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Dead Famous People are a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band formed in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
, active from the latter half of the 1980s onward.
Dead Famous People are still active today, Savage using various collaborators, with a new album being recorded in Auckland New Zealand, following an extended break taken to raise her son, Harry.
"Looking at Girls" their first single on
Fire Records (UK)
Fire Records is a British independent record label, run by James Nicholls, with offices in London, England and New York, USA. The label was founded by music journalist Johnny Waller and Clive Solomon in 1985 and released early records from ...
, was released on 24 October 2019. Their second single "Groovy Girl" was released on 12 February 2020, also on Fire Records.
The ten-track album "Harry" was released on 9 October 2020 on Fire records.
Their new album "Ballet boy" was released on May 29th 2023, recorded in Auckland, New Zealand
It features 10 new tracks.
History
The band formed in 1986 and comprised Dons Savage (vocals), Elizabeth (Biddy) Leyland (keyboards and vocals), Wendy Kjestrup (guitar and vocals), Jenny Renals (bass guitar) and Robyn Tearle (drums).
[Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 294] After a couple of releases in New Zealand, including an
EP on
Flying Nun Records
Flying Nun Records is a New Zealand independent record label formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringin ...
, giving them some success in their homeland, they relocated to London, where they signed for
Billy Bragg's
Utility Records label, with Gill Moon replacing Tearle.
[Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 118-9] Utility issued the band's ''Arriving Late in Torn and Filthy Jeans''
mini-LP
A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...
in 1989, and it became the label's biggest-selling release.
They received regular airplay from
John Peel and recorded a session for his
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
show in 1989.
[11/06/1989 – Dead Famous People]
, ''Keeping It Peel'', BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, retrieved 19 June 2010 Jenny Renals and Wendy Kjestrup left the band in 1990. Savage joined
Saint Etienne on their
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
The Field Mice
The Field Mice were an English indie rock band on the independent record label Sarah Records. They had top 20 success in both the singles and albums UK Independent Charts.
Career
The Field Mice initially formed as a duo from South London subur ...
's "Let's Kiss and Make Up", and subsequently recorded as a solo artist, as did Leyland.
Savage also provided backing vocals on
The Chills
The Chills are a New Zealand rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band is essentially the continuing project of singer/songwriter Martin Phillipps, who is the group's sole constant member. For a time in the 1990s, the act was billed a ...
' "
Heavenly Pop Hit".
["Dead Famous People" ''All Hail The Daffodil'' (review), '' Option'', 1992]
The band contributed a version of "True Love Leaves No Traces" to the 1991
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
tribute album ''
I'm Your Fan''.
[Wice, Nathaniel (1992)]
Various Artists ''I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen''
, '' SPIN'', January 1992, retrieved 19 June 2010
Savage continues with the Dead Famous People name, with various collaborators, and another album, ''Secret Girls Business'', was issued in 2002, featuring six previously-unreleased tracks.
Dead Famous People released a 10-song album in 2020, titled ''Harry'', which was recorded in Auckland and released on
Fire Records
Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the la ...
.
Discography
Singles, EPs
*"Drive Away" (1987), Craft – split
Flexi-disc
The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntabl ...
with Screeming Custard
*''Lost Persons Area'' (1987), Flying Nun – 12-inch vinyl EP
*"Looking at Girls" Digital single (24 October 2019)-
Fire Records (UK)
Fire Records is a British independent record label, run by James Nicholls, with offices in London, England and New York, USA. The label was founded by music journalist Johnny Waller and Clive Solomon in 1985 and released early records from ...
Albums
*''Arriving Late in Torn and Filthy Jeans'' (1989), Utility
*''All Hail The Daffodil'' (1994), La-Di-Da – 'best of' compilation
*''Secret Girls Business'' (2002), Global Routes
*''Harry'' (2020)
Compilation appearances
*''
In Love With These Times'' (1989), Flying Nun: "Barlow's House"
*''Borobudur'' (1990), La-Di-Da: "All Hail The Daffodil"
*''
I'm Your Fan'' (1991),
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
: "True Love leaves No Traces"
*''La Di Da..so far'' (1991), La-Di-Da: "With Wings We'll Soar The Heavens"
*''La Di Bloody Da'' (1994), La-Di-Da: "Desperate Orange Love Plunge"
*''25 Years Box'' (2006), Flying Nun: "Barlow's House"
"Ballet boy" (2023)
Album.
References
External links
Dead Famous People at Fire Records
{{Authority control
New Zealand indie pop groups
Flying Nun Records artists
Musical groups from Auckland
Fire Records (UK) artists