Velocity Girl

Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, United States. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996. The band started as the duo of Kelly Riles and guitarist/singer Archie Moore (also of Black Tambourine) in 1989 (the two having met at university), initially going under the name The Gotterdemocrats. They became Velocity Girl with the addition of Brian Nelson (ex-Big Jesus Trashcan, also of Black Tambourine), Jim Spellman (ex-High Back Chairs), and lead singer Bridget Cross (soon to join Unrest). The band took its name from a Primal Scream B-side which appeared on the C86 compilation album. Sarah Shannon joined to replace Cross after the release of the band's debut single "I Don't Care If You Go." 
Unlike some 1990s rock music that featured an abrasive vocal and instrumental style, Velocity Girl's sound, especially post-1993, was more melodic and typically featured "clean" (non-distorted) electric guitar sounds and two-part harmonies.The band described their influences as "the Rough Trade and Postcard labels and some of the early Creation bands." However, on their first seven-inch records on Slumberland and Merge, as well as their first Sub Pop album, Copacetic, Velocity Girl were noted for their shoegaze influences. The band was noted for its love of releasing a steady stream of 7" vinyl singles. Slumberland Records was formed in 1989 by members of several D.C.-area bands, including Velocity Girl. They often featured female/male vocals, sometimes simultaneously, with Archie Moore providing the male vocals.
==Links to Peel==
Peel seemed to have discovered the band in 1991 when he played their track 'What You Say' from the Screw compilation single. He would play further material from the band including a session in 1993 where they performed five tracks for his show. After 1994 and the peak of brit-pop, Peel seemed to have lost interest in the band and never played any of their material from their last album, 'Gilded Stars And Zealous Hearts', which was released in 1996. After his death in 2004, it was later found out that he had a copy of their debut album, Copacetic, in his Record Collection: V.
==Sessions==
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1. Recorded: 1993-02-23. First Broadcast: 20 March 1993. Repeated: 07 August 1993
*Here Comes / 57 Waltz / Copacetic / Always / Crazy Town
==Other Shows Played==
;1991
*Peel 001 (Radio Bremen): What You Say (v/a 7" - Screw) Simple Machines
;1992
*23 May 1992: Tales Of Brave Aphrodite (v/a album - Fortune Cookie Prize) Simple Machines
*06 June 1992: 'My Forgotten Favorite (7 inch)' (Slumberland)
*24 October 1992: Crawl (v/a 7" EP - Sassy) Sub Pop
*22 November 1992 (BFBS): Warm/Crawl (shared 7" with Tsunami -  Left Behind / Warm/Crawl) Sub Pop
*Mainly Peel December 1992: Crazy Town (12") Sub Pop 
;1993
*16 January 1993: Crazy Town (12") Sub Pop 
*20 February 1993: 'Pretty Sister (CD-Copacetic)' (Sub Pop)
*05 March 1993: ‘I Don’t Care If You Go (CD – 6 Song Compilation)’ (Slumberland Records) (JP: Velocity Girl, saw them recently in the Rough Trade shop in Covent Garden.’)
*13 March 1993: 'Copacetic (LP-Copacetic)' (Sub Pop)
*14 March 1993 (BFBS): Creepy (12" - Crazy Town) Sub Pop
*21 March 1993 (BFBS): I Don't Care If You Go (comp album - 6 Song Compilation) Slumberland 
*26 March 1993: Pretty Sister (album - Copacetic) Sub Pop 
*03 April 1993: 'Living Well (LP-Copacetic)' (Sub Pop)
*23 July 1993: Audrey's Eyes (7" Audrey's Eyes) Sub Pop
*01 August 1993 (BFBS): Audrey's Eyes (7") Sub Pop
;1994
*23 July 1994: 'There's Only One Thing Left To Say (LP - ¡Simpatico!)' Sub Pop
*30 July 1994 (BFBS): There's Only One Thing Left To Say (album - ¡Simpatico!) Sub Pop
*26 August 1994: 'Your Silent Face (7 inch)’ Merge
*27 August 1994: ‘You're So Good To Me (7 inch - Your Silent Face/You're So Good To Me)’ Merge
;1996
*22 July 1996: Always (Peel Session) (John Peel's Classic Sessions)
== See Also ==
*Record Collection: V
*Gigography 1993 
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists