Irish four-piece Girl Band have officially changed their name to Gilla Band. “We apologise for choosing a misgendered name in the first place and to anyone who has been hurt or affected by it,” the band, made up of four men, wrote on social media. “When we were starting off it was chosen without much thought, from a place of naivety and ignorance. We had no grasp of the weight of it at the time and in the past few years have found it impossible to justify or explain this choice.”
The statement continues: “Regardless of our intention the effect of the name has been damaging to individuals. To try and negate any unfortunate role we’ve played in propagating a culture of non inclusivity in music or otherwise, we have decided to change it.” The group also clarified that “Gilla” is “a given name taken from old Irish.”
Gilla Band’s last album was 2019’s The Talkies. The band is set to play three shows in Dublin in January 2022.
We are changing our band name. We are also playing some shows in Dublin in January. pic.twitter.com/PNhZ19dL2m
— Gilla Band (@girl_band) November 16, 2021