Fluffy (band)
Encyclopedia
Fluffy was an all female punk rock
band
from London
active between 1994 and 1998.
-blues
singer in one of Old Compton Street
's gay cafes. They were attending college in London at the time, studying art and design. Guitarist Bridgette Jones did her A levels before joining and the band began rehearsing in Rootes' living room. Fluffy's original bassist
was Pandora Ormsby-Gore, but she left the band to become an actress, changing her name to Pandora Colin. Shortly afterwards, Mancunian Helen Storer left Kingston University
to join and the band began recording
.
Fluffy's first singles
"Hypersonic" and "Husband" (both produced
by Mal Campbell and Tony Wilson from Freaks of Desire
) were released in 1995. The band frequently played shows in their early days at underground fetish balls and parties, such as at Torture Garden
and Submission, and gained attention for their raucous shows, performing barefoot in slip dresses.
They were signed by Dave Stewart
of Eurythmics
to the publishing side of his label
, Anxious Records
. Stewart threw a party for the band's first single, "Hypersonic". Although Fluffy were initially signed to Parkway Records, (owned by press agents Phill Savidge and John Best of Savidge and Best), it was not until A&R
man Tom Zutaut signed them to a two album deal with The Enclave
/Hut/Virgin, that Fluffy gained wider notoriety. The band appeared on the NME
s yearly bratbus tour in 1996, along with The Bluetones
, The Cardigans
, and Heavy Stereo
. The band's debut album Black Eye was released in 1996, and the band supported the Foo Fighters
on tour. They were the opening act for the Sex Pistols
reunion tour of Japan
, as well as the Sex Pistol's first reunion show at Finsbury Park
Fluffy were also the opening band during the European part of Marilyn Manson
's 'Anti-Christ Superstar' tour, and toured the U.S.
with the Neurotic Outsiders
.
Their music video
for "Black Eye" was shot in New Orleans
by Floria Sigismondi
, and the making of the video was documented by MTV
. Their album Black Eye was produced by Bill Price
, who also recorded Never Mind the Bollocks.
The band was regularly featured in several magazine
s; Kerrang, Q
, Select, Melody Maker
and NME. They also appeared on several UK television shows, including Top of the Pops
, The Big Breakfast
and Hotel Babylon
. The band finally split in 1998, when Rootes and Storer moved to Los Angeles
, California
.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
active between 1994 and 1998.
Origins
The band formed in 1994 after classmates, Amanda Rootes and Angie Adams were inspired by a jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
singer in one of Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street
Old Compton Street runs east-west through Soho, London, England.- History :The street was named after Henry Compton. who raised funds for a local parish church, eventually dedicated as St Anne's Church in 1686...
's gay cafes. They were attending college in London at the time, studying art and design. Guitarist Bridgette Jones did her A levels before joining and the band began rehearsing in Rootes' living room. Fluffy's original bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
was Pandora Ormsby-Gore, but she left the band to become an actress, changing her name to Pandora Colin. Shortly afterwards, Mancunian Helen Storer left Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
to join and the band began recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
.
Fluffy's first singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Hypersonic" and "Husband" (both produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Mal Campbell and Tony Wilson from Freaks of Desire
Freaks of Desire
Freaks of Desire were an electronic rock band from London.-History:Freaks of Desire were formed in Shepherds Bush, London in 1993. Their unique sound was derived from a diverse set of influences and combined programmed beats and electronic soundscapes with strong melodies and driving distorted...
) were released in 1995. The band frequently played shows in their early days at underground fetish balls and parties, such as at Torture Garden
Torture Garden (fetish club)
Torture Garden is a fetish club in London, UK. The club started in 1990 and is now Europe's largest fetish club, featuring monthly at the Mass Club in the converted St. Matthews Church, Brixton...
and Submission, and gained attention for their raucous shows, performing barefoot in slip dresses.
They were signed by Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
of Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
to the publishing side of his label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Anxious Records
Anxious Records
Anxious Records was a record label set up by David A. Stewart of Eurythmics.Besides distributing his own records, the label distributed also groups like Londonbeat and Soft Parade.-Anxious Records:Anxious Records signed the following acts:* Chris Braide...
. Stewart threw a party for the band's first single, "Hypersonic". Although Fluffy were initially signed to Parkway Records, (owned by press agents Phill Savidge and John Best of Savidge and Best), it was not until A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man Tom Zutaut signed them to a two album deal with The Enclave
The Enclave (record label)
The Enclave was an American record label founded in the mid-1990s by Tom Zutaut, former A&R executive for Geffen Records best known for signing Guns N' Roses. It was distributed by EMI. It was shut down in June 1997 when EMI Music decided to fold the label into Virgin Records.The label was briefly...
/Hut/Virgin, that Fluffy gained wider notoriety. The band appeared on the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s yearly bratbus tour in 1996, along with The Bluetones
The Bluetones
The Bluetones were an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members were Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002...
, The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, and Heavy Stereo
Heavy Stereo
Heavy Stereo was a British rock band, who were active in the early to mid 1990s. There were known for having had a 1970s glam rock styled sound, and for their album, Deja Voodoo...
. The band's debut album Black Eye was released in 1996, and the band supported the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
on tour. They were the opening act for the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
reunion tour of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as well as the Sex Pistol's first reunion show at Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a 46 hectare public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringay, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first of the great London parks laid out in the Victorian...
Fluffy were also the opening band during the European part of Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
's 'Anti-Christ Superstar' tour, and toured the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the Neurotic Outsiders
Neurotic Outsiders
Neurotic Outsiders was a supergroup founded in 1995, consisting of Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, and John Taylor of Duran Duran. The very first line-up featured Billy Idol and Steve Stevens , but they were soon replaced by Jones and Taylor...
.
Their music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Black Eye" was shot in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
by Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi
Floria Sigismondi is an Italian, naturalised Canadian, photographer and director.Apart from her art exhibitions, she is best known for writing and directing The Runaways, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
, and the making of the video was documented by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Their album Black Eye was produced by Bill Price
Bill Price (record producer)
Bill Price is a producer and engineer famed for his work with The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Guns N' Roses, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Nymphs and The Waterboys....
, who also recorded Never Mind the Bollocks.
The band was regularly featured in several magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s; Kerrang, Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
, Select, Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
and NME. They also appeared on several UK television shows, including Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
and Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon
Hotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One...
. The band finally split in 1998, when Rootes and Storer moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Descendants
- Rootes went on to form Harlow, who participated in the VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
reality televisionReality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show, Bands on the RunBands on the RunBands on the Run is an American competitive reality tv show which first aired weekly on VH1 from April 2 to July 15, 2001. The show featured four unsigned bands competing for a prize package which included $50,000 in cash, $100,000 in musical equipment from Guitar Center, a showcase in front of...
. - Storer joined JessickaJessickaJessicka Addams is an American singer and artist. Best known by her stage name Jessicka, she was the front woman of Florida based band Jack Off Jill and current front for the Los Angeles based band Scarling.-Early life:Jessicka grew up in the town of Sunrise, Florida...
's band, Jack Off JillJack Off JillJack Off Jill was an American alternative rock band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1992 by Jessica Fodera, Tenni Arslanyan, Robin Moulder, and Michelle Oliver. Though these four young women were the initial founders, twelve members rotated through the group in its lifespan, including...
in 2000 for their final performance, played in Fireball MinistryFireball MinistryFireball Ministry is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1999.- Biography :Conceived in Cincinnati in the late '90s by James A. Rota II and Emily Burton, the band moved to New York City before settling in Los Angeles. In 2000 they performed at the two-day "November...
and also played bass in Duff McKaganDuff McKaganMichael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
's solo band, Loaded, and then formed Thee Heavenly Music AssociationThee Heavenly Music AssociationThee Heavenly Music Association is the 2001 musical endeavour of Helen Storer and Dave Hillis.-Biography:Thee Heavenly Music Association was formed after Storer, relocated to Los Angeles and hooked up with Jack Off Jill for their final show...
with Guitarist/Producer Dave Hillis. She is a vocalist on the Twilight Singers album, She Loves You, with Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli. - Adams and Jones formed an all girl-band called Darling. They live in London.
Singles
- "Hypersonic" (1995), Parkway
- "Husband" (1996), Parkway - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#58 - "Husband" (1996), Tim Kerr Records
- "Nothing" (1996), Virgin - UK #52
- "Black Eye" promo (1996), The Enclave
- "Scream" promo (1996), The Enclave
- "Hypersonic" promo (1997), The Enclave
- "I Wanna Be Your Lush" (1997), Virgin