Biography
Music in the pop vein never fades away; instead it keeps shifting into an endless range of playful shapes. The Lollies wholeheartedly adopt that outlook, blending girl group sass with Britpop irony and filtering the mixture through wickedly funny lyrics plus their own self-described "indie sugary" sound. Formed in London at the beginning of 1999, the band originated when two expatriates—Canadian bassist/singer Jane Mountain and American guitarist/singer Kate St. Claire—awoke after a New Year’s Eve party nursing hangovers and carrying a newly written song. What began as casual joke demos quickly drew attention from like-minded labels and musicians, prompting the addition of a full lineup once Canadian drummer Matthew Lazowski, another expatriate, came aboard in late summer 1999. The sole English member, keyboardist Rachel Angel, entered the fold just one week before the group’s first proper gig after arriving to conduct an interview and receiving an immediate invitation to stay on permanently. Their initial breakthroughs arrived in 2000 through numerous live appearances, among them shows in America and Canada, together with the release of their debut EP, Bang! Bang! Bang! Lookout, Lookout, Lookout!