The Raincoats were formed in 1977 by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina… Read Full Bio ↴The Raincoats were formed in 1977 by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England. The first line-up included Ross Crighton on guitar and Nick Turner on drums for the band’s first gig in November 1977. Kate Korus, from The Slits and later The Mo-dettes, joined briefly and was replaced by Jeremie Frank. Nick Turner left to form The Barracudas and Richard Dudanski (ex The 101'ers and later PIL) sat in on drums and film maker Patrick Keiller replaced Jeremie Frank on guitar.

Late in 1978, The Raincoats became an all female post-punk band, when joined by Palmolive of The Slits (drums), Vicky Aspinall (violin) and manager Shirley O'Loughlin. The band went on their first UK tour with Swiss female band Kleenex, in May 1979 after Rough Trade Records released their first single "Fairytale in the Supermarket"/ "In Love"/ "Adventures Close to Home".

Palmolive left the band after their seminal first album "The Raincoats" and Ingrid Weiss joined in 1980, when the band began recording their second album "Odyshape", and toured Europe and the east coast of the USA. Guest musicians on "Odyshape" included Robert Wyatt, This Heat's Charles Hayward and Richard Dudanski.

In New York, December 1982, The Raincoats recorded a live album at the arts space The Kitchen. "The Kitchen Tapes" (live) was released on ROIR in 1983. The band split after 1984s "Moving" LP.

In 1992 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana went into the Rough Trade shop in London in search of a new copy of "The Raincoats" and Jude Crighton sent him round the corner to see Ana da Silva. Cobain wrote passionately about this meeting in the liner notes of Nirvana’s "Incesticide" album. riot grrrl was at its height and bands like Bikini Kill, Huggy Bear and Hole, who covered Cobain’s favourite Raincoats track “The Void”, prompted interest in the bands’ back catalogue. In late 1993 Rough Trade and DGC Records released the three albums with liner notes by Kurt Cobain and Kim Gordon.

Shirley O'Loughlin persuaded Ana da Silva and Gina Birch to play a show at the Garage in London in March 1994 with Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth on drums and Anne Wood on violin to celebrate the album releases. They recorded a session for John Peel, which was released on Paul Smith’s Blast First and Steve Shelley’s label Smells Like Records. Kurt Cobain invited them to play on Nirvana’s planned UK tour in April, but sadly he died a week before the tour began. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch had written some new material and released a new album "Looking in the Shadows" on DGC Records and Rough Trade in 1996, produced by britpop producer Ed Buller (who'd previously worked with Suede and Pulp) (see 1996 in music). Musicians include Anne Wood (violin, bass), Heather Dunn (drums) and Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks and solo artist).

Since 1996, The Raincoats have played a couple of special events such as Robert Wyatt’s Meltdown (festival) in 2001 and at Chicks on Speed's “99 Cents” album release in Berlin in December 2003. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch are currently working on a version of “Monk Chant” for a compilation of The Monks songs called “Silver Monk Time” due for release in August 2006.

The Void
The Raincoats Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I look at the streets
And when they look at me
When I look at the streets
And when they looked at me

The void, when I try to think
The void, when I'm trying to think
The void, when I'm trying to think

The void

Could only stop being
When I am
One two three, three two one
One two three, three two one

Nill, nill
When I looked at the streets
And when you were talking

When I tried to think
When I tried to think

Overall Meaning

The Raincoats' song The Void is a melancholic reflection on the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a seemingly meaningless world. The lyrics speak to a sense of disconnect and isolation, with the singer looking out at the streets and feeling as though they are being looked back upon. The repetition of the phrase "when I try to think" underscores the singer's struggle to make sense of their surroundings and their feelings. The void represents the space where meaning should be, but isn't. The singer seems to suggest that this void can only be filled when they are fully present - "When I am / One two three, three two one" - but the repetition of "nill, nill" in the final lines calls into question whether that sense of fulfillment is ultimately achievable.

Overall, The Void is a poignant meditation on the complexities of existence, and the difficulties of finding meaning and purpose amidst a chaotic and indifferent world.

Line by Line Meaning

When I look at the streets
Observing the surroundings

And when they look at me
Being observed by the surroundings

When I look at the streets
Observing the surroundings again

And when they looked at me
Being observed by the surroundings again

The void, when I try to think
Feeling blank when attempting to contemplate

The void, when I'm trying to think
The same feeling of emptiness when making an effort to contemplate

The void
A complete absence of thoughts or ideas

Could only stop being
The void can only be dispelled

When I am
Only when I exist

One two three, three two one
A countdown to emphasize the idea of existing

One two three, three two one
Repeating the countdown