THE FABULOUS SINGLETTES: A THIRTY YEAR LOVE AFFAIR

Fabulous 2019: Gina Hogan, Melissa Langton, Naomi Eyers

Thirty years ago a night on the Renfrew Ferry nightclub in Glasgow in May 1989 changed my life. There I was, working in the city for the first time, and I was invited with the rest of my colleagues to a night out aboard a floating music venue. I don’t think I even knew what I was going to see, just tagged along in the hope of a late night thrill. What I saw blew me away. Three girls in taffeta dresses, hair piled up into beehives and belting out the best of the 1960s sounds to the beat of a red hot live band. It was my very first encounter with The Fabulous Singlettes. “Nothing I can say can prepare you for the Fabulous Singlettes experience” read the poster outside, and on that balmy summer night in Scotland nothing did. 

Mis-beehiving on the Renfrew Ferry 1989 

 

I had always loved the sound of the 1960s girls. My Mum raised me on Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield and others which sprang out of an old dansette record player we owned back in the early 1970s. As I developed my own taste in music, I discovered the Phil Spector Wall of Sound where the Ronettes, The Crystals and Darlene Love became favourites. And of course the motor city grooves of Motown from which Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Supremes and The Marvelettes had my toes a tapping. I had never heard these songs live though up until that point (although I had seen a version of The Crystals which featured an original member!!!) The Fabulous Singlettes were a revelation. They seemed to have it all. Voices that could take the roof of the building (or the boat to be precise on that first occasion) and outrageous comedy antics, these girls had soul... but with a twinkle. On that night on the Ferry they consisted of Naomi Eyers: dark and gobby, a dangerous personality but with a vocal belt;  Alison Jiear, soulful voice of an angel in a chubby package, a saucy wink and a big appetite and Lisa Shipley, sweetness personified with camp banter and a high harmony. As I sat and watched from the balcony - quite safe from the dance floor audience who were being targeted with the Singlettes cheeky blue humour – I could feel myself falling in love with them and what they represented. Great music and great comedy in one fantastically stylish package. By the time we got to the mod finale and the cover of Lulu’s blockbuster “Shout”, I was on my feet along with the rest of the audience screaming for more.

 The Edinburgh Festival 1989.  I was well and truly smitten.

After that first encounter, I visited the Ferry several more nights to get my fix. I was well and truly bitten by the energy and the sheer talent of the Singlettes. My work ensured I had to move on at the end of the week, but I discovered the Singlettes were playing the Edinburgh Festival later that summer. Sure enough, plans were laid to satisfying my craving, and thus several nights more I basked in the glow of the amazing show. And so it began... trips to Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Blackpool to name a few and to the West End where they had a season at the Comedy Theatre in the summer of 1990. Each time revelling in the show and coming out on a high from the experience. When lovely Lisa Shipley left the group I was wary, I know how chemistry between a group can shift with replacements, but I need not have worried. Simone Dee turned out to be a real find, and continued in her own style the good work Lisa had created.

The original Fabulous Singlettes (Naomi, Karen, Sheryl) at Kinselas, 1986

Stop In The Name Of Love - Piccadilly Theatre, London 1988 

The Singlettes (Naomi, Lisa, Alison) strut their stuff for Channel 4

Simone Dee (left) joins the group in time for the BBC sitcom special

Jazz vocalist and session singer Naomi Eyers had created The Fabulous Singlettes in 1986 after being given a book about the girl groups by a friend.  Joined by Karen Johns and Sheryl Black,  the debut season of the fledgling Singlettes was at a cabaret-restaurant in Sydney called Kinselas, and from there the act grew into something of a phenomenon.  Within two years they had crossed to the northern hemisphere and were headlining their own show in London's West End presented by one of theatre's biggest impressarios, Bill Kenwright. Both Channel 4 and the BBC gave the group prime-time Christmas specials.  The Singlettes supported the likes of Sir Tom Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey, and sang their way into something of a cult following in the UK.  There seemed to be no stopping the march of beehive divas.  And lets not forget,  that whilst seemingly playing the devoted girlfriends, these ladies empower women in their show to be themselves for who they are.  Its an utterly feminist experience.  Singing about the loss of their love in songs like "Leader of the Pack" only underlines the fact that the message of the Singlettes is girls, be yourselves and go out and get what you want.  The men are only decoration.

I must have seen the Singlettes for a final time sometime in 1991 because the next thing I had heard, the group had disbanded. All three returning to solo careers from whence they had come. I, of course, mourned their passing. But as life was changing for me, I armed myself with the live LP (then CD) Stop In The Name Of Love: Live From The Piccadilly and played it until I knew every word and harmony. 

Melissa Langton:  hiving it up, big style.

I think it must have been in the early days of the internet, that I found out that The Fabulous Singlettes had reunited in Australia and subsequently toured Germany. I wanted my fix, but thought they were bound to come to the UK.  I waited. And waited. I also heard that Alison had left the group after a couple of years of the revival and had been replaced by someone called Melissa Langton. Nobody could replace Alison I thought. Along with Naomi, she had been at the centre of the comedy and vocals since I first saw them. However I found myself in Australia during 2002, Melissa was appearing in Perth performing cabaret with her husband Mark Jones  and I just happened to be in the city at the time. I can sniff out a Singlette from miles hence, and honed in on the show. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw and heard. Melissa was indeed a top quality vocalist and had the humour to back it up, not on that occasion the quite outrageous antics she would deliver in a beehive, but certainly with timing that knew how to deliver a gag. I made a mental note that one day I must see Melissa become Fabulous.

   

Cut to 2011, The Singlettes had been playing Germany fairly regularly and I was fed up of waiting for them to come back to the UK. So enough was enough. I booked a plane and a hotel and headed on my own for Berlin, and more precisely the Tipi Am Kanzlerampt on the edge of the famous Tiergarten park. This specially built cabaret tent is a sumptuous place to see entertainment and after two decades of beehive drought I was ready to drink. The line up was Naomi, still leading the group she created, mainstay Melissa and the latest addition to the charm school, Adelaide’s Diane Dixon. I was a bit nervous at that first show wondering if the magic would still be there for me in this revised version of the group. But I need not have worried. After the first few minutes of the show it was clear that the magic continued and had evolved. Melissa was perfect in her role, and had very much made it her own using every ounce of her comedic talent to wring out the laughs whilst still wowing with her singing expertise, whilst Diane managed to bring an on stage sweetness to counteract the lairy thrust of her colleagues in full flight not to mention a great pop voice.  And Naomi was... well... Naomi. A force of nature. If anything her vocals were stronger and her big range more powerful than ever before. It was sheer delight to watch. The show had now been given 1970s and 1980s encore sections. It all added to the fun. The band on stage too were top quality musicians, giving the voices a backing they deserved. It was a homecoming for me. After all those years with only my memories and my CD for company, here were the girls back and better than ever. I returned in 2012, bringing my family over to celebrate my Mum’s 70^th birthday.  Seeing a packed venue on its feet and the primarily German audience cheering loudly for the Singlettes all those years later confirmed that the magic of the group transcends cultural boundaries,  the sense of sheer fun that a Singlettes show delivers is an international tonic. 

So here we are in 2019. The thirtieth anniversary of that first visit to see The Fabulous Singlettes and I’m back in Berlin. I have for company Kilmarnock's own George Lyall who has been admiring from afar for three decades but is making his very first visit to the live show and is beyond excited.  And my partner Howard, loving Berlin but less enthusiastic about cabaret ("I don't have to see the show twice do I?")  Naomi and Melissa have been joined by the wonderful Gina Hogan now.  An actress and singer with an impressive array of credits in musical theatre and cabaret.  The content was familiar... don't try and change a winning formula is the byword for a Singlettes show and many of the audience favourites remain:  “It’s In His Kiss”, “Be My Baby”, “Leader Of The Pack”, “It’s My Party”, "River Deep Mountain High" and others of their ilk must have been in every Singlettes show I have seen. Watching them perform is a masterclass on many levels.  Firstly vocal technique,  these girls can SING!  And I mean really sing.  From the impeccable harmonies (check out their accapella "Where The Boys Are") to soul and rock,  you are aware instantly of just what vocal royalty you are watching.  Then there is the comedy. Outrageous gags are performed with such timing and aplomb it is breathtaking watching the ladies work an audience.  Anybody who thinks they can do cabaret should take in a Singlettes show and watch them work a room,  often going into the audience to perform songs or have banter. Seemingly chaotic but in reality carefully honed and perfected to wring laugh out loud moments from those (unfortunate enough) to be within reach of the trio.  You will never think of marshmallows in the same way again I guarantee you...

 

 

The Tipi Am Kanzleramt in Berlin is the perfect venue to see the show.  I can't think of anywhere that is more suited to their show that I have seen.  It's a purpose built cabaret venue on the edge of the Tiergarten,  and carefully ramped on raised levels with dining tables giving excellent sightlines and an intimate feel to the entertainment.  The Berlin Boyfriends - the long time backing band in that great city - had been reunited once again.  Most of them have been playing for the Singlettes for nearly two decades. This amazing bunch of musos consist of Ralf Schlüter on piano and synthesiser,  Martin Scheffler on guitar,  Karl-Heinz Engelhardt on saxophone,  musical director Micky Bister on drums and the latest addition Dominic Mostert, still a student but already a master of  the bass. Their skill and professionalism gives a big classy sound to the show that lends the evening an epic feel.  No matter what the demands of the song or arrangement, these guys deliver and their imput into the show cannot be underestimated.  They are the best band I have ever seen the Singlettes perform with, bar none.

None of the online clips or even the wonderful live CDs come anywhere near capturing the thrill of a full performance. You have to be there to realise why these ladies are so special and why they are Australia's most successful cabaret act ever.  Hearing the capacity German audience stamping their feet and yelling for more at the end of the show seems an only fitting response to entertainment of this quality.   In a world of the mediocre, these ladies are true stars.  If audience demand is anything to go by, they will be continuing for some time yet.  I think myself lucky that I stumbled upon them thirty years ago and they have continued to enrich my life since then.  Not only as performers but as people.  Naomi, Melissa and Gina are as generous off stage as they are brilliant on it.  Whether they are Singlettes or solo performers, my devotion to them is undiminished.

So I go into my fourth decade as a fan, and I am content with that.  I raise a glass to The Fabulous Singlettes and thank them for all that they have given me, and long may they bring their brilliance to stages around the world.  

 

The Fabulous Singlettes with their stalker

 Information about The Fabulous Singlettes can be found via their 

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

There is also an official FACEBOOK page and a FAN PAGE

The latest CD Live Aus Dem Tipi in Berlin is available through the official website

REVIEW: STEELEYE SPAN @ NEW VIC THEATRE, STAFFORDSHIRE

There are very few artists who can claim lasting success throughout half a century,  but Steeleye Span are thankfully one of them. A meeting of likeminded folk musicians in 1969 led to the landmark album Hark! The Village Wait in 1970.  This has resulted in a large body of work over that time – officially 23 studio albums and 9 live albums.  And that does not take into account numerous bootlegs that have escaped into the public domain.  A dazzling array of musicians have made up the group during that time,  some staying for the short term and a few for the long term.  Maddy Prior – the longest serving member clocking at some 45 years of service (she had a five year sabbatical in the late 1990s) likens it to getting on a bus.  Some get off earlier than others.  Despite the original album featuring two female singers (Ireland’s Gay Woods and her husband Terry quit shortly after the recording of the debut album by the group),  it is Maddy Prior who has become “the voice of Steeleye”,  her powerful range and exquisite harmonies are the very centre of the sound on all but two of the albums.

So now, in 2019 its time for a lap of honour for the collective that is Steeleye Span.  They have gone and celebrated with a new album too, Est’d 1969.   The past few years have been busier than ever for Steeleye, they now boast their biggest line up ever, seven top drawer musicians.  The bar has been set high since the earliest days with the inclusion of legendary folk influencers like Ashley Hutchings, Martin Carthy and Tim Hart among others.  And since then each successive line up has somehow managed to push the bar just that little bit higher in pursuit of perfection.  The group have wandered into the realms of heavy rock at times,  paired down traditional folk at others, and even dabbled with a pop sound.  But constantly the core soundscape that is Steeleye has been recognisable through the various mixes and treatments.

At the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire a venue full of devoted followers welcomed out the anniversary line up with gusto.  They ripped into a track from the new album entitled “Harvest”.  The sound that filled the theatre proved that #Steeleye50 would be taking no prisoners tonight.  Each of their number contributing a rich layer to the live sound.  The newest members bassist Roger Carey and multi instrumentalist Benji Kirkpatrick (son of former member John Kirkpatrick – the group are now a dynasty) are playing and singing as if they had forever been a part of the line up.  Benji paid tribute to an album his Dad played on with a spirited “Seventeen Come Sunday” from 1977’s Storm Force Ten.  Made the year after Benji was born,  but Benji captured the spirit of the album with a kick ass performance of the track.

Fans thought that long time violin virtuoso Peter Knight could never be replaced such was his symbiosis with the instrument, but then along came Jessie May Smart,  young, pretty and fiendishly adapt with the fiddle.  However,  being on maternity leave she has handed over the reigns for this tour to Violeta Barrena, another amazing find who plays as if a devil is urging her into more euphoric excesses. The sound of her fiddle at full pelt has an hypnotic effect.  Beautiful.

Another relative newcomer to the bus is Andrew ‘Spud’ Sinclair.  Playing superb guitar and impressive on vocals too,  he clearly is an excellent fit and his rendition of The Elf Knight was a personal highlight of the night.   Julian Littman has been a part of the band since 2011,  and has a huge pedigree of playing with some top rated artists.  He is a bit of a jack of all trades being an actor, singer, musician, song writer – you name it he does it, and he is a bit of a legend himself among his peers.  He is absolutely perfect for Steeleye though,  a warm stage personality and a talent he makes look effortless,  he is very much a senior figure within the group, its leading man if you will.  Whether on guitars, keyboards or vocals he delivers in spades.

Sat at the back with his long beard looking every inch the hippy figure is Liam Genockey on drums.  But to say that he is a drummer does him a dis-service.  I had the pleasure of sitting at the side of the performance space which is in the round at the New Vic and found his playing fascinating.  Liam uses his kit to create sounds and atmospheres which are far more than hitting a stick against a skin.  He utilises the metallic edges, the case – any part of the drum kit he thinks can add a particular moment to a song.  Much of it is very subtle and always beautiful.  A class act.

And then there is Maddy Prior. A true legend of folk and popular music. Her voice swooping and soaring in harmony and melody.  True, mid tour and there were a few strains to be heard here and there but for a voice that has been pressed into service mostly live in concert over half a century, it is still remarkable.  It also is hard to think how Steeleye will survive without her at the helm when she eventually does decide to hang up her hat (the one with the green willow around it).  But let us bask in her glory tonight,  she still dances infectiously to the jigs,  as happy in the moment as she has ever been. 

Much of the show tonight rightly showcases the new album.  They have drawn as ever from the vast collection of traditional whilst adding their own flavour to the arrangements and the music. “The January Man” I knew from Archie Fisher’s album with Barbara Dickson,  and this version tonight provides a nice counter point to that one, a much more world weary version.  “Domestic” is a mixture of two songs which provide a battle of the sexes, and the latter one “My Husband’s Got No Courage In Him” appeared on Maddy’s recordings with June Tabor when they called themselves The Silly Sisters in the mid-70s.  A nice acapella piece written by Maddy’s daughter Rose Kemp “Reclaimed”, a tale of marching time, yet again proves that the seven don’t need any of their instruments to create a glorious sound.  With such a back catalogue of  acclaimed folk classics to draw on, it is always a lottery to see which albums the group have dipped into and brought to the fore again.  On this tour we get favourites such as live rocker “Thomas The Rhymer”,  the epic “Tam Lin”,  “Alison Gross” (the ugliest witch in the north country) and “King Henry” – More meat! More meat!  Topped off with of course the song Maddy calls their anthem, “All Around My Hat”.  I well remember Steeleye performing this song on Top Of The Pops and Crackerjack (“CRAKERJACK!”) when I was young,  and it has lost none of its infectious charm in the intervening years.  We all sang along as members of the church of Steeleye. Worshipping at their alter.

Once again Steeleye Span provided a master class of musical storytelling which is unsurpassable in their field.  They have a timeless quality to their music but are also very relevant to the now,  proving human behaviour hasn’t changed much in hundreds of years. Lets hope we always have Steeleye Span to remind us of those connections across the centuries. Here's to the next 50 years.

Rocking at the New Vic 2019

Schmoozing with Maddy Prior CBE

Steeleye Span's recordings and tours can be accessed by their official website

SteeleyeSpan.org.uk