Au Pairs

Bio

The Au Pairs were a post-punk band who formed in Birmingham, UK in 1979. Musically they were very similar to bands such as Ludus, Gang of Four and Delta 5. That is, the rhythm section was tight and funky (obvious influences were James Brown and Funkadelic), but the guitars were light and "scratchy" (like Subway Sect). All these bands shared a strongly left wing social outlook, but the Au Pairs stood out due to their frontwoman, Lesley Woods, being an outspoken feminist and lesbian: the band were greatly influential in this respect on the riot grrrl movement a decade later. 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 politics. Their first album Playing with a Different Sex is considered a post-punk classic with strong, sarcastic songs like "It's Obvious" and "We're so cool" taking a dry look at gender relations. Other songs, such as "Armagh" with its refrain,"we don't torture" took a pro-republican look at the then ongoing "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, which caused some controversy at the time. The band's second album, Sense and Sensuality, showed an even greater influence of jazz, soul, funk and disco on the band's sound, but was less well received. The band broke up in 1983 just before they were about to go into the studio to record an album with producer Steve Lillywhite. Woods formed an all woman band called the Darlings in the late '80s, but then left the music industry. She now works as a lawyer. Guitarist, Paul Foad remains an active musician, playing with Andy Hamilton and the Blue Notes, a Jamaican Jazz band and teaching guitar in and around Birmingham. He has also published a guitar technique book, co-written with Stuart Ritchie, titled The Caged Guitarist (2000). Bass player Jane Munro works as an alternative therapist in Birmingham. Pete Hammond also remains an active musician and teaches percussion in Birmingham. The Au Pairs released two official albums "Playing with a Different Sex" (1981) and "Sense and Sensuality" (1982). Two more albums were released in 1983: "Live in Berlin" and the "BBC Sessions". Original Line-up: Lesley Woods - guitar/vocals Paul Foad - guitar/vocals Jane Munro - bass Pete Hammond - drums . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Similar artists

Delta 5, The Raincoats, Bush Tetras, The Slits, Liliput

Genres

classic pop and rock,punk,uk post-punk,

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On Tour: Yes

country: GB

city: 1979

Begin Date: 1979

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Au Pairs Live In Glasgow

Au Pairs Recorded In Birmingham [Explicit]

Stepping Out of Line - The Anthology

Shocks to the System: The Very Best of the Au Pairs

Equal But Different - BBC Sessions 79-81

Sense & Sensuality

Live in Berlin

Sense And Sensuality

Sex Without Stress

Inconvenience / Pretty Boys

Inconvenience / Pretty Boys / Headache (remix)

Inconvenience Pretty Boys Plus Re-Mix Of Headache

Playing With a Different Sex

Inconvenience

Headache (For Michelle)

It's Obvious

Diet / Its Obvious

It's Obvious / Diet

You

Sense & Sensuality

Au Pairs Recorded In Birmingham

Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology

Stepping Out of Line - The Anthology [Explicit]

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