By Heidi Hardman-Welsh
On a summer drive through California in 2016, something flipped for Rose. “My auntie and dad were original punk rockers, big Ramones fans and they just played that music in the car non-stop,” she remembered. “It was like the flick of a switch. I woke up one day and thought, whoa, I want to have a go at this.”
Back home in the Northwest, that thought became the start of a career. Teenage sisters Rose and Matilda Farrell form Yee Loi (which means ‘two girls’ in Cantonese), a punk band from Wirral who have been quietly refining their rock ‘n’ roll sound.
The girls don’t present themselves as imitations of their idols. Instead, they take touchstones (Johnny Ramone’s lightning riffs, the raw power of MC5, the swing of rockabilly) and rework them into something distinctly their own.
“A lot of the original ones we did were very Ramones-y,” Rose admitted, “but you can tell now these new songs, ‘Ghosts of Vegas’ and ‘Poor Girl’, are very much Yee Loi songs. We’ve grown into our own.”
The band formed over lockdown in 2020, when the sisters started recording properly and pushing the band forward. Rose takes lead guitar, Matilda on drums and vocals, and with the addition of their younger brother Donnie on bass, the band came into focus.
Standing Out from the Crowd
Yee Loi aren’t your typical band. Matilda said: “Nowadays all you see are indie bands, we want to be and do something different. I don’t think anyone else sounds like us right now. We’re punk rock, rock ’n’ roll, and we’re fast and loud.”
When it comes to songwriting, many artists face the challenge of originality. Rose said: “I think there’s enough love songs in the world, there is nothing I could write about love or heartbreak that someone hasn’t already written.
“So we like to look at observations we can make instead. ‘Ghost of Vegas’ is part fictional, part observation about the dark side of Las Vegas, what happens to people.”
Matilda added: “Ghosts of Vegas is my favourite song I’ve written so far. It’s really well put together, everything feels good to play, and it brings up the vibe. It’s very atmospheric.”
Other songs are rooted in family history. Their latest single ‘Poor Girl’ reflects on the struggles of immigrant grandparents on both sides of their family, (Vietnamese on their mother’s side and Irish on their father’s) and tries to balance hardship with gratitude.
“It’s not a sob story,” Rose said. “It’s uplifting; it’s looking at how far people have come.”
“A lot of our songs are fun. We really want to connect with audiences but also get them to just have fun, you know?” she explained.
Image and Rock ‘n’ Roll Identity
Live performance is central to Yee Loi’s identity. For now, their short, punchy set runs through nine originals and a couple of covers in about half an hour.
They revive classic rock ’n’ roll with a punk edge. Mystery Train, most famously covered by Elvis Presley, is reworked with new lead breaks, while their MC5 cover “Rambling Rose” lets Rose go full throttle, “a mouthful” of vocals, twirls and lead breaks. “It’s a workout and it’s real fun,” she laughed.
But Matilda stressed that Yee Loi’s branding can be just as important as the music. She said: “If your image doesn’t immediately catch people’s attention, they’re gone. You’ve got to be striking, especially in the digital age.”
They’ve put a lot of thought into the look and feel that matches their music, a strategy that has paid off on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. “TikTok is life,” Rose admitted, “As much as I dislike it, you’ve got to be shameless with it. You’ve got to put yourself out there.”
That approach to social media is part of what got Yee Loi noticed. They signed to Modern Sky UK in just a few months of taking the band seriously, and the label has opened doors to radio play (including Radio 6) and life-changing session slots.
But with this attention came some pushback. As two young girls in a male-dominated scene, they face outdated assumptions and condescending comments.
Rose said: “It’s hard to explain to them, like, ‘I’m just as good as you are, if not better, and I can do this.’ I don’t need some guy explaining my own equipment to me, I know what I’m doing, I was basically born to do this.”
Matilda said that online trolls are, unfortunately, part of the deal: “There’ll always be comments from people hating, you just try not to read them.”
Roots that Run Deep
Family is threaded through every part of their story. Their dad, a former Liverpool musician who once played in a band called Ellery Bop, has been a big influence. “Dad’s a guitar collector. It’s a bit like… don’t tell Mum”, they laughed. “He collects them, and I play them,” Rose said.
Their dad has also stepped in as producer, offering feedback in their converted-garage demo studio. Matilda explained: “When we demo songs we play it to the family for outside ears, and those people who aren’t musicians will say, ‘oh, this is a good song’ or not, and that’s really useful.”
Growing up on the Wirral countryside shaped them too. “It was cool as a kid. You’re outside, climbing trees, but when you’re older you want to get out more,” Rose said.
Yet the space gave them the ability to focus on their music; they recorded two EPs just before starting GCSEs and have balanced education with a busy musical life.
Looking Ahead
Right now, they’re busy demoing new material and planning writing trips to the U.S. “We want to do an album, hopefully next year,” Matilda stated.
The sisters picture themselves on festival stages, from Glastonbury to the Hollywood Bowl. But what keeps Yee Loi grounded is their love of making music that feels immediate and life-affirming.
“Making music is my thing,” Rose said simply. “It’s the thing I want to do when I wake up in the morning and when I go to sleep. It brings ultimate satisfaction.”
Even when they tap into the Ramones’ speed or MC5’s power, they never sound like copy-cats. Being different and not following everybody else is their rallying cry.
Onstage and in the studio, Yee Loi are still figuring out who they are. With songs that could slot perfectly into an action movie soundtrack, they’re young rock and rollers here to make some noise.
Listen to Yee Loi on Spotify:
Heidi Hardman-Welsh 