Alannah Currie

Last updated

Alannah Currie
Alannah Currie 1985 (cropped).jpg
Currie c.1985
Background information
Birth nameAlannah Joy Currie
Born (1957-09-20) 20 September 1957 (age 66)
Origin Auckland, New Zealand [1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • artist
  • designer
Instrument(s)
  • Marimba
  • saxophone
  • keyboards
  • drums
  • percussion
  • vocals
Years active1979–1997
Labels
Formerly of

Alannah Joy Currie (born 20 September 1957) is a New Zealand artist based in London. She is a musician and activist, best known as a former member of the pop band Thompson Twins.

Contents

Career

Born in New Zealand and trained as a journalist, Currie emigrated to the UK in 1977. Currie squatted in South London. She formed a band the Unfuckables that performed a single gig. [2] [3]

In 1981, Currie joined Tom Bailey, Joe Leeway, and others to form part of Thompson Twins, the line-up of which included up to seven members in its early days. Thompson Twins became a trio in 1982 and signed two major recording contracts with Arista Records before signing with Warner Bros. Records. Currie was a lyricist, percussionist, visual stylist, and backing vocalist in the band for 15 years.

Currie performing with Thompson Twins in Bristol, 1984 Alannah Feb 84.jpg
Currie performing with Thompson Twins in Bristol, 1984

She co-wrote and recorded six studio albums which included gold and platinum records and the hits "Doctor! Doctor!", "Hold Me Now", and "You Take Me Up". The band performed at the JFK Stadium, Philadelphia for the 1985 Live Aid concert and worked with artists including Nile Rodgers, Madonna, Grace Jones, Alex Sadkin, Matthew Seligman and Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads amongst others. [3] [4] [5] Her songwriting credits also include "I Want That Man", an international hit for Deborah Harry in 1989. [6]

In 1984 the band participated in the "first international satellite installation" by Nam June Paik, Good Morning, Mr. Orwell. [7]

By 1992, Currie and her then husband, fellow Thompson Twins band member Tom Bailey, elected to form Babble, featuring Currie as lyricist, percussionist and visual artist, as a means of creating music without the commercial expectations that were placed on Thompson Twins. In 1994 Babble released their debut studio album, The Stone . Currie later returned to New Zealand working primarily as a glass artist and environmental activist. She was the founder of the women's anti-genetic engineering movement Mothers Against Genetic Engineering in Food and the Environment (MAdGE). [8] In 2003 she designed a series of protest billboards that caused controversy in New Zealand and won several international art and science awards. [9]

In 2004 she returned to London where she works under the name Miss Pokeno and makes art that fuses "joyful dissent" with disruptive and uncomfortable narratives. Her practice plays on the boundary between the humorous and threatening, as with the (semi-) mythological militant feminists The Sisters of Perpetual Resistance and the Armchair Destructivists. [10] [11] She has a studio in London called Doyce Street Studios Projects. [3]

In 2022, her artwork was shown in London in a group show, Five Needle Five Wire, curated by Roxana Halls and Wendy Elia. Other artists included Sarah Maple, Adelaide Damoah, Wendy Elia, Roxana Halls, Rebecca Fontaine-Wolf, Marie-Anne Mancio, Annie Attridge, Carmen and Luisa, Vicki DaSilva, Farrah Riley Gray, Fiona Robinson, Tina True, Julie Umerle, Jessica Voorsanger and Chloe Wing. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thompson Twins</span> British pop band

Thompson Twins were a British pop band, formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the early and mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States, and around the world. In 1993, they changed their name to Babble, to reflect their change in music from pop to dub-influenced chill-out. They continued as Babble until 1996, at which point the group permanently broke up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Bailey (musician)</span> British musician

Thomas Alexander Bailey is an English singer, songwriter, musician, composer and record producer. Bailey came to prominence in the early 1980s as the lead vocalist for the new wave band Thompson Twins, which released five singles that entered the top ten charts in the United Kingdom during the 1980s: "Love On Your Side", "We Are Detective", "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!", and "You Take Me Up". He was the only member of the band to have formal musical training. From 1994, Bailey was also a member of its later incarnation, Babble, releasing two commercially unsuccessful studio albums. He released his debut solo studio album Science Fiction in 2018.

<i>A Product Of...</i> (Participation) 1981 studio album by Thompson Twins

A Product of... is the first studio album by the English pop group the Thompson Twins. It was released in June 1981 on the T Records imprint, a label created by the band and distributed through the Fame/EMI label. At the time of its release, the band were a six-piece group that did not include later member Alannah Currie. In comparison to the glamour of their later years, the group had a somewhat scruffy image during this period, because they were very poor and living in squats in London.

<i>Set</i> (Thompson Twins album) 1982 studio album by Thompson Twins

Set is the second studio album by English pop band Thompson Twins. Released in February 1982, it was the second album they recorded for their own T Records imprint, which was released by Arista Records/Hansa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pōkeno</span> Town in Waikato, New Zealand

Pōkeno is a small town in the Waikato District of the Waikato region in New Zealand, 53 km (33 mi) southeast of Auckland, 9 km (5.6 mi) from Tuakau and 5 km (3.1 mi) from Mercer. State Highway 1 originally ran through the town, but the upgrading of the highway in 1992 to expressway standards mean that the town has been bypassed.

<i>Into the Gap</i> 1984 studio album by Thompson Twins

Into the Gap is the fourth studio album by British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 17 February 1984 by Arista Records. The album was recorded during 1983 at Compass Point Studios, in Nassau, Bahamas, and was produced by Alex Sadkin who had produced the band's previous studio album, Quick Step & Side Kick (1983).

<i>Close to the Bone</i> (Thompson Twins album) Album by Thompson Twins

Close to the Bone is the sixth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 6 April 1987 by Arista Records. Only the duo of Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie remained; this was the first album the group made without Joe Leeway. It was produced by Bailey and Rupert Hine.

<i>Big Trash</i> Album by Thompson Twins

Big Trash is the seventh studio album by the British pop group the Thompson Twins, released in 1989 by Warner Brothers/Red Eye. It was produced by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie, with two tracks produced by Steve Lillywhite.

<i>Queer</i> (Thompson Twins album) 1991 studio album by Thompson Twins

Queer is the eighth and final studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, which was released in 1991 by Warner Bros.

<i>The Stone</i> (Babble album) 1994 studio album by Babble

The Stone is the debut studio album by Babble, an electronic dance music group that was composed of Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, and Keith Fernley. The group changed its name as it changed the outward appearance of its sound, from pop to dub-influenced chill-out. The underlying melodies and the familiar voices of Bailey and Currie still gave a Thompson Twins tone. However, the addition of Quest vocalist Amey St. Cyr, emcee Q-Tee ("Beautiful"), deep basslines, and loads of spacious effects made it a much more relevant album for the lounge music scene. Promotion of the album was minimal. However, during an interview in Classic Pop magazine in 2014, Bailey stated the album was influential in the recording of Original Soundtracks 1, an album released in 1995 by U2 and Brian Eno under the pseudonym Passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hold Me Now (Thompson Twins song)</span> 1983 single by Thompson Twins

"Hold Me Now" is a 1983 song by British band the Thompson Twins. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alex Sadkin and the group's lead vocalist Tom Bailey. The song is a mid-tempo new wave song that uses a varied instrumentation, including keyboards, a xylophone, a piano and Latin percussion. It was released in November 1983 as the first single from their fourth studio album, Into the Gap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babble (band)</span> British–New Zealand electronic dance group

Babble was a British-New Zealand electronic dance music group active in the 1990s. It was formed by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie, with Keith Fernley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor! Doctor!</span> 1984 single by Thompson Twins

"Doctor! Doctor!" is a song performed by the British new wave band Thompson Twins. It is the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Into the Gap (1984). It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, and prominently features a keyboard solo. Following the successful chart performances of the Into the Gap single "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!" was released in the UK on 27 January 1984 as the album's second single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Goodbye (song)</span> 1987 single by Thompson Twins

"Long Goodbye" is a song by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released in 1987 as the second and final single from their sixth studio album Close to the Bone. It was written by Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey, and produced by Rupert Hine and Bailey. "Long Goodbye" peaked at No. 89 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lay Your Hands on Me (Thompson Twins song)</span> 1984 single by Thompson Twins

"Lay Your Hands on Me" is a song by the British band Thompson Twins, written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, and Joe Leeway. Released as a single in the UK in 1984, a different version of the song appeared on their 1985 album Here's to Future Days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King for a Day (Thompson Twins song)</span> 1985 single by Thompson Twins

"King For A Day" is a 1985 song by the British band the Thompson Twins. It was released as the third single from the band's fifth album Here's to Future Days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Mess with Doctor Dream</span> 1985 single by Thompson Twins

"Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" is a 1985 song by the British band Thompson Twins. It was released as a single from their album Here's to Future Days, and peaked at No. 15 in the UK, spending six weeks on the chart. Written by bandmembers Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, it is an anti-drug song warning of the dangers of drug addiction. It was the first Thompson Twins single to be co-produced by Nile Rodgers. A promotional music video was made for the single which was directed by Godley & Creme along with Meiert Avis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roll Over (Thompson Twins song)</span> 1985 single by Thompson Twins

Roll Over is a 1985 song by the Thompson Twins. It was intended for release as a single from the band's album Here's To Future Days, but was recalled and withdrawn from shelves the same day of release with the remaining copies destroyed. Some copies made it onto the market before being recalled. After a bout with nervous exhaustion which left him with no reflexes, lead vocalist Tom Bailey took it as a bad omen and decided against the release of the song. Subsequently, it was only released on the North American versions of the album. The versions found on the single are different mixes than the final album version which was co-produced by Nile Rodgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Play with Me (Jane)</span> 1992 single by Thompson Twins

"Play with Me (Jane)" is a song from the British pop duo Thompson Twins, which was released in 1992 as a single from Songs from the Cool World, the soundtrack release for the 1992 film Cool World. The song was written and produced by Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me Away (Babble song)</span> 1994 single by Babble

"Take Me Away" is a song from British-New Zealand electronic dance music group Babble, which was released in 1994 as the lead single from their debut studio album The Stone. The song was written and produced by Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey. It reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play chart.

References

  1. "September 28 Events in History at BrainyHistory.com" . Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  2. Rocca, Jane (24 November 2017). "Tom Bailey: I was never a great believer in institutions validating my relationship". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Alannah Currie - Miss Pokeno - Sisters of Perpetual Resistance". Miss Pokeno. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  4. "Alannah Currie – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  5. Fulton, Rick (10 April 2015). "80s pop legends Thomson Twins on playing Live Aid with Madonna on backing vocals". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  6. "Debbie Harry - I Want That Man". Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  7. Good Morning Mr Nam June Paik, frieze, Issue 116 June–August 2008, Archived 1 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Moms Battle Genetic Engineering". Wired. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  9. "Why Not Just Genetically Engineer Women For Milk? – Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  10. "To die for". The Guardian . 25 April 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  11. "Miss Pokeno and The Sisters of Perpetual Resistance: Review - 'militant feminist art'". The Independent . Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  12. "5 Needle, 5 Wire | Thames-Side Studios". Thames-sidestudios.co.uk.