The Sick Lipstick

Sick Lipstick, a Toronto outfit, merges no wave and punk with traces of riot grrrl to craft an abrasive, provocative sonic identity. After the dissolution of the stylistically aligned Black Cat #13 in 2001, that group’s vocalist Lindsay Gillard and keyboardist Mark McLean enlisted guitarist Allan Graham and drummer Adrian to complete the new ensemble. Early in the year the quartet launched into recording and live dates, among them performances with the Swirlies, North of America, and XBXRX. Despite technical setbacks in the studio later that autumn and the subsequent recruitment of drummer Dennis Amos, the band was prepared to track its debut EP by the opening months of 2002. The self-titled release appeared that summer on the Sound Virus label. Around the same period Sick Lipstick also contributed to a split 7" alongside the previously mentioned XBXRX and Quintron. The next year the group issued a split single with Die Monitr Batss and delivered its first full-length album, Sting Sting Sting, through Tiger Style Records.