Rita Lynch is an English singer-songwriter who achieved a profile in the UK in the early 1990s and was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary, filmed as part of the Out series.[1] Her music has been used in a Channel 4 drama, Rosebud, and in British horror movie Vampire Diary. Her sound has been described as PJ Harvey meets At the Drive-In with a dose of the usual dark ambience that accompanies many Bristol releases.
She retains a devoted following today[citation needed] and continues to record and perform. Her live performances currently feature a three-piece line-up with Mike Youe and John Langley (Blue Aeroplanes, Witness, The Mekons, Strangelove, Saturation Point) on drums. She is also known for her time as backing singer and guitarist with cult Bristol band The Blue Aeroplanes.
In 2009, Bristol/Bath entertainment magazine Venue described Lynch as 'the personification of ferocious conviction'[2] and named her performance at the Fleece on 13 August as Bristol's third-best gig of the year.
Rita Lynch was born in South London in 1961. She attended Catholic school and was taught to play guitar by nuns[citation needed].
After leaving school she played her first shows as Rita & The Piss Artists, an all-girl punk band.[3] Playing bass guitar – 'seemed the easiest' – the band became an excuse to get drunk a lot.[4]
When that band broke up she joined God Bless You, initially as a bassist.[5] Finding that she had a good singing voice Lynch dropped the bass & concentrated on vocals which she shared with Dave Ryan. When God Bless You faded out, Lynch decided to launch herself as a singer-songwriter. Eventually she got a band together to record her first album, 'Call Me Your Girlfriend'.[6] Released in 1991, this was toured throughout the UK and Europe.
Until 2006 Lynch continued to play solo and with a band before joining the Blue Aeroplanes.[7] She now continues playing with her own band which evolved into the current three-piece line-up featuring John Langley on drums, and Mike Youe on bass. Both of which are current members of The Blue Aeroplanes.
