| Virginia formed in 1998 in London England, comprises Laura Matthews, Louise Miller and Alison Wheeler. Hellbent on converting the world to their unique blend of addictive tunes, angelic harmonies and intelligent lyrics, the trio have been described as 'Crosby, Stills and Nash with better legs'.
Virginia's music is targeted at late twenty-somethings who can recall a time when the charts weren't dominated by manufactured teen acts and getting to number one really meant something.
In keeping with their smart-pop ethos, the girls have been extremely busy over the last 9 months promoting their debut album First Bite, '10 and a half songs about love, loss, shoes and more loss', with live radio appearances on BBC Radio 2, Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio London, Radio Oxford, Radio Dublin, LBC and Liberty Radio, plus they have performed on Ulster TV's prime-time Friday night chat show 'The Kelly Show'.
The girls have also clocked up around 50 gigs at some of London's leading venues including The Borderline, The 12 Bar Club, The BBC Club, The Rock Garden and Kashmir Klub. In addition they have appeared at the famous Cambridge Folk Club and more recently at London's Mardi Gras festival.
And the future?.. Nobody's entirely sure what that holds, but the girls are hoping that it will include a gig at The Hollywood Bowl and going to the Joseph Sale. Oh, and some of the most bewitchingly beautiful songs that you are likely to hear this side of the new millennium.
Laura Matthews: Self-stlyled 'hot babe', Laura is remarkably unscarred by an early career singing in high energy covers bands. Her current ambition is to conquer the world - but in a nice way and without smudging her eyeliner. Armed with a degree in French and English from Oxford University and a Playboy accredited body, Laura has no difficulty explaining her master plan for Virginia which involves perfecting the band's smart, radio friendly pop, saving endangered furry animals and achieving world peace. Megalomania apart, Laura has no problem with being labelled middle of the road: 'If it was good enough for James Dean, it's good enough for us'.
Alison Wheeler: Alison's songwriting draws on an eclectic range of musical influences - The Spice Girls, Streisand, A Flock Of Seagulls and Sheryl Crow all get a name check. Another smart cookie with a degree in Law and Japanese from Cambridge, Alison is currently working undercover at BMG Records. She plays guitar like Andrew Ridgeley and writes songs drawn from her own experiences of life, sushi and The News At 10. She met Louise and Laura through a mutual friend in a club, but can't recall who that was or when.
Louise Miller: For ex-Bond girl Louise, a career in the spotlight beckoned from an early age. She trained at The Academy for Live and Recorded Arts, before moving to New York where she sang off Broadway and in piano bars in Greenwich Village. Her CV fails to specify the role played by legwarmers in those early years. As the bands's resident 'Kid From Fame', she also writes poetry. Louise drives like a maniac and has a three legged cat called Leggy, although these two facts are unconnected. Alison describes Louise as the master builder of the band 'Yeah, she turns up late, bashes together a couple of chords and then goes off to make a pot of tea. Six weeks later you're still waiting for a middle eight'. |
