Live by the fringe. Die by the fringe.
Grace Rahman takes us through the five best bangs in pop music
Long before Kate Moss brought the fringe back into the mainstream in 2007, these indie babes were rocking some seriously vision-impairing styles. Forget Cara Delevingne; where we’re going there are no eyebrows. It’s not about seeing the audience anyway, as long as they can see your fringe and you can see your guitar, and the rain doesn’t hit it, you’re away.
## Lily Allen
Arguably leading to a whole era of indie chicks running down to Headmasters clutching a copy of the NME, Lily Allen circa 2007 starts the billing with her heavy set, statement bangs. They start high, making them a real commitment; when it starts sticking to your forehead two days into Glastonbury, all the Kirby grips in the world aren’t going to stop this mother from flowing free. Add hoop earrings and sing in a mockney accent to disguise the fact that you actually went to Bedales.
## Klara Söderberg
It’s well known that the more dominant sister in First Aid Kit commands attention through fringe presence alone. This eyelid skimming look is teamed with mermaid length in the rest of the hair, which can only be achieved by constant attention. It might not look like it, but this woman is braver than all of us; she is a genuine hair’s breadth away from total blindness. A small price to pay to sell out the Royal Albert Hall.
## Bat For Lashes
What was the boldest thing about Natasha Khan’s (AKA Bat for Lashes) cover for of _The Haunted Man _in 2012? Was it the naked man she had in a fireman’s lift, whose skinny limbs were only just covering her modesty? The shift in her musical style from sweet, feather-and-unicorn-inspired folk to a darker, much more grown-up chamber pop? No, it was that blunt fringe and bob combo that really filled column inches.
## Kate Nash
Back in the days (and fringes) of Myspace, relationships could be made or broken by the order your mate decided to put you on their friends list. So too, could careers, and when veteran fringe Lily Allen put Kate Nash at number eight on her list, she was instantly catapulted to stardom. The twee-as-can-be debut House of Bricks aided this endeavour, as did her fringe. Nash has had quite a style change of late; her last record saw her favouring a ‘40s quiff or perfectly rollered fringe; but back then she was the indie archetype: naturally ginger with a scruffy side-swept fringe – the ultimate in low-maintenance.
## VV Brown
When it comes to the evolution of fringes, few women have achieved what VV Brown has. Much like the total overhaul of her 2009 debut sound, her image (read: fringe) has changed dramatically. Her 1950s pin-up fringe was epic and perfectly suited to the sickly sweet ‘Shark in the Water’. Not just a structural achievement, but with flicks and attitude, it was a fringe of the moment. Then in 2013 she emerged with a new album and look. It had higher aspirations than the first; the retro bangs had been replaced with a staple choppy style and with cheekbones that high, she simply couldn’t go wrong.
