“Kurt felt things about bands that had a certain honesty. His stamp of approval stood us in good stead”: The Raincoats’ Gina Birch on star fans Kurt Cobain and Kim Gordon, and why John Cale led her band into pop when they didn’t want to go there

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Gina Birch of The Raincoats performs at EartH Hackney on November 10, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns).

When Gina Birch joins the call she’s sporting a fetching moustache – her quick foray into video filters a light-hearted illustration of how the co-founder of The Raincoats is never idle.

She’s kept going since the post-punk bunch started out in 1977, but reflects: “With The Raincoats it was always pootling along; undulating hills rather than a steep ramp.”