The Long Blondes
The Long Blondes | |
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![]() The Long Blondes | |
Background information | |
Origin | Sheffield, England |
Genres | Indie rock, indie pop, post-punk revival |
Years active | 2003–2008, 2021–2022 |
Labels | Rough Trade |
Past members | Kate Jackson Dorian Cox Reenie Hollis Emma Chaplin Screech Louder |
Website | thelongblondes.com |
The Long Blondes were an English indie rock band formed in Sheffield in 2003 by Dorian Cox (lead guitar and keyboards), Reenie Hollis (real name Kathryn Hollis) (bass guitar and backing vocals), Emma Chaplin (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), Kate Jackson (lead vocals) and Screech Louder (real name Mark Turvey, drums).[1]
After several critically acclaimed singles, they released their debut album, Someone to Drive You Home, on Rough Trade Records in November 2006. Their second album, Couples, was produced by Erol Alkan and released in April 2008. On 20 October 2008, due to the unexpected illness of their primary songwriter and lead guitarist, Dorian Cox, the band announced their amicable split via a message on their website, the same day their singles compilation, "Singles" was released.[2] In 2021, The Long Blondes reunited as a duo composed of Jackson and Cox.
Career
The band was formed in 2003 in Sheffield, United Kingdom. All the members were attending, or had attended university in the city.[3] The following quote appeared on their website and served as an introduction to the Long Blondes; "Our shared influences include The Mael Brothers, Marx Brothers and The Bewlay Brothers. We do not listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors or Bob Dylan. We chose an instrument each and learnt to play it.".[4] The band have stated that the original inspiration for The Long Blondes was to form a fantasy pop group: "Nico, Nancy Sinatra, Diana Dors and Barbara Windsor. Sexy and literate, flippant and heartbreaking all at once."[5] Singer Kate Jackson was inspired by bands with front women like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Blondie.[6]
Independent releases
In July 2004, The Long Blondes released their debut single "
Still unsigned, in February 2006 the band were recipients of the
Someone to Drive You Home
On 13 April 2006 they signed to
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Longblive.jpg/210px-Longblive.jpg)
"Couples" and "Singles"
After an extended European tour, in October 2007 The Long Blondes began work on their second album with producer Erol Alkan, who had previously produced their more dance orientated b-sides such as "Five Ways To End It" and "Fulwood Babylon". On 19 December 2007, it was announced that the new album's title would be "Couples". The title alludes to the David Bowie album "Heroes" and also to a loose theme of the album as a "big breakup album".[17] Before the album was released, all five members created their own cryptic promo videos explaining the inspiration behind "Couples".[18] The band stated that the album drew influences from Italo disco revival acts such as Glass Candy[19][20] and the Italians Do It Better label.[21] and ABBA. Cox stated that "...there's something really innocent about Abba videos... really kinda funny, futuristic but old fashioned at the same time and that's how we see our music on this album.".[22]
"Couples" was released on 7 April 2008, preceded by a single, "
On 9 June 2008, the band posted on their official website that Cox had fallen ill and that he had to be rushed to hospital, which meant that they had to cancel all their live appearances until the end of July.
After "Couples", the band decided to release a compilation of their rare early 7" singles, which was titled "Singles" on 20 October 2008 on Angular Records.[27] The twelve track album collected all of the songs from the band's first singles. The version of "Separated By Motorways" differs from the single version produced by Paul Epworth, instead the group opted to include the demo version instead. The compilation also featured one previously unreleased song – "Peterborough". "Singles" was named the 25th best album of 2008 by Artrocker magazine.[citation needed]
Breakup and post-breakup
On 20 October 2008, Guitarist Dorian Cox posted a message on their official website that the band had split up. The main motivation for the break-up was Cox's stroke in June 2008, which resulted in a swath of cancelled gigs.[28] Cox thanked fans for their support and goodwill. "We have decided to call it a day," he wrote. "The main reason for this is that I suffered from a stroke in June and unfortunately I do not know when/if I will be well enough to play the guitar again. On behalf of the band I'd like to say a big thank you to anyone who ever came to one of our shows, bought one of our records or danced to one of our songs in a club." The announcement was made the same day their compilation "Singles" was released, with the inside of the rear album art also containing news of the break-up. Upon their split, The Guardian wrote an article entitled "Why music will miss the Long Blondes".[29]
It was reported on 1 December 2008 that Cox was undergoing physiotherapy for his paralysis and is still hoping to get back to playing guitar.[30]
Jackson has been working on her debut solo album with producer and ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. She will be working under the name Madame Ray (after the song on Someone to Drive You Home). Jackson has said that the sound of the album first tended towards country rock but has now become a "big pop record". She released the album 'British Road Movies' in early 2016.
Dorian Cox's new band is called Unmade Bed and have made a number of songs available on-line.[31]
Hollis continues to play in The Bon Bon Club, a band she formed with Louder.
Hollis also plays with Nature Set and their first single 7" has been published by Elefant Records in 2011.[34]
Reunion
On the 17th of December 2021, Kate Jackson and Dorian Cox reformed The Long Blondes as a duo to perform at the opening of an art installation by Jackson in Leicester, England. In early 2022 it was confirmed on a podcast interview with Martyn Ware that Jackson and Cox had begun work on a new album by The Long Blondes. In April 2022 it was announced that the duo would be making their official live debut at Green Man Festival in Powys, Wales in the summer. The band actually played their first reunion gig in Salford on July 8, 2022.
On August 11, 2022, Jackson announced she would be stepping away from the Long Blondes due to allegations made against Cox by his ex-girlfriend Victoria Lane via social media until the matter was resolved by the police.[35]
Musical style
Influences
The Long Blondes' songs reflect a number of influences, including 60s pop,
Intertextual references
The Long Blondes are known for referencing films, singers, starlets and artists in their music. Screech Louder said that Alfred Hitchcock was a big inspiration when it came to referencing films in their music, he said "the whole film noir thing is very important because it's stylish but there's depth to it as well".[40]
Lyrics
- "Darts" mentions British darts player Bobby George and darts commentator Sid Waddell.
- "Erin O'Connor" is a homage to Erin O'Connor which also mentions fellow model, Lily Cole. It begins with a line by Ronnie Corbett and David Swift from the BBC play No Sex Please, We're British.[3][41]
- "Five Ways To End It" mentions Carry On star Hattie Jacques and also the producer of the Carry On films, Peter Rogers.
- "I Liked The Boys" ends with "Not the most original sentiment I've ever heard, so what's new" which is a line from a radio show by Terry Wogan.[22] Whilst recording the second album, they found an old reel-to-reel radio recording and decided to use parts in some of their songs.[3]
- "I'm Going To Hell" ends with a line by Peter Sellers.[41]
- "Long Blonde" mentions punk band Ramones, one of their influences.
- "Lust in the Movies" mentions underground actresses such as 60's socialite and muse, Edie Sedgwick, American actress Arlene Dahl & French actress Anna Karina. Also the repeated line "Nag nag nag" is a reference to the same repeated lyric in the song "Nag Nag Nag" by Sheffield band Cabaret Voltaire.[42]
- "Madame Ray" is inspired by Lee Miller, the photographer and muse of avent-garde artist Man Ray.[43]
- "Melville Farr" is based on Dirk Bogarde's character in the 1961 British film Victim.
- "Never To Be Repeated" references film-star Greta Garbo.
- "Only Lovers Left Alive" takes its title from the From Here To Eternity as a lyric.[44]
- "Round The Hairpin" begins with a line by British comedian Kenny Everett.[41]
- "Swallow Tattoo" has a lyric ("you fill me with inertia") which is a reference to the parody pop band fronted by Peter Cook in Bedazzled.[45]
- "You Could Have Both" namechecks American singer Scott Walker. The song also alludes to the Morrissey song "My Love Life".[46] The song also mentions the character of C.C. 'Bud' Baxter from The Apartment.
Artwork
- Before "Couples" was released, all five members created their own cryptic promo videos "explaining" what the inspiration behind "Couples" was. Jackson explained who inspired the album cover, she found artist Richard Hamilton, videos by ABBA, Lee Miller and Le Corbusier to be the main inspiration.[18]
- The two front covers of "Weekend Without Makeup" are paintings of Diana Dors.[47][48]
- The front cover of their debut album Someone to Drive You Home is a painting by Kate Jackson of Faye Dunaway in the film Bonnie and Clyde, with a Mark 3 Ford Cortina as her getaway car.[49] The artwork inside the album sleeve is a painting of Nicolas Cage & Laura Dern in the film Wild at Heart.[3]
- The front cover of "New Idols" is a painting of Diana Dors in Yield to the Night.[50]
Style
Front-woman
Discography
Albums
Year | Album information | Chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | UK Indie Chart
| |||||
2006 | Someone to Drive You Home
|
44 | 1 | |||
2008 | "Couples"
|
48 | 2 |
Compilations
Year | Album information | Chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | UK Indie Chart
| |||||
2008 | "Singles"
|
Singles and EPs
Date | Single | UK Chart position | Included on: | |
---|---|---|---|---|
A-side | B-side(s) | |||
July 2004 | "New Idols" | "Long Blonde" | "Singles"
| |
30 September 2004 | "Autonomy Boy" | "Long Blonde" | ||
29 November 2004 | "Giddy Stratospheres" | "Polly", "Darts" | ||
June 2005 | "Giddy Stratospheres" | "Polly", "Autonomy Boy", "Darts" | ||
13 June 2005 | "Appropriation (By Any Other Name)" | "My Heart Is Out of Bounds", "Lust in the Movies" | 83 | |
12 December 2005 | " Separated By Motorways "
|
"Big Infatuation" | ||
26 June 2006 | "Weekend Without Makeup" | "Fulwood Babylon", "Platitudes", "Last Night on Northgate Street" | 28 | Someone to Drive You Home |
23 October 2006 | " Once And Never Again "
|
"Five Ways To End It", "The Whippet Fancier", "Who Are You To Her?" | 30 | |
5 February 2007 | "Giddy Stratospheres" | "All Bar One Girls", "Never To Be Repeated", "I'm Coping" | 37 | |
September 2007 | "Five Ways To End It/Fulwood Babylon (Erol Alkan Remixes)" | |||
24 March 2008 | " Century "
|
"The Unbearable Lightness of Buildings" | "Couples" | |
30 June 2008 | "Guilt" | "Melville Farr", "Good As Gold", "Too Happy" |
Other releases
- "Christmas Is Cancelled" was released by the band on a limited run of CD-Rs in Christmas 2004.
Music videos
The Long Blondes were also known for their cheap and glamorous music videos. Their first proper music video was "Appropriation (By Any Other Name)" which was directed by Rupert Noble, a music video director they regularly made videos with after.
Date | Video | Director |
---|---|---|
July 2004 | "New Idols" | Reenie Hollis |
September 2004 | "Autonomy Boy" | Reenie Hollis |
September 2004 | "Long Blonde" | Reenie Hollis |
November 2004 | "Giddy Stratospheres" | Reenie Hollis |
June 2005 | "Appropriation (By Any Other Name)" | Rupert Noble |
December 2005 | "Separated By Motorways" | Rupert Noble |
June 2006 | "Weekend Without Makeup" | Gina Birch |
October 2006 | "Once And Never Again" | Rupert Noble |
February 2007 | "Giddy Stratospheres" | Rupert Noble |
March 2008 | "Century" | Minsu Song |
June 2008 | "Guilt" | Abby Warrilow & Lewis Gourlay |
Awards and nominations
In 2006 The Long Blondes received the Philip Hall Radar Award at the NME Awards honouring rising talent, which in previous years has accurately predicted big things for Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand.
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | NME Awards | Philip Hall Radar Award | Won |
References
- ^ "Drummer's year in the spotlight". Stourbridge News. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2007.
- ^ "The Long Blondes split up". NME. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d "The Long Blondes – they're so modern". The Independent. London. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ "The Long Blondes". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- Rough Trade Shops. Archived from the originalon 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ Laverty, Chris (25 March 2009), The Spray Q&A: Kate Jackson From The Long Blondes, hecklerspray.com, retrieved 27 November 2009
- ^ "The Long Blondes – Giddy Stratospheres". Drowned in Sound. 10 December 2004. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ "The Long Blondes – Appropriation (By Any Other Name)". Drowned in Sound. 17 June 2005. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ Pidd, Helen (3 March 2006). "We want artistic freedom. And cash". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- The Evening Standard. Archived from the originalon 12 September 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ "The Long Blondes sign record deal". NME. 19 April 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "The Long Blondes name debut album". NME. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "NME – The Long Blondes: Someone to Drive You Home". NME. 6 November 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ a b Hann, Michael (3 November 2006). "The Long Blondes, Someone to Drive You Home". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ Roberts, Colin (6 November 2006). "The Long Blondes – Someone to Drive You Home". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ^ "Uncut Magazine – Long Blondes – Someone to Drive You Home". Uncut.co.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ faceculture.nl (2008). The Long Blondes – Kenny Everett, Dorian & Emma, their big breakup album (Online Video Interview). Archived from the original on 25 August 2012.
- ^ a b 11 maart 2008. "The Long Blondes – Century & Couples Advert". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Letting Their Roots Grow Out: An Interview With the Long Blondes". Merry Swankster. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "The Long Blondes: I Don'T Like To Tempt Fate, You See". LA Record. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "The Long Blondes / Interview". ThisIsFakeDIY. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ a b "God Is in the TV | The Long Blondes". Godisinthetvzine.co.uk. 14 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010. [permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Latest Long Blonde News". Thelongblondes.co.uk. 19 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "The Fiery Furnaces – Benton Harbor Blues | Downloads". Clickmusic. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ Clarke, Betty (4 April 2008). "The Long Blondes, Couples". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ "The Long Blondes – "Couples" – Album Review". NME. 11 April 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "The Long Blondes to release singles compilation in October //". Noizemakesenemies.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "We have decided to call it a day. – MySpace-blog | van The Long Blondes". Blogs.myspace.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ Elan, Priya (21 October 2008). "Why music will miss the Long Blondes". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ Moore, Matthew (30 November 2008). "Long Blondes guitarist uses 'bionic hand' after stroke". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "Soundcloud – Unmade Bed". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ "MySpace.com – The Bon Bon Club". Profile.myspace.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation – An independent record label". Heychuck.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ ""Enough is Enough" Single 7" of Nature Set in New Adventures in Pop of Elefant Records". Official site of Nature Set. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ^ "The Long Blondes reunion shows canceled after allegations against guitarist". Brookyln Vegan. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "The Long Blondes". Answers.com. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "Long Blondes Interview". 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Eddy Lawrence (19 June 2006), "The Long Blondes and the indie work ethic", Timeout, retrieved 19 July 2006
- ^ Gary Knight (1 January 2006), "The Long Blondes New Artists for 2006", undertheradarmag.com, retrieved 19 July 2006
- ^ Webb, Rob (16 December 2005). "27 Minutes With... The Long Blondes / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "The Long Blondes - Couples". musicOMH.com. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ "Sound Bites: SoundBites Best of 2006". Soundbites.typepad.com. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ Jackson, Kate (15 January 2008). "Lee Miller". Thelipster.com. Retrieved 27 November 2009. [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Someone to Drive You Home". Pitchforkmedia.com. 12 January 2007. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "Retrohump: Dreaming About Eleanor Bron…". Merry Swankster. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ Granger, Ben. "Someone to Drive You Home: The Long Blondes". Spike Magazine. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ "Diana Dors (AKA Diana Mary Fluck)". Flickr.com. Retrieved 12 January 2010. [permanent dead link]
- ^ http://vox2.cdn.amiestreet.com/album-art/Weekend-Without-Makeup-by-The-Long-Blondes_58393_full.jpg [dead link]
- ^ Wiseman, Eva (11 November 2006). "Eva Wiseman meets the Long Blondes". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 December 2007.
- ^ [1] Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Fox, Imogen (19 December 2005). "Kate Jackson, The Long Blondes". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 October 2006.
- ^ Harries, Rhiannon (20 April 2008). "Essentials: Kate jackson, singer, The long Blondes – Regulars, The New Review – The Independent". London: The Independent<!. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Live video of Long Blondes, Cake Shop NYC, 22 June 2005 (RealPlayer, mp4)