The Violets were 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 ...

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

/ pop band from the

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwic ...

area of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, England. Formed initially as a bassless garage punk trio, The Violets early gigs saw them playing stark, spiky and minimalist punk that evoked early art-school punk bands such as

Delta 5 Delta 5 was an English post-punk band from Leeds. Career Delta 5 was formed from the same art school scene at Leeds University as Gang of Four and The Mekons. The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale (vocals/guitar), Ros Allen (bass) and Be ...

, Prag Vec, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, as well as more contemporary acts such as

Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compl ...

. The band formed when guitarist Joe met vocalist Alexis in a tea room in

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, a suburb in North West London, and the pair discovered a shared affinity with emotive, brash and confrontational music. The pair soon wrote a song 'Laxteen', which was recorded in a studio owned by Scott Rosenthal in New York. Scott also played drums on the track. Upon returning to London Andrew Moran was recruited as drummer and the trio played their debut at Brixton Windmill. Around the same time as the band was formed, guitarist Joe founded the record label Angular Recording Corporation having been inspired by

Bill Drummond William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...

's book '' 45'' and the film ''

24 Hour Party People ''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Wint ...

''. The song 'Laxteen' appeared on Angular Records first release, a compilation entitled ''The New Cross: An Angular Sampler''. At the start of 2007 The Violets released their most acclaimed and successful single to date, "Foreo". This song was inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock film ''

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'', which featured a horse named Foreo. The band supported this release by touring with

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in February, including a show at the

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as part of the

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Shows. In March and April 2007 the band recorded their debut album, which was released in November 2007 on Angular. In August 2007, guitarist Joe joined

Klaxons Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut ...

as bass player for the summer whilst Jamie Reynolds recovered from a broken ankle. In late 2007 ex-Lost Penguin member Matt Gilbert joined the band on bass guitar. The quartet toured Germany and Italy in early 2008, splitting up afterwards. In all, they played 188 gigs across Europe, America and the UK.

Performance style

The Violets' stage presence is centred on Alexis Mary and her sexy, charismatic personality. She has been likened in the underground press to a cross between Debbie Harry and

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...

(she rejected such claims in an interview with Maps Magazine, and their guitarist said it was lazy journalism), and she has cited the same influences they had, such as

Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company limited (NICO) is a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC buys the vast majority of Iran's gasoline imports. NICO is a key pl ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and

Diamanda Galás Diamanda Galás (born August 29, 1955) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, visual artist, and soprano. She has campaigned for AIDS education and the rights of the infected. Galás's commitment to addressing social issues and her involve ...

. However, also

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 databa ...

noted an "uncanny" vocal similarity to Siouxsie Sioux. The Violets' lyrics are often cryptic and abstract, laden with ambiguity and multiple meanings. In one interview with the

South London Press The ''South London Press, London Weekly News and Mercury (formerly South London Press)'' is a weekly newspaper currently based in Catford, South London. The newspaper covers the latest news, sports and features within the south, central and west ...

(and reproduced on their website), Alexis replied to the interviewer on where the inspiration for the songs originates:

''"Forceful thought train fuels the songs. It's frustrating trying to communicate to people that are looking for a middle road comment. I feel like I'm going to blow up in their faces. Although the words are mostly a breakdown of a harsh environment, the surge it creates is a positive and empowering feeling. We don't look for inspiration, it tends to just creep up on you."''

Critics

The '' Drowned in Sound'' webzine wrote that Alexis is tipped to become a "future underground icon, and critics have been very favourable about their 7" singles.

Discography

Albums

* 2007 '' The Lost Pages'' ( Angular Recording Corporation)

Singles

* 2006 "Feast on You/Come Home" (Filthy Little Angels) * 2006 "Mirror Mirror" (Angular Recording Corporation) * 2006 "Hush Away" (Angular Recording Corporation) * 2006 "Descend/Carnival " (Angular Recording Corporation) * 2007 "Foreo" (Angular Recording Corporation) * 2007 "Troubles of Keneat" (Angular Recording Corporation)

Awards

'' ArtRocker'' named 'The Lost pages' the 15th best album of 2007 and the single 'Foreo' the 17th best single of 2007.

References

External links

The Violets record labelThe Violets at Angular RecordsThe Violets at MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Violets, The Post-punk revival music groups English art rock groups English indie rock groups Musical groups from London Musical groups from the London Borough of Lewisham