The Lovers are a French electronic dance/

neo-burlesque Neo-Burlesque, or New Burlesque, is the revival and updating of the traditional American burlesque performance. Though based on the traditional burlesque art, the new form encompasses a wider range of performance styles; neo-burlesque acts can r ...

band based in Sheffield, consisting of couple Fred de Fred and Marion Benoist. Their music is usually upbeat and satirical of French stereotypes, with songs themed around food and sex.

Career

Benoist is a former

bunny girl A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset ted ...

, who has worked with producers such as

Nellee Hooper Nellee Hooper (born Paul Andrew Hooper on 15 March 1963) is a British record producer, remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer w ...

, and wrote the song "Wonderland", a number two hit for

Moloko Moloko () were an Irish-English electronic music duo formed in Sheffield, England, consisting of vocalist Róisín Murphy and producer Mark Brydon. Blending elements of electronica and dance music, they are best known for their UK top 10 sing ...

Róisín Murphy Róisín Marie Murphy ( , ; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and record producer. She first became known in the 1990s as one half of the pop duo Moloko alongside English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of Moloko, she em ...

in the dance charts. Fred had previously worked for Sheffield studio FON. The couple started working on music after meeting

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following P ...

, who wrote for them the songs "La Degustation", "Fred de Fred" and "Basque Country", which were later included on their self-titled debut album, ''The Lovers'', co-produced by

Dean Honer I Monster are an English electronic music duo, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. I Monster and its label Twins of Evil are both named after horror films starring Peter Cushing (i.e., ''I, Monster' ...

and Parrot of

All Seeing I The All Seeing I were a British electronic music group from Sheffield, England, comprising Dean Honer, Jason Buckle and DJ Parrot (real name Richard Barratt). Biography The band released their first single "I Walk" in 1997, but it was not unt ...

, Kevin Bacon and Jon Quarmby (Finley Quaye, Pretenders etc...), Leigh Devlin and Robin Downe. The Lovers have been at the forefront of the Neo-Burlesque/Gypsy Madness movement, often playing with Lost Vagueness. They have collaborated in the past with

Richard Hawley Richard Willis Hawley (born 17 January 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. After his first band Treebound Story (formed while he was still at school) broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longp ...

Kings Have Long Arms Kings Have Long Arms are an English "rocktronica" act, formed in Sheffield and masterminded by Salford-born Adrian Flanagan (aka "Longy"). Kings Have Long Arms have collaborated with Philip Oakey from The Human League on the track "Rock and R ...

frontman Adrian Flanagan, Afterflife, and Budnubac, and have also formed part of

I Monster I Monster are an English electronic music duo, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. I Monster and its label Twins of Evil are both named after horror films starring Peter Cushing (i.e., ''I, Monster' ...

's live show. They are accompanied on stage by guitar player Bryan Day and drummer Marc Hoad of

Pink Grease Pink Grease were a six-piece rock music, rock group from Sheffield, England. Drawing from prominent early influences like David Bowie, Iggy Pop, T.Rex (band), T.Rex and even Kiss (band), Kiss, the band's sound and style was often seen as glam ...

. Their second album ''Pardon My French'' was produced and mixed in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

by Gabe Rhodes and Joe Gracey. The band's recordings have been used in a number of advertisements; "La Le" was used in an advertisement for McDonald's, "Crik Crak" on a number of others including Robinsons Fruit Juice, and "French Kiss" on the soundtrack of BBC TV series '' Sugar Rush''.

Discography

* ''The Lovers'' (Vinyl 2002 UK) * ''The Lovers'' (UK Limited Edition 2003) * ''The Lovers'' (Special Edition black satin cushion 2005) * ''The Lovers'' (Gut records 2007) * ''Pardon My French'' (Voilà records 2008) * ''C'est Euro Cha cha cha'' (Music House /KPM 2008) * ''Ménage à 3'' (2009)

External links

Official website

The Lovers
discography at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovers, The French musical duos Musical groups from Sheffield French electronic music groups Electronic music duos