From 2012-2014, Vic And Gab were a reliable, near-constant presence in Milwaukee’s music scene. The sister duo of Victoriah and Hannah Gabriela were known to play their effervescent, impeccably crafted indie rock anywhere and everywhere—sometimes multiple times a week. The past year, however, has been a relatively quiet one for Vic And Gab, with fewer Milwaukee shows and only a handful of out-of-town gigs. That (again, relative) radio silence makes the sisters’ recently announced show at Cactus Club Friday, October 16 notable; making it even more notable is the fact that it will likely be the final time Vic And Gab will perform as, well, Vic And Gab.
(Update: The show has been moved to the Pabst Theater on Saturday, October 31.)
The decision to retire the Vic And Gab moniker has its roots in a September 2014 trip to Los Angeles, where the sisters took time off for the sole purpose of writing their next album. “Being in L.A. really helped us focus on writing. We had never really taken time off to simply write,” Victoriah and Hannah tell Milwaukee Record. “Everything we had released up to then was kind of done in a rush. It was really refreshing to be in one place with the sole purpose of writing. We were there for four weeks and we came back with a bundle of songs that we were really excited about.
“A new name was not something we had in mind from the beginning,” the sisters continue. “When we really got farther into the writing process we realized what we were doing needed a name of its own. Vic And Gab is so close to our hearts and what we were working on felt so new and different. When we decided on going with a new name it really gave us liberty and freedom to go all out, take risks, and do things differently. We love Vic And Gab, everything that it represents, the fans and the songs. It’s kind of sacred to us and we want to leave it that way.”
While the soon-to-be-former Vic And Gab won’t reveal their impending new name (“We want to give that its own time and place,”) they do hint that the rebranding will mean a shift away from songs on their two previous releases, 2012’s Bridges And Guns and 2013’s Love Of Mine. “We love our Vic And Gab material. It has so much of our heart and soul in it but it will feel good to play all new material for a while,” the sisters say.
As for the final show—dubbed “Save The Last Dance For Me”—Victoriah and Hannah plan to send off their Vic And Gab selves in grand fashion. “This show is all about celebrating everything we did with Vic And Gab and all of the love we always felt from the fans and our city,” they say. “New things are in the works for us and we want to play for our people and feel all of the good vibes and feel energized by everyone there.
“That is why we’ve always played so much: it’s what we love to do. Play a show that makes people’s day better.”