Family Fodder is an English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

group revolving around songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer/producer, and guitarist/keyboard player Alig Fodder. Formed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in the 1970s, it has had a sporadic existence ever since, disbanding in the 1980s then reforming. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' described their song "Dinosaur Sex" as a "forgotten post-punk classic". The first Family Fodder single, "Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling)", a joint release between Parole Records and Fresh Records, was released in 1979. In the same year a 12" single was released on

Small Wonder Records Small Wonder Records was a British independent record label owned and managed by Pete and Mari Stennett, that specialised in releasing records by punk rock and post-punk bands. It operated out of a record shop of the same name at 162 Hoe Stre ...

by the same musicians as Frank Sumatra And The Mob. A series of Family Fodder singles and 12" EPs followed on Fresh together with the album ''Monkey Banana Kitchen'', often featuring French singer Dominique Levillain. The best-known singles were the indie chart entries "Debbie Harry", "Savoir Faire" and "Film Music". Also released were the mini-albums ''Sunday Girls'' and ''Schizophrenia Party'' on Fresh, and later the ''All Styles'' double-LP on

Jungle Records Jungle Records is a British independent record label formed in 1982, specialising in punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternative releases. From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were associate members of the C ...

, which

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

hailed as "consistently enjoyable and infused with invention, cleverness, talent and a totally open outlook" Alig Fodder continued to record and perform as Family Fodder over the years with evolving line-ups as well as under various alter-egos such as DJ Katface, Johnny Human, Vox Humana and The Lo Yo Yo. Following the release of compilation ''Savoir Faire: The Best Of'' on US label Dark Beloved Cloud, in 2000 an early Family Fodder line-up including Levillain reformed to record the album ''Water Shed'' for that label.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called it "one of the better reunion albums of the post-punk generation." In 2010 Family Fodder released ''Classical Music'', featuring the singing of Darlini, daughter of original vocalist Dominique Levillain. It was followed in 2013 by ''Variety''. In 2014 German label Staubgold started a series of vinyl and CD reissues, the first being Family Fodder's debut album, 'Monkey Banana Kitchen', followed by 'Schizophrenia Party' and 'Sunday Girls', most featuring bonus tracks. To coincide, original members of the band reformed with a new singer Bee Ororo, and played live dates in Germany, France and Switzerland. In 2016 an EP titled 'Sex Works' was announced by Jungle Records, to be followed by a 'lost' album, 'Foreverandever'. Family Fodder songs have been covered by

Zion Train Zion Train are a British dub ensemble that formed in Oxford, 1988. They have consistently released music and toured from 1992 to present day. Their mix of reggae and dance music was a notable innovation in the early 1990s. History Co-founder ...

Unrest Unrest, also called disaffection, is a sociological phenomenon, including: * Civil unrest * Civil disorder * Domestic terrorism * Industrial unrest * Labor unrest * Rebellion * Riot * Strike action * State of emergency Notable historical in ...

, and

YACHT A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, amongst others. Since 2014, Family Fodder worked with

Kommissar Hjuler Kommissar Hjuler (born Detlev Hjuler; 1967) works as a sound recordist in the field of Noise and Post-industrial music, visual artist, film maker and police officer at Flensburg, a town on the German border with Denmark. He often works together wit ...

on several by part collaborative projects for the series FLUXUS +/-, tracks became released on the German label Psych.KG.

Discography

Albums

* ''Sunday Girls (A Tribute to Blondie by Family Fodder and Friends)'', Parole Records, Fresh Records, 1979 * '' Monkey Banana Kitchen'', Fresh Records, 1980 (reissued 2014, LP/CD, Staubgold Records) * ''All Styles'',

, 1983 * ''The Lo Yo Yo'' (Steve Wright, Alig, Annie Hunt, Carrie Brooks, Mick Hobbs), ''id.'', Calypso Now, 1984 * ''The Lo Yo Yo'', ''Extra Weapons'', Floppy Discs, 1985 * ''Water Shed'', Dark Beloved Cloud, 2000 * ''Idol Fodder'', ''Bäbytalk'', Slender Means Society, States Rights Records, 2008 * ''DJ Katface / Kommissar Hjuler und Frau'' (John Pearce,

Mama Baer Mama Baer (born Andrea Katharina Ingeborg Göthling; 29 October 1981) is a German sound recordist of noise music and post-industrial music. She is a filmmaker and visual artist at Flensburg. She has had solo and group art exhibitions around the wo ...

), ''Pragmatix'', Asylum Lunaticum (Germany) / Nagranie Brutalnie Domowy (Poland), 2010 * ''Classical Music'', The state51 Conspiracy Ltd, 2010 * ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', The state51 Conspiracy Ltd, 2013 * ''Easy Listening (Not)'', Furniture Records, 2018 * ''Play Kommissar Hjuler'', Domestic Violence Recordsings, 2019

Compilations/split albums

* ''Greatest Hits'', 33 rpm, Compañía Fonográfica Española, 1981 and

Crammed Discs Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 375 albums and 275 ...

, 1981 * ''The Lo Yo Yo'' / ''Look De Bouk'' - ''Double Dog Dare, Summer '84'', cassette-album, Calypso Now, 1984 * ''Savoir Faire : The Best Of'', CD, Dark Beloved Cloud/Jungle Records, 1998 * ''More Great Hits!'', 2xCD,

, 2008 * ''Fluxus in the Bathroom'', split-LP with

, Psych.KG, 2017 * ''Arme Nuesse (Vol. 2)'', split-LP by Family Fodder & Kommissar Hjuler (collaboration) / Bladder Flask & B.P.O. (collaboration), Psych.KG, 2019 * ''Fluxus Im Hoch-Kasten'' split-LP by Family Fodder & Kommissar Hjuler (collaboration) / Kommissar Hjuler & Frau & KH12 /

Jonathan Meese Jonathan Meese (born January 23, 1970 in Tokyo) is a German painter, sculptor, performance artist and installation artist based in Berlin and Hamburg. Meese's (often multi-media) works include paintings, collages, drawings and writing. He also ...

, Psych.KG, 2019 * ''The Inevitable Krystal "Belle" Boyd Record'', split-LP by Family Fodder & Kommissar Hjuler &

(collaboration) /

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

, Psych.KG, 2020 * ''Savoir Faire: The Best of Family Fodder (Director's Cut)'', vinyl LP

, 2020 * ''Play Deathcrush (by Mayhem)'', LP, (Family Fodder/Kommissar Hjuler/

Goodiepal Goodiepal or Gæoudjiparl van den Dobbelsteen, whose given name is Parl Kristian Bjørn Vester, is a Danish/Faroese experimental electronic musician, performance artist, composer and lecturer, as well as a self-described horologist. His work engag ...

& Bananskolen (collaboration)), (SHMF), 2023

Singles

* "Frank Sumatra and the Mob"/"Te Deum", maxi 45 rpm,

, 1979 * "Playing Golf (With My Flesh Crawling)", 45 rpm, Parole Records, Fresh Records, 1979 * "Savoir Faire", 45 rpm, Fresh Records, 1980 and

, 1980 * "Debbie Harry", 45 rpm, Fresh Records, 1980 * "Warm"/"Desire", 45 rpm, Parole Records, Fresh Records, 1980 * "ScHiZoPhReNiA pArTy !", maxi 45t, Fresh Records, 1981 * "Film Music", 45 rpm, Fresh Records, 1981 * "The Big Dig", 45 rpm, Fresh Records, 1982 * "Coral", 45 rpm,

, 1982 * "Professor Zoom" (Alig=Johnny Human, Mick Hobbs, Sam Alexander, Rick Wilson, Graham Painting, Professor Zoom), ''Urban Menace/1965'', Alligator Discs, 1994 * "Tender Words", CD single, Dark beloved cloud, 2002 * "Alig Fodder"/"Alphabet Series Q", 45 rpm, Tomlab, 2007 * "Singularity 1"/"Love Is Like a Goat", CD limited edition, The state51 Conspiracy Ltd, March 2011 * "Singularity 2"/"Sitting in a Puddle", CD limited edition, The state51 Conspiracy Ltd, April 2011

Compilation appearances

* "Savoir Faire" appeared on ''A Fresh Selection'' compilation LP, Fresh Records, 1980 * "Debbie Harry" on ''Rough Trade: Post Punk 01'', 2CD, 2003 * "Monkey", "Banana", and "Darling" appeared on

& Tim Berresheim/

/Family Fodder ''Fluxus in the Kitchen'' LP, Psych.KG, 2014 * "Symbols", and "Philosophy" appeared on

/Family Fodder ''Fluxus in the Kitchen #3'' LP, Psych.KG, 2018

References

External links

Family Fodder Website
The band's website * *

Family Fodder Family Fodder is an English post-punk group revolving around songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer/producer, and guitarist/keyboard player Alig Fodder. Formed in London in the 1970s, it has had a sporadic existence ever since, disbanding ...

on AllMusic
Family Fodder
on YouTube
Family Fodder Store

Family Fodder Facebook
{{Authority control English post-punk music groups English new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1979 Fresh Records (UK) artists