird. “It was this feeling of , ‘there is something bigger and more interesting out there’ that I wanted and still want to explore. I saw it and still see it as a city I could escape to but I feel this has no bearing as an influence on the music we create - I personally feel our music comes from the heart and is not a by-product of the city.”

Photo: Ren Rox