Viv Albertine
Encyclopedia
Viv Albertine is a British
singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist
for the influential, all-female English
punk
group
, The Slits
.
Albertine was born in Sydney
to a Swiss
mother and a French
father. She was raised in North London
, attended comprehensive school in Muswell Hill
, and at seventeen enrolled in the Hornsey School of Art. After completing a foundation course at Hornsey, Albertine went to the Chelsea School of Art to study fashion and textile design. In 1976 while still studying at Chelsea, she helped form the early punk band The Flowers of Romance
.
Albertine was amongst the first "inner circle" fan
s of the Sex Pistols
, and was close friends of both Mick Jones
and Joe Strummer
of The Clash
. Albertine joined The Slits as the band's guitarist
, after founding member Kate Korus left in 1977. The Clash
's 1979 song
, "Train in Vain
" has been interpreted by some as a response to "Typical Girls" by The Slits
, which mentions girls standing by their men. Songwriter
Mick Jones split up with Albertine shortly before he wrote the song. On 5 October 2010 Albertine confimed in an interview with Cerys Matthews
on BBC 6 Music
that the song was written about her, describing how Jones would travel by train to visit her in her squat.
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 also became part of Adrian Sherwood
's dub-influenced collective, New Age Steppers
, and played on their self-titled 1981 debut album. She appeared as a guest guitarist on Singers & Players
1982 album
, Revenge of the Underdog
.
After The Slits disbanded in 1982, Albertine studied film making in London
. She worked as a director
, mostly for television
, throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s. Her freelance directing work included stints with the BBC
and the British Film Institute
.
In 2009, Albertine began performing as a solo artist, playing venues around London showcasing new material. She performed her debut gig on September 20, 2009 in The Windmill, Brixton with Get Back Guinozzi and Little Eris supporting. In March 2010 Albertine released a four-song debut solo E.P. titled Flesh on Thurston Moore
's Ecstatic Peace! label.
Albertine recorded a cover version of David Bowie
's Letter to Hermione
for the Bowie tribute album We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie which was released on September 6, 2010.
Albertine's debut solo album is scheduled for release in 2011. The album is currently a featured project on Pledgemusic
.
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...
singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
for the influential, all-female English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
punk
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...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
.
Albertine was born in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
mother and a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
father. She was raised in North 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...
, attended comprehensive school in Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
, and at seventeen enrolled in the Hornsey School of Art. After completing a foundation course at Hornsey, Albertine went to the Chelsea School of Art to study fashion and textile design. In 1976 while still studying at Chelsea, she helped form the early punk band The Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance may refer to:* "The Flowers of Romance" , a song by Sex Pistols* The Flowers of Romance , an early British punk rock band* The Flowers of Romance , an album by Public Image Ltd...
.
Albertine was amongst the first "inner circle" fan
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
s of 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...
, and was close friends of both Mick Jones
Mick Jones (The Clash)
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
and Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. Albertine joined The Slits as the band's guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, after founding member Kate Korus left in 1977. The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's 1979 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "Train in Vain
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 album, London Calling...
" has been interpreted by some as a response to "Typical Girls" by The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
, which mentions girls standing by their men. Songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Mick Jones split up with Albertine shortly before he wrote the song. On 5 October 2010 Albertine confimed in an interview with Cerys Matthews
Cerys Matthews
Cerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer and songwriter. She is known as the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Catatonia, her more recent bilingual solo career, and for a 1998 Christmas duet with Tom Jones.-Biography:...
on BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
that the song was written about her, describing how Jones would travel by train to visit her in her squat.
While continuing as a key member of The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
, Albertine contributed guitar and vocal work to The 49 Americans 1980 album E Pluribus Unum. She also became part of Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
's dub-influenced collective, New Age Steppers
New Age Steppers
New Age Steppers, one of the On-U Sound stable, under the creative direction of Adrian Sherwood, was a collective of musicians which varied over time...
, and played on their self-titled 1981 debut album. She appeared as a guest guitarist on Singers & Players
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....
1982 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Revenge of the Underdog
Revenge of the Underdog
Revenge of the Underdog is the second album by Singers & Players it was released in February 1982 on Situation 2 - Beggars Banquet record label.It was produced by Adrian Sherwood and engineered by John Walker and Steve Smith.-Track Listing :...
.
After The Slits disbanded in 1982, Albertine studied film making in 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...
. She worked as a director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, mostly for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s. Her freelance directing work included stints with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
.
In 2009, Albertine began performing as a solo artist, playing venues around London showcasing new material. She performed her debut gig on September 20, 2009 in The Windmill, Brixton with Get Back Guinozzi and Little Eris supporting. In March 2010 Albertine released a four-song debut solo E.P. titled Flesh on Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
's Ecstatic Peace! label.
Albertine recorded a cover version of David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's Letter to Hermione
Letter to Hermione
"Letter to Hermione" is a song written by David Bowie in 1969 for the album Space Oddity. This ballad is a love letter to Hermione Farthingale, whom Bowie met through Lindsay Kemp. She became Bowie's girlfriend and they lived together for a short while in London in 1968...
for the Bowie tribute album We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie which was released on September 6, 2010.
Albertine's debut solo album is scheduled for release in 2011. The album is currently a featured project on Pledgemusic
Pledgemusic
PledgeMusic is an online Direct-to-Fan / Fan-funded music platform utilising a Threshold Pledge System / Provision Point Mechanism, launched in August 2009, that facilitates musicians reaching out to their fan-base to financially contribute to upcoming recordings or other musical projects...
.
External links
- Typical Girls Online - Viv Albertine - last accessed on 30 March 2006
- imdb.com entry Viv Albertine
- Manimal Vinyl Records
- Official Viv Albertine website