Melbourne has many icons to its name such as Neighbours, the Australian Open and AFL. But another icon symbol that resonates with a lot of Melburnians is a 1930s neon sign called Audrey the SKIPPING GIRL VINEGAR in Richmond. It is an underground figure that brings back a lot of childhood memories for Mark Lang, frontman of the Melbourne four-piece of the same name (kind of like Pooh Bear corner on Clyde Mountain for Canberrans).
It is easy to see then why the band quickly gained a strong following within weeks of releasing their first demos, leading to support slots with Little Birdy, Missy Higgins, Angus & Julia Stone and Kate Miller-Heidke. “By the time we started playing live, we had a strong idea of who we were and what we were going to do,” Lang says.
In order to keep this momentum going they wanted to ensure that they could deliver a golden egg as their debut album and not surrender into the commercial buzz spiralling around them. This meant releasing their debut effort, Sift the Noise, via their own label Secret Fox after nearly four years of hard work. “I don’t write well on the road, so I found time to myself to write new songs,” Lang says.
While recording with Melbourne producers Nick Huggins (Whitley, Kid Sam) and Greg Arnold the band discovered the organic pop aesthetic that defines them as a band. This new-wave pop caught the attention of American independent music icon Brad Jones (Bob Evans, Josh Rouse) who agreed to mix their debut effort.
On the back success of their hailed debut offering, the band crawled into the studio to record One Long Week, the newly released single from a forthcoming album. By their own admission they were exhausted, broke and worn out leading up to recording again. What keeps them going through these difficult times?
“We’re excited about the next batch of songs and we’re still going for the love of it. If you’re in music for money then you’ve got the wrong idea,” Lang says. “I also feel as if I grew up on Sift the Noise as I developed as a writer and this time I know what I’m doing and I know the people I’m working with so it’s a lot easier.”
Even though they have well and truly earned their reputation as a Melbourne underground force not to be reckoned with, the Vinegar are no strangers to our town.
“We’ve always had a good time in Canberra,” says Lang. “We even had a request from management to return there. We had an amazing time there for our album launch, and that gig set up Canberra for us quite well. It truly stayed with us.”
Skipping Girl Vinegar will play an early afternoon set at Transit Bar on Saturday February 20. Entry from 3pm and the show is free!
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