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Viviane Katrina Louise Albertine (born 1 December 1954)
is an Australian-born British musician, singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as the guitarist for the
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band
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 ...
from 1977 until 1982, with whom she recorded two studio albums. Prior to joining the Slits, Albertine was a member of
the Flowers of Romance.
Following the Slits' break-up in 1982, Albertine studied filmmaking and subsequently worked as a freelance
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
. After a lengthy break from performing and recording music, Albertine released her sole solo studio album, ''The Vermilion Border'', in 2012.
Albertine's first autobiography, ''Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys'', was released in 2014 to widespread critical acclaim. A follow-up focusing on her family, ''To Throw Away Unopened'', was released in 2018.
Early life
Albertine was born in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
to an English mother of partial Swiss ancestry and a
Corsican father.
She was brought up in north London, attended comprehensive school in
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross.
Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Finchl ...
, and at the age of 17 enrolled in
Hornsey School of Art
Hornsey College of Art (a.k.a. Hornsey School of Art) was a college in Crouch End in the London Borough of Haringey, England. The HCA was "an iconic British art institution, renowned for its experimental and progressive approach to art and design ...
.
After completing a foundation course at Hornsey, she went to
Chelsea School of Art
Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation.
It offers further and higher educat ...
to study fashion and textile design. In 1976, while still studying at Chelsea, she helped form the early punk band
the Flowers of Romance. In 1976, her
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
maternal grandmother gave her money to purchase an electric guitar.
Music career
Albertine was a key figure in the 1970s punk scene, and was the on/off girlfriend of
Mick Jones of
the Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
. In 1976, she formed the Flowers of Romance with
Sid Vicious
John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...
. She joined
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 ...
as the band's guitarist after founding member Kate Korus left. Hesitant to join an all female band she changed her mind after her friend
Chrissie Hynde
Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...
told her to "Shut up and get on with it."
The Clash's 1979 song "
Train in Vain
"Train in Vain" is a song by the British punk rock band the Clash. It was released as the third and final single from their third studio album, ''London Calling'' (1979). The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing, appearing ...
" has been interpreted by some as a response to "Typical Girls" by the Slits, which mentions girls standing by their men. Albertine split up with songwriter Mick Jones shortly before he wrote the song.
While continuing as a key member of the Slits, Albertine contributed guitar and vocal work to the 49 Americans' 1980 album ''E Pluribus Unum''.
She became part of
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958, London, England) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing technique ...
's dub-influenced collective
New Age Steppers
New Age Steppers were a dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer Adrian Sherwood and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK post-punk groups, including Ari Up and Viv Albertine of the Slits, Mark Stewart and Bruce Smi ...
, and played on their self-titled 1981 debut album. She appeared as a guest guitarist on the
Flying Lizards
The Flying Lizards were an experimental English new wave band, formed in 1976. They are best known for their eccentric cover version of Barrett Strong's "Money", featuring Deborah Evans-Stickland on lead vocals, which reached the UK and US re ...
' debut album, as well as
Singers & Players
Singers & Players were a reggae collective made up of vocalists and musicians associated with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound Records. They recorded five albums between 1981 and 1988.
Including artists such as Bim Sherman, Prince Far I and Mikey Dr ...
' 1982 album, ''Revenge of the Underdog''.
In 2009, Albertine began performing as a solo artist. Her debut gig was at the Windmill in
Brixton
Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
on 20 September 2009. She went on to tour the US, opening for
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 ...
. In March 2010, she released a four-song debut solo EP entitled, ''Flesh'', on
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moo ...
's
Ecstatic Peace!
Ecstatic Peace! is a record label based in Easthampton, Massachusetts, Easthampton, Massachusetts, founded in 1981 in music, 1981 by American musician Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. The label name is borrowed from a line in Tom Wolfe's 1968 nonf ...
label.
Albertine recorded a cover version of
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 ...
's "
Letter to Hermione" for the Bowie tribute album, ''
We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie'', which was released on 6 September 2010. Her debut solo album, ''The Vermilion Border'', was released on 5 November 2012 through the Cadiz Music label. The album was a featured project on
Pledgemusic
PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...
.
On 17 June 2013, she opened for
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 ...
at the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
in London.
Following the death of her mother in 2014, Albertine stepped away from music: "I’m just not interested in playing any more. I came to that decision the night my mum died. I don’t worship musicians. I don’t worship rock’n’roll. I don’t miss it. I see music as a vehicle like writing or film-making, but I don’t think it’s a very relevant medium for me at the moment."
Film and television career
After the Slits disbanded in 1982, Albertine studied filmmaking in London. She worked as a
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
, mostly for television and making promos and videos for bands, many of which were used on UK
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s. "Ghosts Of American Astronauts" by the
Mekons
The Mekons are a British band formed in the late 1970s as an art collective. They are one of the longest-running and most prolific of the first-wave British punk rock bands.
The band's style has evolved over time to incorporate aspects of ...
, for example.
Her freelance directing work included stints with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and the