Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of

Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of t ...

to form the band behind 13-year-old

Annabella Lwin Annabella Lwin (born Myant Myant Aye, , 31 October 1966) is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow. Early life, family and education Lwin was born in Rangoon, Burma to a Burmese fat ...

on vocals. They released their debut EP '' Your Cassette Pet'' in 1980, and had their first UK top 10 hit with "

Go Wild in the Country "Go Wild in the Country" is a single by English new wave band Bow Wow Wow from their album '' See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!''. Released in January 1982 by RCA Records, it was their first top 10 hit on ...

" in 1982. The band's music was characterized by a danceable new wave sound that drew on a Burundi beat provided by Dave Barbarossa on drums, as well as the subversive, suggestive, and sometimes exuberant lyrics sung and chanted by their teenage lead vocalist.

Formation

In 1980, former Sex Pistols manager McLaren persuaded David Barbarossa (also known as Dave Barbe), guitarist

Matthew Ashman Matthew James Ashman (3 November 1960 – 21 November 1995)
– accessed June 2011 was an English guitarist with

and bassist Leigh Gorman to leave Adam Ant and form a new group under McLaren's management. The band embarked on a six-month audition process for a lead singer. Talent scout Dave Fishel heard 13-year-old Lwin singing along to the radio at a

West Hampstead West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage ...

dry cleaners where she worked, and Fishel persuaded McLaren to audition her. Shortly after Lwin joined the group, McLaren added a second lead singer, George Alan O'Dowd, dubbed "Lieutenant Lush" (in an early version of "Mile High Club", Annabella refers to herself as "Captain Lush"). His stay was short-lived, however. O'Dowd soon formed a new band called Culture Club and went on to superstardom under the name " Boy George".

EMI Records

Bow Wow Wow signed with EMI Records in July 1980 and released their first single, "

C·30 C·60 C·90 Go "C·30 C·60 C·90 Go" is the debut single by English new wave band Bow Wow Wow. It was written by Malcolm McLaren, Matthew Ashman, Leigh Gorman and Dave Barbarossa. Originally only released on cassette, it was the world's first-ever cassett ...

!", shortly thereafter. Initially released only on cassette, it was the world's first-ever

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

(a 7" vinyl version was released several months later). EMI did not promote the "cassingle" due to its lyrics ("Off the radio I get constant flow/Hit it, pause it, record and play/Turn it, rewind and rub it away"), which promoted home taping at a time when music piracy was a hot-button issue. The B-side, "Sun, Sea and Piracy", also promoted home taping, then lying on a beach and enjoying the fruits of this labour. Both tracks were on side one of the tape, making the second side blank, presumably so the listener could follow Annabella's lead. Despite its lack of promotion, "C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!" reached No. 34 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and stayed on the chart for seven weeks. Bow Wow Wow performed on a Peel Session on 20 October 1980 and in November they released the cassette-only mini-album '' Your Cassette Pet''. It contained only eight tracks and was not available on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

; therefore, it was ineligible for the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. However, it peaked at No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart. One notorious track from the mini-album was "Sexy Eiffel Towers". Credited to Ashman, Barbarossa, Gorman, and McLaren, it included suggestive moaning and heavy breathing performed by then 14-year-old Lwin. Other controversial tracks included "Louis Quatorze" (which called attention to Lwin's young age), "Uomo Sex Al Apache," and "Radio G-String." All tracks on My Cassette Pet are credited to the four men except " Fools Rush In." McLaren was already renowned for his creative use of provocation to raise public awareness of his projects (and for occasionally taking things too far). Both "C·30 C·60 C·90 Go!" and ''Your Cassette Pet'' ranked among the top 10 "Tracks of the Year" for 1980 by ''

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 ...

''. When their second single, "W.O.R.K. (N.O. Nah, No No My Daddy Don't)" failed to chart, EMI dropped the group.* Holly George-Warren, Patricia Romanowski, and Jon Pareles (2001). ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century)'', p.107-108. .

RCA Records & ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah! City All Over, Go Ape Crazy''

In 1981, after splitting from EMI, Bow Wow Wow signed with A&R head Bill Kimber at the U.K. division of

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. In October of that year, their first full-length album was released: ''

See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy! ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!'' (later retitled ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah! City All Over, Go Ape Crazy'') is the debut studio album by English new wave band Bow Wow Wow, rel ...

'' The cover photograph (by Andy Earl) depicted the band recreating

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Bo ...

’s '' Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe'' with a then 14-year-old Lwin posing nude, with her side turned toward the camera and arm and leg positioned to hide explicit content. The cover caused outrage and Lwin was almost made to quit the band due to the controversy. Lwin's mother alleged exploitation of a minor for immoral purposes and instigated a Scotland Yard investigation. As a result, the band was forbidden to leave the UK until McLaren promised not to promote Annabella as a "

sex kitten A sex kitten is a woman who exhibits a sexually provocative lifestyle or an abundant sexual aggression. The term originated around 1956 in articles in the British and American press and was originally used to describe French actress Brigitte Bardot ...

". Regardless, the photo appeared a second time on the cover of the band's follow-up EP '' The Last of the Mohicans''. From ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!'', Bow Wow Wow scored its first UK top 10 hit with "Go Wild in the Country" in early 1982. The single featured a third appearance of the band's take on Manet's ''Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe'' on the sleeve. Around the same time, Bow Wow Wow toured the US, opening for

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

and

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...

. The band were set to tour Europe, opening for

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

(who were supporting their dance-oriented ''

Hot Space ''Hot Space'' is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 21 May 1982 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, they employed many e ...

'' album), but they were poorly received by Queen's fans and were dropped from the tour before the dates were completed. In May, they toured Japan, supporting Madness.

''The Last of the Mohicans''

In May 1982, RCA Records released the four-track ''The Last of the Mohicans'', produced by

Kenny Laguna Kenneth Benjamin Laguna is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Joan Jett. Biography Laguna was born in Greenwich Village, New York City, United States, and started playing piano at high school dances from th ...

and containing their biggest hit single, "

I Want Candy "I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat. Original version "I Want Candy" ...

". The remake of the 1965 hit by

the Strangeloves The Strangeloves were a band created in 1964 by the New York-based American songwriting and production team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer. They initially pretended to be from Australia. The Strangeloves' most suc ...

was featured in an early music video on MTV. The single reached No. 9 on the

in June 1982. The EP also included a remixed version of "Louis Quatorze", which first appeared on ''Your Cassette Pet''. ''The Last of the Mohicans'' peaked at No. 67 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, their highest entry on the chart. Laguna also produced Bow Wow Wow's follow up single, " Baby, Oh No", the first single from Bow Wow Wow to chart in America (No. 103),but not in the UK. The lyrics to the song were later reworked for advertising use by the Japanese cosmetic brand Perky Jean by Shiseido.

''I Want Candy''

Following the success of the "I Want Candy"

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

on MTV, RCA compiled an album, ''

'', to capitalize on their newfound American audience. Once again, the cover photo (by Jim Varriale) featured a nude Lwin, this time painted entirely in gold. Side one of ''I Want Candy'' contained all four tracks from ''The Last of the Mohicans'' and "Baby, Oh No". Side two consisted of four tracks from ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!'' and "El Boss Dicho", the B-side to "Go Wild in the Country". The album peaked at No. 123 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Meanwhile, EMI reissued all their recordings under the same title ''I Want Candy''. The EMI album matched ''See Jungles position of number 26 on the UK album charts. It was released in North America as ''Twelve Original Recordings'' and elsewhere as ''Original Recordings.''

''When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going''

In 1983, RCA released Bow Wow Wow's second full-length album, ''

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is a popular witticism in American English. The phrase is an example of antimetabole. The origin of the phrase has been attributed to various sources. It appears to come from American football par ...

''. At the behest of Ashman, Lwin wrote all the lyrics on the album. The cover photography was by David Bailey, and the album credits gave "a kiss" to "Jim" (

James Honeyman-Scott James Honeyman-Scott (4 November 1956 – 16 June 1982) was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders. With the band, Honeyman-Scott established a reputation, in the words of AllMusic, as "one of th ...

) and

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

, who had both recently died. The lead single, "Do You Wanna Hold Me?", reached No. 47 in the UK (the band's last charting single in the UK), but fared best on the Dutch charts, where it peaked at No. 3. With the help of a video in heavy rotation on MTV, the song achieved moderate success in the US, reaching No. 77 on the charts. The group had planned to embark on a world tour in support of ''When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going'' but tensions within the group were rising, as the members were suffering from illness and exhaustion after a successful but intense U.S. tour. In September 1983, Lwin was suddenly and unceremoniously fired from the band. She reportedly learned of her ousting by reading it in ''NME''. Shortly after their breakup, they appeared in the 1984

Rob Cohen Rob Cohen (born March 12, 1949) is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, inc ...

British-American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

'' Scandalous'', performing "Where's My Snake?" and "What's the Time (Hey Buddy)".

Post-breakup

The remaining members formed a new group,

Chiefs of Relief Chiefs of Relief were a British rock group with a unique electro-punk style, punctuated by the guitar work of vocalist Matthew Ashman, and also featuring drummer Paul Cook. The Chiefs fused rock with hip hop and electronic elements from the e ...

, with guitarist Ashman as its lead singer. Their sole album was a 1988 self-titled release, issued in the US on

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...

. Ashman later played with other bands, such as Max and Rams. He was a member of

Agent Provocateur An agent provocateur () is a person who commits, or who acts to entice another person to commit, an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act, so as to ruin the reputation of, or entice legal action against, th ...

when he died (in 1995, at age 35) from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

complications. They released the album ''

Where the Wild Things Are ''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...

'' in 1997, posthumously featuring Ashman on guitar, bass guitar and Vox organ. Barbarossa/Barbe went on to work with other artists, including

Beats International Beats International were a British dance music band and hip-hop collective, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook (later in his career known as Fatboy Slim) based in Brighton, East Sussex, England, after his departure from the Housemartins. ...

Republica Republica are an English alternative rock band formed in 1994. The height of their popularity spanned from 1996 to 1999. The current line-up consists of Saffron (vocals), Tim Dorney (keyboards), Johnny Male (guitar), Conor Lawrence (drums). T ...

Chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...

, Adamski and Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals. He performed live with Adam Ant in 1995, and both he and Gorman toured with Ant in 2015 for a series of concerts recreating the album ''Dirk Wears White Sox''. He wrote two novels, ''Mud Sharks'' and ''We Were Looking Up''. Gorman went into production after the demise of Chiefs of Relief. In 1989,

Silver Bullet In folklore, a bullet cast from silver is often one of the few weapons that are effective against a werewolf or witch. The term ''silver bullet'' is also a metaphor for a simple, seemingly magical, solution to a difficult problem: for example, pe ...

's "Twenty Seconds To Comply", which Gorman produced, reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. The

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

single "Hippychick" went top 10 and topped the dance charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Gorman earned a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

for his work on the track. He subsequently joined Soho for a US tour and appeared on ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

''. Gorman worked with McLaren again, co-writing and producing the 1994 album ''

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

''. The jazz-influenced album sold well throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, resulting in an album of Gorman's ambient dance mixes. The duo proceeded to collaborate on several high-profile TV commercials and two film scores. Gorman, himself, wrote and produced music for television spots for clients such as

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

, MCI,

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

and

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

. In the summer of 1997, his remix of Mr. President's " I Give You My Heart" spent three weeks in the Top 10 of the

UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record s ...

. He joined the rave band Electric Skychurch in 2006. Known simply as "Annabella", Lwin remained with RCA Records and her first solo release was the 1985 single "Don't Dance With Strangers", produced by the System. She followed up with the album ''Fever'' in 1986. The title track, a cover of the Peggy Lee classic, was recorded with and produced by multi-instrumentalist Jim Lea of

Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...

. Another single from the album, "War Boys", produced by John Robie, spent six weeks on the US '' Billboard'' Hot Dance/Disco, chart, peaking at No. 28. "Don't Dance With Strangers" and "Fever" were included on ''The Best of Bow Wow Wow'', released by BMI on 29 October 1996. She formed a new band, Naked Experience, and collaborated with seasoned musicians and songwriters such as Billy Steinberg and

Ellen Shipley Ellen Shipley (born March 24, 1949 in New York City, New York, United States) is an American musician and songwriter. Career At sixteen years old, Shipley got a NYC Cabaret license. She performed a duo act in Greenwich Village in the early 70's ...

. In 1994,

Sony Soho Square Sony S2 Records, formerly named as S2 Records and Sony Soho Square (typeset as Sony Soho2), was a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (SME), which operated as a record label in the 1990s and early 2000s. Sony Soho Square was named after its ...

released two singles, "Car Sex" and "Do What You Do", billed as "Annabella Lwin". "Car Sex" made the Top 10 in the UK Dance Chart, while the remixed dance follow-up "Do What You Do" (1995), produced by Steve Lironi, spent one week at No. 61 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1999,

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, D ...

released ''Virgin Voices: A Tribute To Madonna, Volume One''. It contained a cover of " Like a Virgin" credited to "Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow".

Reformation

In 1997, Lwin and Gorman reformed Bow Wow Wow, adding guitarist Dave Calhoun and drummer Eshan Khadaroo. They embarked on the "Barking Mad" tour in 1997–1998, which produced a compilation CD, ''

Wild in the U.S.A. ''Wild in the U.S.A.'' is a compilation album by English New wave music, new wave band Bow Wow Wow, released solely on compact disc in 1998 by Cleopatra Records. ''Wild in the U.S.A.'' is a 20-track compilation. The first six tracks are remixes o ...

'' (Cleopatra Records), that included live material and remixes of previous Bow Wow Wow tracks. In 1998, they collaborated with DJ Swedish Egil on the track "Eastern Promise", released as part of Egil's ''Groove Radio Presents: Alternative Mix CD'' by

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row ...

. They contributed the song "A Thousand Tears" to the 1999 film '' Desperate But Not Serious'' (retitled ''Reckless + Wild'' in the US), starring

Christine Taylor Christine Joan Taylor Stiller (born July 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for playing Marcia Brady in ''The Brady Bunch Movie'' and ''A Very Brady Sequel'', as well as roles in films like '' The Craft'', '' The Wedding Singer'', '' ...

and

Claudia Schiffer Claudia Maria Schiffer (; born 25 August 1970) is a German model and actress based in the United Kingdom. She rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the world's most successful models, attaining supermodel status. In her early career, she was compa ...

, and appeared in the film. Bow Wow Wow performed at the

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

Inland Invasion festival in September 2003, with a lineup including Los Angeles guitarist Phil Gough (of Novacaine) and drummer

Adrian Young Adrian Samuel Young (born August 26, 1969) is an American drummer and member of the rock bands No Doubt and Dreamcar. Biography When not performing, in the studio or touring, Young likes to spend his time out on the golf course, as he is an a ...

(of

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...

). In September 2005,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

native Devin Beaman was brought in as the new drummer. Bow Wow Wow songs "Aphrodisiac", "I Want Candy" and " Fools Rush In" (the latter two remixed by

Kevin Shields Kevin Patrick Shields (born 21 May 1963) is an American-born Irish musician, singer-songwriter, composer, and producer, best known as the vocalist and guitarist of the band My Bloody Valentine. They became influential on the evolution of alter ...

of My Bloody Valentine) were included on the soundtrack of the 2006

Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...

film '' Marie Antoinette''. The band performed on 2 November 2006 at the

Maritime Hotel __FORCETOC__ The Maritime Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel located at 363 West 16th Street at Ninth Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, close to the Meatpacking District. It has 121 rooms and 5 suites, all decorated ...

's Hiro Lounge in New York City to promote the film. In 2006, Bow Wow Wow recorded a cover of

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

' song " I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", which appeared on three 2007 releases: a new three-track ''I Want Candy'' EP (Cleopatra), compilation album ''Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before: A Tribute to the Smiths'' (Cleopatra) and the soundtrack to the film '' Blood & Chocolate: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' ( Lakeshore Records). On the 15th anniversary of Ashman's death, the band, featuring original drummer Barbarossa, performed at a tribute concert for Ashman on 21 November 2010 at the Scala in London. The show was headlined by Adam Ant and also featured members of Ashman's other bands Chiefs of Relief and Agent Provocateur. With a new guitarist (Jimmy Magoon) and drummer (Dylan Thomas), Bow Wow Wow played shows in California and toured the UK in 2011–2012. In December 2012, Gorman began performing under the name "Bow Wow Wow" without original lead singer Lwin's consent, and launched a new Bow Wow Wow

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

page. This version of the band included new singer Chloe Demetria of the band Vigilant as well as guitarist Matthew Fuller and drummers Lyle Riddle and Sean Winchester. In 2014, actor/musician Zachary Throne ( Sin City Sinners) took over on guitar, and Les Warner replaced Winchester. In a 2016 ''

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

'' interview, Gorman indicated that he was interested in creating new Bow Wow Wow music with this lineup. Lwin has continued to perform billed as "Annabella Lwin of the original Bow Wow Wow". Her official website states, "Any shows advertised as Bow Wow Wow WITHOUT Annabella, featuring a hired singer from another band, are done without knowledge, permission or consent. Before you buy a ticket, make sure it is the ORIGINAL voice of Bow Wow Wow!" Gorman assembled a new line up for Bow Wow Wow as of Jan 2020 with “Dinzy” Kristen Dinsmore as lead vocalist for the Totally 80's U.S. winter tour with The Motels and When in Rome II.

Bow Wow Wow's sound

The group's sound was a mix of her "girlish squeal", chants, surf instrumentals, pop melodies, funk bass and Barbarossa's Burundi ritual music-influenced

tom-tom drum A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go a ...

beats. They have since been described as new wave, pop and

worldbeat Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural c ...

. The degree to which Bow Wow Wow were influenced by—rather than plagiarised—the music of native African nations and tribes such as the

Royal Drummers of Burundi The Royal Drummers of Burundi, commonly known in recordings as The Drummers of Burundi, is a percussion ensemble originally from Burundi. Their performances are a part of ceremonies such as births, funerals, and coronations of '' mwami'' (Kings). ...

and the

Zulus Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Na ...

has been a matter of debate. It is thought that when McLaren started to advise Adam and the Ants on the direction they should take after ''

Dirk Wears White Sox ''Dirk Wears White Sox'' is the debut studio album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants. It was released on 30 November 1979 by record label Do It. It was the first number one album on the UK Independent Albums Chart when the chart debut ...

'', he gave the band (the instrumentalists who would eventually become Bow Wow Wow) a variety of recordings of world music from which to draw inspiration. When the Ants dropped out to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant took the recordings from the band's early work in this new direction to start his new incarnation of the Ants; thus both bands made music influenced by the recordings offered by McLaren. Among the recordings was one titled "Burundi Black". The story of "Burundi Black" and the origin of the "Burundi Beat" and the associated controversy was detailed in an excerpt from a 1981 ''New York Times'' article by Robert Palmer: It was also charged that Bow Wow Wow plagiarised melodies from Zulu jive songs and Zulu pop songs and turned the original Zulu lyrics into English mondegreens, as with the origin of the lines "See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah! City All over Go Ape Crazy!", "

Golly! Golly! Go Buddy! ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!'' (later retitled ''See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah! City All Over, Go Ape Crazy'') is the debut studio album by English new wave band Bow Wow Wow, rel ...

" and "Hey i-yai-yo". In answer to this issue, the 1981 ''Times'' article offered the following statement in Bow Wow Wow's defence: In an RCA radio promo vinyl recording, guitarist Ashman responded:

Legacy

The

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

name-checked the band on their 1992 single "

Suck My Kiss "Suck My Kiss" is a song by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was released as the third single from their fifth studio album, ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik''. "Suck My Kiss" was released as an airplay single in the United States in 1991 and ...

", which included the lyric "Swimming in the sound of Bow Wow Wow", and Peppers guitarist

John Frusciante John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...

has listed Ashman as an influence. No Doubt's Adrian Young said of the opportunity to play drums for Bow Wow Wow from 2003 to 2005, "It is a dream come true to play with a band I grew up idolising. I feel like a kid back in the sand box". Film director Sofia Coppola drew inspiration from Lwin when conceiving the style for her film, ''Marie Antoinette''. Said Bow Wow Wow's tour manager in 2006, "They actually based Marie Antoinette, from a styling point of view, on Annabella Lwin. They drew parallels from the fact that they were both young girls who found fame and fortune at a ridiculously early age." On 25 May 2018, Cherry Red Records released the three-disc set ''

Your Box Set Pet (The Complete Recordings 1980–1984) ''Your Box Set Pet (The Complete Recordings 1980–1984)'' is a three-disc box set compilation album by English new wave band Bow Wow Wow, released on 25 May 2018 by Cherry Red Records. Disc one of the set consists of their first full-length s ...

''.

Personnel

;Current members Bow Wow Wow Band * Leigh Gorman – bass (1980–1983, 1997–1998, 2003–present) *"Dinzy" Kristen Dinsmore - vocals (2020–present) *Zachary Throne – guitar (2014–present) *Les Warner – drums (2014–present) Annabella's Bow Wow Wow *

– vocals (1980–1983, 1997–1998, 2003–present) ;Former members * Dave Barbarossa- drums (1980-1983) *

Matthew Ashman Matthew James Ashman (3 November 1960 – 21 November 1995)
– accessed June 2011 was an English guitarist with

– guitar (1980–1983; died 1995) *Dave Calhoun – guitar (1997–1998) *Eshan Khadaroo – drums (1997–1998) *Phil Gough – guitar (2003–2011) *

– drums (2003–2005) *Devin Beaman – drums (2005–2011) *Jimmy Magoon – guitar (2011–2012) *Dylan Thomas – drums (2011–2012) *Matthew Fuller – guitar (2012–2014) *Lyle Riddle – drums (2012–2014) *Sean Winchester – drums (2012–2014)

Discography

*''

'' (1981) *''

'' (1983)

References

External links

Annabella Lwin's official website
* * * {{Authority control English new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 English pop punk groups RCA Records artists EMI Records artists Cleopatra Records artists Female-fronted musical groups Second British Invasion artists