When Bellefire appeared this month at The Shelter, Vicar St., in front of Ireland’s music media, they must have been pretty nervous. Industry people are not usually the most expressive of audiences, and Bellefire’s brand of sugar-pop rock is probably more aimed at the kids of this audience than the people who are actually present.

Yet Bellefire acquit themselves admirably on the tiny stage, playing three songs from their album due later in the year with Ciara giving us a rendition of a sean-nós tune as Gaeilge that demonstrates that these girls can really sing. It’s not the Corrs, but it ‘aint the Spice Girls either; a crafted yet sassy sound that’s more girl-next-door than sexy sirens. Mind you, if I lived next door I’d be re-enacting coffee ads all day… Their cover of U2’s ‘All I Want Is You’ suggests that they might be a little more adventurous in their choice of covers than their Westlife stablemates. They’re also probably the best-looking band that Ireland’s ever produced, an important consideration these days in pop, though they collapse in fits of giggles when I put this to them when we meet the following day.

“Thanks for the compliment,” says Kelly, “but we didn’t always look like this and we won’t look like this forever. Our image is important, we know, but we’re musicians and singers and that’s why we’re in this band.”

On the same subject, do the girls have a team of stylists to advise them on their ‘look’?

“We did at the very start,” frowns Cathy, “but basically we didn’t like the clothes they suggested to us, so nowadays we do it ourselves. Some of the clothes the stylists put us into made me feel like a kid dressed up in her mother’s gear!” Ciara interrupts. “When we met those stylists first they asked us ‘What sort of labels do you wear?’ and we just looked at each other and laughed. Levi’s, St. Bernard, that’s the kind of stuff we wear.”

The four girls come from Sligo, Galway and Dublin and first met at the auditions that preceeded the band’s formation. They dispute the ‘manufactured band’ tag though.

“U2 were formed in exactly the same way that Bellefire were formed,” says Tara. “Larry Mullen put a sign on a school noticeboard for people who wanted to be in a band. We’ve all grown up with musical back-

grounds and we all want to make good music.”

They take their musical credentials very seriously, pointing out that at last night’s live show the quartet played piano, violin and guitar, the latter handled with aplomb by Tara, who may have been receiving lessons from her brother Alan Lee, bassist with the industrial influenced outfit Skindive. “And I can play ‘Hey Jude’ on the accordian”, volunteers Kelly, “though I somehow don’t see that coming in very handy with this band!”

The girls have spent more than a year in development and have just returned from the US, where they’re putting the finishing touches to their debut album. Given their youth, are they prepared for the rollercoaster of live and promo work that, according to Westlife’s Bryan in last issue’s hotpress, left him “Too tired, pushed too far”?

“That’s the nature of the game we’re in, and we’re prepared to do what we have to in order to be successful and continue to make music,” says Tara. “We’ve been preparing for this moment for a year and a half.” Kelly agrees. “We know it’s going to be tough but we’re looking forward to it, we’re like a coiled spring, and now is Boinnng! time.” Ciara adds: “We all live together now and we support one another when one of us is tired or down. Plus, I don’t think our record company or management would allow us to overwork ourselves, Dennis Woods is our management representative and he calls over to the house all the time to see that we’re fine and happy.” “And not killing each other,” adds Cathy as they crack up, “…that’s a joke, Mr. Journalist, okay!”

Such a hectic work schedule must leave the ladies with little time for romance. Do they have boyfriends?

Kelly: “No, none of us do! That’s one thing we don’t have time for. And to be honest you do miss a hug, sometimes, but with all the travel and the work you couldn’t find the time right now to keep a relationship going. And most of the men we meet are people we’re working with, and it’s never a good idea to get involved with someone you work with. Certainly not in music, where neither of you know which country you’re going to be in next month. But again it really is about making music for us, and there are sacrifices we’re prepared to make if they’re necessary for the success of Bellefire.”

Smart cookies and nice kids these Bellefire girls, wish them well.