There is a very specific moment between Christmas and New Year where time stops making sense. You have no idea…
By K Futur LOCALIn a city with a proud musical lineage and a fiercely loyal grassroots scene, it takes something genuinely different to cut through the noise. For Porcelain Girl, a four-piece midwest emo and post-hardcore band from Derby, that difference is not accidental. It is deliberate, collaborative, and rooted in a clear desire to bring something new to a scene they know inside out.
Welcome to TRENDИNG BANDWIDTH, a new feature dedicated to spotlighting bands who are shaping their sound on their own terms. For our first instalment, we spoke to Tino Martin, Will Hayes, Sam Saxby and Jack Ward, who collectively make up Porcelain Girl, about their formation, their influences, and why Derby was the right place to start, even if it wasn’t the place that shaped their sound.
Derby roots, different intentions
Porcelain Girl are based in Derby, a city whose local music scene is busy, active, and increasingly saturated. Rather than allowing that to dictate their direction, the band made a conscious decision to push against it.
“The local scene didn’t exactly shape our sound,” they explain. “Instead it inspired us to bring a new sound to the scene. The scene is very diluted with a lot of similar bands and we wanted to do something we hadn’t seen very much in Derby.”
That quiet defiance sits at the core of Porcelain Girl’s identity. They are not dismissive of their surroundings; they are responding to them. In doing so, they have carved out a space that feels both familiar to emo fans and refreshingly distinct within the local circuit.
From an idea to a band
Like many bands, Porcelain Girl began with a simple conversation and an immediate sense of certainty. Tino approached Will with a direct proposition: start an emo band. The answer came just as quickly.
From there, the pieces began to fall into place. Sam, who had previously worked with Tino and Will through photography for their other band Skeeve, was brought in behind the kit. His enthusiasm for the genre and genuine love for the music made him a natural fit, even before roles and logistics were fully defined.
Finding the right bassist took longer, but the solution was closer than expected. Jack, whom Tino and Will had met during college, eventually completed the lineup. With that, Porcelain Girl moved from concept to reality, grounded in shared taste, trust, and creative compatibility.
Emotional, explosive and twinkly
Ask Porcelain Girl to describe their sound, and they don’t hide behind vague genre labels. Their influences are clear, intentional, and worn proudly.
They describe their music as “a blend of the various emo waves, with 2000s post-hardcore and midwest emo as primary inspirations. Emotional, explosive and twinkly.”
That balance is key. There is melody without softness, aggression without chaos, and technicality without self-indulgence. It is a sound that nods to emo’s past while feeling confident enough to exist in the present.
Different paths, shared language
While the band draw from a broad spectrum of emo subgenres, their shared musical grounding plays a crucial role in how those influences are translated. Tino, Will and Jack all studied music performance at college and university, while Sam focused on music production.
That mix of performance and production experience shows in how Porcelain Girl operate. There is a technical understanding of structure and sound, but also an instinctive respect for feel, dynamics, and emotional impact. It is not about showing what they can do, but about serving the song.
Writing together, building collectively
There is no rigid formula behind Porcelain Girl’s songwriting, but there is a clear sense of collaboration. Songs often begin with something small, a progression, a feeling, a fragment, and grow outward through collective input.
“It usually starts with an idea like a progression or a feeling,” they say, “and then we will all contribute by writing our parts on top of it and building the song collaboratively.”
That approach keeps ownership shared and egos in check. Every member has space to shape the outcome, and the final product reflects the band as a unit rather than a hierarchy.
Making the most of what’s available
Like many emerging bands, Porcelain Girl are resourceful by necessity. Recording and rehearsing through their university has allowed them access to professional-level facilities without the financial pressure that often limits young artists.
“They have excellent facilities with a lot of gear which helps broke students like us to get good quality recordings and rehearsal spaces at pretty much no cost.”
That environment has enabled them to focus on creativity rather than compromise, refining their sound without cutting corners.
A first gig to remember
Every band remembers their first show, but few experience it the way Porcelain Girl did. Their debut gig came close to selling out, and the response from the crowd set a benchmark that many bands take years to reach.
“To hear people sing one of your songs at your first ever gig was mind-blowing.”
Moments like that do more than validate the music. They reinforce the sense that something is connecting, that the work being done in rehearsal rooms and studios is translating into genuine emotional exchange.
The Victoria Inn and the underground circuit
So far, Porcelain Girl’s live appearances have been centred around The Victoria Inn, a venue synonymous with Derby’s underground scene. For the band, it felt like the right place to begin.
“It’s a great venue with a real underground and local vibe. We already loved it due to previous performances and gigs with other bands, and we were more than happy to play our first couple of gigs there.”
It is a venue that rewards authenticity, something Porcelain Girl have in abundance.
Navigating challenges and compromise
Being in a band is as much about logistics and communication as it is about music. With members living in different places, Porcelain Girl have had to work around distance, schedules and the inevitable creative disagreements.
They are honest about how those moments play out. “Mostly in a hectic flurry of yelling,” they admit, before adding, “we love each other really.”
Their rule is simple and effective: if one person doesn’t like something, it either gets reworked until everyone is happy or it gets dropped. That approach ensures the final product represents the whole band, not a majority vote.
Inspired by every wave of emo
Porcelain Girl’s influences span the genre’s full evolution. From the melodic intricacy of second wave, through the power of third wave, the polish of fourth, and the experimentation of fifth, they draw from all of it.
“All of that culminates in a sound that we try to make authentic and personal.”
It is not nostalgia for its own sake, but an understanding of lineage and progression, filtered through their own experiences and perspectives.
Growing together, getting tighter
As with any band, growth comes through repetition, trust and time. Porcelain Girl feel that evolution happening in real time.
“We’ve all grown more comfortable playing as a unit and every rehearsal we get tighter and understand each other’s creative processes more and more.”
That momentum is crucial, especially in the early stages, where identity is still being refined.
What’s next for Porcelain Girl
The band are currently working on new music and have gigs lined up for the new year, though details remain under wraps. What is clear is that they are building carefully rather than rushing.
Fans can already find their music across all major streaming platforms under Porcelain Girl, with hopes of physical releases further down the line. On social media, they can be followed on Instagram and Facebook at @porcelaingirlband, and on TikTok at @porcelaingirlemo.
Advice for new bands
When asked what advice they would give to bands just starting out, Porcelain Girl keep it grounded and realistic.
“Good things come to those who wait. You aren’t going to get famous instantly, it’s a real graft. P.S. you have to be on it with social media.”
It is a reminder that authenticity and patience still matter, even in an age of instant exposure.
Porcelain Girl are not chasing trends. They are building something deliberate, emotional and uncompromising, right in the heart of Derby. If TRENDИNG BANDWIDTH exists to introduce the world to bands worth paying attention to, this feels like exactly the right place to begin.
