Gina Birch

BIOGRAPHY

Gina Birch - legendary artist, filmmaker, and a founding member of post-punk group The Raincoats - has released a cover of Yoko Ono’s “Listen, the Snow is Falling” on Third Man Records. The track, written by Ono and recorded with the Plastic Ono Band, was originally released as the b-side of John Lennon’s 1971 single “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”.

Of the release, Birch explains:

“In 2023 I played a gig at Tate Britain when the brilliant Yoko Ono show was on at Tate Modern. I  thought it would be great to play one of Yoko’s songs at our performance…so even though it was August, Marie Merlet, Jenny Green and I played 'Listen, the Snow is Falling.' I had been asked to write something for the Tate magazine about Yoko Ono, as well as having recently painted a full-length portrait of her for my exhibition featuring Goddesses and Inspirations at Gallery 46.  As a result, I was feeling particularly connected with her in my head. We chose the song because it is haunting and beautiful and it was released as a B-side. Who doesn’t love a B-side? My bandmate Marie Merlet had the idea that we could make a recording of the song as a Christmas single. In all my time, I’ve never made a Christmas single and it seemed so appropriate. We recorded it in my basement with all three of us coming up with ideas. It was mixed by Marie and then mastered by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering in Detroit.  

"We are also releasing two very special limited editions of 10 clear vinyl discs and 30 clear plastic flexi discs made on a 1960s lathe by two artists, Nick and Dom, whom I met in Nottingham at Backlit Gallery where my 'Three Screams 1977-1997-2017' film is showing.  They have a label called Pearl Home Records and have cut tracks onto flexible material usually used for making doll's house windows.  I have then made special covers for each disc. The rest of you can listen on Spotify or the whoo-hoos of your choice.”

The track is Birch’s first release since her long-awaited debut solo album I Play My Bass Loud in 2023. The record drew significant praise, including lengthy features in The Quietus and the New York Times, which stated that “Birch sings, writes and plays bass like someone who cannot help but be herself, and her distinct, sometimes contradictory personality oozes out of every track.” The adulation hardly stopped there – MOJO called the album “a shining example of the music geek’s revenge” in their review.

Beyond a UK headlining tour, the release saw Birch support Yo La Tengo, Sleater Kinney and This is The Kit, and play festivals including Green Man. In addition, she was a part of Tate Britain’s much-publicized exhibition Women in Revolt - celebrating 20 years of feminist art and activism – for which her piece 3 Minute Scream (1977) was also used as the poster image.

Birch is currently in the studio working on her second solo album, which will be released on Third Man Records in 2025 (watch this space for further details).