In 2006, Manchester natives/Huntington Beach locals Joe and Luke McGarry teamed up with former Enjambre band member Nico to compose Pop Noir. Although Nico’s rock influences differ from the post-punk rock sound that is Pop Noir, they’ve managed to tweak the sound into dance-pop beats with heavy drums to fill. In L.A. alone, Pop Noir has performed in prominent venues such as The Viper Room, The Knitting Factory, Spaceland and Cinespace. They’ve shared the stage with Kinky, The Pinker Tones and Mickey Avalon and have already captivated audiences abroad. Their 2006 tour across the UK and France concluded with stellar performances in London’s Dublin Castle and the Fleche D’or in Paris.
Although the band has yet to release an EP and be signed to a major record label, they did however release their single “Girls of Prey” as a free download through the online record label RCRDLBL. Outside of the Pop Noir gigs, band members spend their time diligently on various side projects. When not drumming for Pop Noir, Nico drums for the OC-based band Forthus and spends his time (and money) collecting vintage rock t-shirts-specifically those of Judas Priest. As for the McGarry brothers, modeling, cartooning and running their own boutique design studio has their schedules pretty full.
Describing their sound as “New Order meets the young Rolling Stones” and “more Pop than Noir”, Joe and Luke write lyrics relevant to their surroundings. Whether it be a commercial or a life experience, those moments are put into words by both Joe and Luke, which in a collaborative session ultimately result in a “Girls of Prey” or a “Do it Yourself (DIY)”.
Come April 3rd of ‘09, Pop Noir will captivate Angelinos once again at Al Borde’s Acoustic Session. For more info on the sure-to-be-phenomenal performance, subscribe to Al Borde Mobile for first dibs on this and other great Al Borde events.
Pop Noir is:
Joe McGarry (vocals)
Luke McGarry (second vocals/programming)
Nico Saavedra (drums)
