Sister George
Encyclopedia
Sister George was an influential queercore
band from London
that was formed in 1994. The groups' name was inspired by the 1968 UK movie The Killing of Sister George
, which was an adaptation of a BBC radio play of the same name. It was a parody of a Story line in The Archers
.
Although queercore bands had existed in the United Kingdom
in the 1980s, such as The Apostles
, Academy 23
, and No Brain Cells and early 1990s, such as Tongue Man, Sister George brought queercore into the spotlight there. The members were Lisa on bass
, Daryl on drums
, and Lyndon on guitar
and vocals. Ellyot Dragon shared vocals with Lyndon; she had left The Darlings, a band which included Lesley Woods, formerly of the post punk band Au Pairs
, and Debbie Smith
, later in Curve
and Echobelly
.
Their first album, Drag King, came out on Catcall Records, which was run by Liz Naylor. The band found themselves heralded in the pages of British music magazines such as the NME
. They toured with acts like Huggy Bear and Hissyfit at first, but soon they were joined by other queer bands such as Mouthfull
and Children's Hour, and it was these groups that popularized queercore in the UK. Their album was rereleased in the U.S. by Outpunk Records, and a music video
for the song "Handle Bar" was made. This song also appeared on the Outpunk Records compilation, Outpunk Dance Party. Also featured on Drag King was a hardcore style cover
of the Tom Robinson
song "Glad to Be Gay
", although Sister George was less than sincere in regard to the sentiment of the original. The Sister George version featured the voice of serial killer
Aileen Wuornos
chanting, "We kill in self defense" throughout the entire song.
Label owner Naylor said of the band's relation to mainstream gay culture, "To me, the gay lifestyle is getting to be like just another alternative lifestyle. You go down Old Compton Street
in Soho and see them sitting there in nice coffee bars with their pink pounds - and these (Sister George) are 20-year-old kids who are angry and on the dole."
The band broke up in the midst of recording their second album. Afterwards, Ellyot Dragon went on to form Nightnurse
which featured then 16 year old Charlotte Hatherley
on guitar, who would later have success with the band Ash
. Daryl drummed for The Element Of Crime with Chris and Jo from Huggy Bear, Layla from Skinned teen
, Dale from Blood Sausage
and Andrew from Linus, releasing the single "The things we do for love...".
Sister George performed in and are interviewed in the film, She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane
.
According to an early 2008 YouTube comment post by Sister George's Ellyot, Lisa Cook, bass player with the band, died that year.
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
band 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...
that was formed in 1994. The groups' name was inspired by the 1968 UK movie The Killing of Sister George
The Killing of Sister George
The Killing of Sister George is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was adapted as a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich.- Stage version :Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series Applehurst, a nurse who ministers to the medical needs and personal problems of the local villagers...
, which was an adaptation of a BBC radio play of the same name. It was a parody of a Story line in The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
.
Although queercore bands had existed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 1980s, such as The Apostles
The Apostles
The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s Anarcho Punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement.-History:...
, Academy 23
Academy 23
Academy 23 was a British experimental music project created by Andy Martin and Dave Fanning, immediately after disbanding their former group The Apostles. Founded in London in 1989, the band released music primarily on audio cassette, as part of the cassette culture movement...
, and No Brain Cells and early 1990s, such as Tongue Man, Sister George brought queercore into the spotlight there. The members were Lisa on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Daryl on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, and Lyndon on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals. Ellyot Dragon shared vocals with Lyndon; she had left The Darlings, a band which included Lesley Woods, formerly of the post punk band Au Pairs
Au Pairs (band)
The Au Pairs were a British post-punk band that formed in Birmingham in 1979. Music historian Gillian G. Gaar noted in her history of women in rock that the band mingled male and female musicians in a revolutionary collaborative way, as part of its outspoken explorations of sexual...
, and Debbie Smith
Debbie Smith (musician)
Debbie Smith is a British guitar and bass player who has been in several bands from the 1990s to the present, including Curve, Echobelly, Nightnurse, Snowpony, Bows, The Nuns , and SPC ECO .Smith was interviewed for the book Never Mind the Bollocks: Women Rewrite Rock by...
, later in Curve
Curve (band)
Curve was an English music group formed in 1990 chiefly around the collaboration of singer/songwriter Toni Halliday and bassist/guitarist/programmer Dean Garcia.-History:...
and Echobelly
Echobelly
Echobelly were a Britpop band, debuting in 1994 with their album Everyone's Got One. They were often compared to Blondie and were influenced by Morrissey, who himself was a fan of the group....
.
Their first album, Drag King, came out on Catcall Records, which was run by Liz Naylor. The band found themselves heralded in the pages of British music magazines such as 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...
. They toured with acts like Huggy Bear and Hissyfit at first, but soon they were joined by other queer bands such as Mouthfull
Mouthfull
Mouthfull was a queercore band based in London, England from 1994 to 2000. Influenced by the San Francisco and Toronto Queercore scenes, the band set up the pioneering queercore night club Up To The Elbow in Camden in London. Core members were guitarist / vocalist Andy McHaffie and bass player Mike...
and Children's Hour, and it was these groups that popularized queercore in the UK. Their album was rereleased in the U.S. by Outpunk Records, and a 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 the song "Handle Bar" was made. This song also appeared on the Outpunk Records compilation, Outpunk Dance Party. Also featured on Drag King was a hardcore style cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
song "Glad to Be Gay
Glad to Be Gay
"Glad to Be Gay" is a song by British punk rock/New Wave group Tom Robinson Band. It is one of their defining songs, in addition to being considered Britain's national gay anthem since its release.-Song information:...
", although Sister George was less than sincere in regard to the sentiment of the original. The Sister George version featured the voice of serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Carol Wuornos was an American serial killer who killed seven men in Florida in 1989 and 1990, claiming they raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute...
chanting, "We kill in self defense" throughout the entire song.
Label owner Naylor said of the band's relation to mainstream gay culture, "To me, the gay lifestyle is getting to be like just another alternative lifestyle. You go down 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...
in Soho and see them sitting there in nice coffee bars with their pink pounds - and these (Sister George) are 20-year-old kids who are angry and on the dole."
The band broke up in the midst of recording their second album. Afterwards, Ellyot Dragon went on to form Nightnurse
Nightnurse
Nightnurse was an indie rock band from London, UK, who had some success in the late 1990s. They released three singles, with their second "Skirt" reaching no. 11 in the UK independent singles chart in February 1998...
which featured then 16 year old Charlotte Hatherley
Charlotte Hatherley
Charlotte Franklin Hatherley is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. She initially came to prominence as guitarist and backing vocalist for alternative rock band Ash. Since departing Ash in 2006, she has found success as a solo artist...
on guitar, who would later have success with the band Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
. Daryl drummed for The Element Of Crime with Chris and Jo from Huggy Bear, Layla from Skinned teen
Skinned Teen
Skinned Teen were a Riot Grrrl band from London, England, active in the early 1990s. They have been cited as an inspiration by Beth Ditto, Kathleen Hanna and Josephine Olaussan of Love Is All.-History:...
, Dale from Blood Sausage
Blood Sausage (band)
Blood Sausage were in indie rock band from Brighton, England, containing members of Huggy Bear.-History:The band featured vocalist Dale Shaw, who was described as "a self-confessed 'ugly' boy who read soulful beat poetry over whichever noise patterns happened to be passing at the time". Shaw...
and Andrew from Linus, releasing the single "The things we do for love...".
Sister George performed in and are interviewed in the film, She's Real, Worse Than Queer by Lucy Thane
Lucy Thane
Lucy Thane is a documentary filmmaker.One of her most notable works is It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK in which she followed the 1990s riot grrrl band Bikini Kill while they were on tour in the UK with Huggy Bear....
.
According to an early 2008 YouTube comment post by Sister George's Ellyot, Lisa Cook, bass player with the band, died that year.