Mo-dettes were an English all-female

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, 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 s ...

band, formed in 1979 by guitarist Kate Korris, an original member of

The Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...

and brief member of

The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...

, and bassist Jane Crockford, former member of Bank of Dresden. Ramona Carlier (vocals) and June Miles-Kingston (drums) completed the line-up.

Biography

Mo-dettes' best-known song is "White Mice", written by Jane Crockford, which was self-released as their first single in mid-1979 on Mode records, with "Masochistic Opposite" on the B-side. The single was produced by David Cunningham and distributed by Rough Trade and was a hit on the indie charts. Mo-dettes got further exposure on

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, ...

, DJ John Peel's show on 28 January 1980, broadcasting versions of "Norman (He's No Rebel)", "Dark Park Creeping", "Kray Twins" and "Bitter Truth". Further sessions followed on 26 August 1980 and 11 July 1981. The band signed to Decca Records subsidiary Deram and released one album, ''

The Story So Far The Story So Far may refer to: __NOTOC__ Books * ''The Story of Sar'' (book), a 2003 book by Bhawana Somaaya Films * ''The Story So Far'' (2001 film), a film about the band Sick of It All * ''The Story So Far'' (2002 film), a documentary about ...

'', ( Deram Records SML-1120) November 1980. The album chiefly consisted of pop-punk originals, as well as covers of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

' "

Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European in ...

" and

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

's "

Milord ''Milord'' () is a term for an Englishman, especially a noble, traveling in Continental Europe. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It apparently derives ultimately from the English phrase "my lord", which was bo ...

". Also in 1981, billed as Bomberettes, they provided backing vocals on the track "Fighter Pilot" on John Cale's album '' Honi Soit''. The band had a minor hit with "Paint It Black", just missing the Top 40. The band's final record was "Tonight", released in June 1981 and a minor hit. Two months later, at the request of Decca Records, who wanted to hear a fuller sound, Mo-dettes asked guitarist Melissa Ritter to join. She played her first show as a Mo-dette just four days after joining the band. In February 1982, Carlier left and Crockford sang for a couple of months. In May 1982, Sue Slack replaced Ramona on vocals, before Mo-dettes disbanded permanently on 11 November 1982. Bassist Jane Crockford was married in 1980 to Daniel Woodgate of the

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

band Madness; the marriage lasted for 15 years.

June Miles-Kingston June Miles-Kingston is a British singer and drummer, best known for her work with various successful bands and singers in the 1980s. She was a founding member of the post-punk group The Mo-dettes, which lasted from 1979 to 1982, and later beca ...

first returned to the studio when she played drums and sang backing vocals on Fun Boy Three's "

Our Lips Are Sealed "Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three. It was first recorded by the Go-Go's as the opening track on their album '' Beauty and the Beat'' ...

", and in the late 1980s as the drummer for

The Communards The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. The duo consisted of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. They are most famous for their cover versions of " Don't Leave Me This Way", originally by Harold Melvin & the Bl ...

. During this period, she also worked with

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kin ...

, and

Everything but the Girl Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Wat ...

.
Miles-Kingston is the sister of the former

Tenpole Tudor Tenpole Tudor are an English punk band fronted by Edward Tudor-Pole. The band first came to prominence when Tudor-Pole appeared in the Sex Pistols' film ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' and on three of the singles released from the soundtr ...

guitarist Bob Kingston.

Discography

Album

* ''

'' – 1981

Singles

* "White Mice" (1979) – Mode Records * "Dark Park Creeping" (1980) – Deram Records b/w "Two Can Play" * "

" (1980) – Deram – UK No. 42 * "Tonight" (1981) – Deram – UK No. 68 * "Kray Twins" (1981) – Human Records HUM10 – Live recorded at The Marquee /b-side: White Mice

Personnel

* Kate Korris (Korus) – guitar – (born in the United States) * Jane Crockford (Perry Woodgate) – bass * Ramona Carlier (now Ramona Wilkins) – vocals (from Switzerland) *

– drums * Melissa Ritter – guitar

References

External links

Allmusic bio

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Modettes All-female punk bands English post-punk music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Deram Records artists Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom