"Apart from our own gigs I've never been to a live
rock concert," confesses Claire Sillery, the impressive
lead vocalist with the Donegal popsters Guernica. A startling admission, perhaps, from someone whose singing prowess has already been compared to such as Sinéad O' Connor
and Ani Di Franco.
"I'm lucky because I never get nervous," continues the copper ringletted 22-year-old. "The first night at the Errigal Arts Festival
I did fluff a few of the lines. Otherwise, it was just incredibly great fun."
Denis Kelly, founder member and the man who writes all the music and lyrics, is sitting next to Claire. He mischievously suggests that she was thrown in at the deep end a little. Claire
says she thought she was going for an audition. Next thing she knew she was up on stage.
It wasn't quite as abrupt as it sounds, however. Claire had all
of three days to learn the lyrics. Although not short on natural confidence anyway, her task was helped considerably by the fact that as a schoolgirl in London she was a member of some highly regarded choirs. She regularly had to memorise lengthy Latin psalms in quick time.
Happily, Guernica have put all those hasty arrangements behind them now with the release of a new EP Sights Are Cool. Initially, pressure came to bear on the group when their former lead singer opted out of the spotlight for a course in sound-engineering. Problem was, they'd already committed themselves to a tour.
"To begin with, the three of us who were left tried to take on
the lead vocals," comments Kelly. "To put it frankly, we were crap. Buncrana is a small place. Everyone knows everyone else's business. We knew about Claire and hadn't the slightest doubt
she was what we wanted. She has such a distinctive voice."
emotional range
In any case, a number of the band's tunes had to be temporarily scrapped because they just weren't suitable. Adapting to the greater emotional range has made Guernica a more accomplished act. Sillery's vocals cry out for nuanced instrumentation. It's all the more surprising, then, that she hasn't yet forwarded her own compositions.
"Obviously, I'm not going to ask Claire to sing anything that would make her look ridiculous," affirms Denis. "Apart from that, I haven't noticeably changed the themes of my lyrics. I still write everything because I'm the only one who has the time to do so."
In keeping with Claire Sillery's refreshingly non-cliched and unrockmuso profile, she's currently studying a Higher National Diploma in Early Childhood from a psychological and sociological perspective. She realises you have to have something to fall back on in the tightrope-walk that passes for a career in the music business. After her diploma, the next step is a four-year degree course. Unless, of course, instant stardom arrives in the meantime.
But when is she going to write her own lyrics? Denis Kelly states he wouldn't have the slightest problem with such a development. Does Claire feel like a mouthpiece paying lip-service to feelings and ideas far removed from her own thoughts?
"I don't at all," she replies rather predictably. "I don't think I'd be more committed to the songs and my singing if I were the author of the words. And, no, we don't discuss what Denis is trying to say. I take them and give them my own interpretation."
However, Claire admits she has tried her hand at composing the odd rhyming couplet. It may not be too long before we hear what's inside her head. She says she feels strongly about a lot things so her songs would reflect that. What's on her mind at the moment, then?
"Right now what occupies me most are my two cats," she laughs. "They're both spoilt rotten but they're also expecting kittens. Their welfare takes precedent over anything else. They're even causing me to neglect my studies for my exams!"
Naturally, though, nothing distracts her from the goal of world domination by Guernica. "Absolutely," she gushes. "It's upwards and onwards from here on in."
Now, where did I hear that before? n