On cloud nine, after a successful three-day festival run, Pistol Daisys reveal a personal epiphany of ‘maybe we were the problem,’ in the form of a new single, ‘Honey.’ Released as a dual release, ‘Honey’ and ‘Wolves’ dance around the concept of being the heartbreaker and being the heartbroken one.
The alt-pop Pistol Daisys’ Belly, Lorna, and Lewis are making waves throughout Glasgow and beyond with raw and unapologetic gritty soundscapes. ‘Honey’ and ‘Wolves’ make for a downright example of Pistol Daisys’ musical eclecticism, with scenting relics of Paris Paloma, The Last Dinner Party, and the kindred unresolved rage of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Silver Springs.’
The frontwomen, Belly and Lorna, first met at an open mic at Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. Based on their initial chemistry, they intended for one-off songwriting sessions, but the collaboration has never ended. With the missing piece of a drummer and producer Lewis, Pistol Daisys took its first breath as a band.
For Noctis, Pistol Daisys detail the backstory of their stage name and the correlation to the identity of strong females navigating the industry, and the sentiments of their debut EP due to be released in October.
Could you please each introduce yourself and a fun fact about you?
Belly: Hiya! I’m Belly Rachel, co-frontwoman of the Pistol Daisys and a fun fact about me is I have an overactive imagination, which is why I write fluffy romance novels on the side (under a pseudonym, of course!)
Lorna: Heyy, I’m Lorna Lynne, co-frontwoman and electric guitarist of Pistol Daisys and a fun fact about me is that I’m still hooked on Pokemon Go.
Lewis: Hello! I’m Lewis, drummer and producer of the Pistol Daisys. A fun fact about me is I’m obsessed with planes! (Every time I hear one I’m on FlightRadar checking what it is and where it’s going, I promise I’m not a nerd)
Before we get into the music side of things, I would love to know, how did you come together to form a band?
The PDs were originally formed over two years ago when Belly and Lorna met at an open mic at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut Glasgow, and decided they liked each other enough to try and write a song together. Well, they ended up writing more than one, and the band was born. After linking up with their current manager, Brendan Moon, they were introduced to his studio’s in-house engineer, Lewis, and the three hit it off so well that Lewis was then added into the lineup. I guess you could say the rest is history.
What is the meaning behind your stage name Pistol Daisys?
The band name was taken from the title of an indie novel by Natalia Leigh, ‘Pistol Daisy’. The novel tells a tale of a female heroine on a quest for revenge against those who have wronged her. We (Belly & Lorna) just felt that her strength and her never-say-die attitude encapsulated the traits we strive to have as young women navigating this challenging industry.
What is part of the Pistol Daisy’s starter pack?
Sheer black tights, McDonald’s, and plenty of cheek!
How is your festival run going so far? What was the most conic moment so far?
There’s simply too many to choose from! One of our favourite moments includes opening the main stage at Belladrum. To play at a festival that size felt really surreal, especially knowing that Texas was closing out the stage. Lorna and Belly were also fortunate enough to join GBX on the main stage at Party at the Palace, singing vocals for ‘Crying in Marseille’.
How would you describe your live shows to someone who hasn’t seen you perform?
Just raw, unbridled energy and cheeky banter. New listeners at a PDs show can expect to be blown away by Belly and Lorna’s powerful, face-melting vocals and Lewis’ explosive drumming, not to mention Lorna’s searing guitar solos.
Your new single ‘Honey’ was released alongside the darker B-side ‘Wolves.’ Could you tell us more about the creative pairing of these two tracks?
We’ve always been fans of the concept of duality. While ‘Honey’ paints us as the villain in a relationship, ‘Wolves’ tells the opposite narrative where the other party is the one who did us wrong. We thought it would be cool to pair the tracks together because we believe everyone’s had that experience: of being the heartbroken and/or the heartbreaker.
What inspired the concept of a villain in a relationship?
Just the fact that we’re pretty bad at love in general. It came to a point where we had the same epiphany – maybe we were the problem. So that’s how ‘Honey!’ came about; we wanted to write a song to own our faults in a relationship.
‘Wolves’ shows an entirely different side to your talents. What is the main emotion that carries the invigorating vocals? It’s giving ‘Silver Springs’ mixed with Paris Paloma and The Last Dinner Party.
Thank you so much, what a compliment! ‘Wolves’ centers around a cheating lover who is due a good bit of karma. Both Belly and Lorna have been betrayed before, which is why they had some unresolved rage ready and available to be tapped into while recording the vocals for the track.
‘Honey’ and ‘Wolves’ will be part of your debut EP scheduled for release in October 2025. Could you tease some of the main conceptual and sonic sentiments of this project?
We’d like our debut offering to introduce the world to the sound of Pistol Daisys: big, fat synths, crushing beats, along with you-couldn’t-write-it situations the three of us find ourselves in. So in other words, our wish for the EP is to remain as authentic and raw as possible, because we feel that that’s our way to connect to our listeners.
How would you describe the music scene in Glasgow?
You can’t escape it! Music surrounds the city in the most beautiful way, and we’re lucky to be based in a place where there’s so much demand for grassroots, homegrown music. Don’t get us wrong, there are pros and cons, and the scene can get a bit cliquey, but we’ve never had a problem with finding an audience that resonates with our music.
On a day-off, what would you be ideally getting up to?
Even on our days off, the three of us can’t escape the need to be creative, whether it’s crocheting or drawing (Lorna), making beats (Lewis), or writing fiction (Belly). Although we’ve been known to enjoy ourselves in a beer garden every now and then.
What movie would you like to soundtrack if you would get the chance?
Belly: Give me the cringiest, Netflix rom-com! They’re my personal guilty pleasure.
Lorna: I would love to soundtrack the next Pixar film! I’m a big fan of their work. That or a Wes Anderson movie.
Lewis: Definitely a Tarantino film! That man has the best taste in music and always seems to pick the perfect song for any scene. It would be an honour to have a track in one of his films I think.
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Words: Karolina Kramplova