Barbara Gogan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave, experimental, ambient, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | Fiction, Polydor, Secret Lovers Records |
| Website | barbaragogan |
Barbara Gogan is an Irish-born musician, singer, songwriter, and composer, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the post-punk band The Passions. She co-wrote and sang their 1981 single "I'm in Love with a German Film Star", which reached No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] [2] Gogan has been noted in scholarly histories of punk and post-punk as among the women musicians who brought feminist perspectives into the movement. [3] [4] After The Passions' disbandment in 1983, Gogan pursued a solo and collaborative career in experimental, ambient, and electronic music, working with French composer Hector Zazou and later forming the duo Barbara+Marco with Marco Dianese.
Gogan was born in Dublin, Ireland, and relocated to London in the 1970s. In London, she was recognized as a musician with feminist credentials, alongside peers from The Derelicts and pragVEC, contributing to the early punk scene. [5] She later co-founded The Passions, a post-punk band active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. [5]
Gogan was active in the late 1970s and early 1980s post-punk movement. In the early London punk scene, she co-formed the all-female band The Derelicts with her sister, Sue Gogan, which became part of a network of feminist and leftist music groups that challenged the male-dominated structures of the music industry and the emerging punk scene. [6]
The Irish Independent profiled Gogan in 1981, [7] and the Daily Record covered her in the same year. [8] Decades later, The New York Times mentioned her "breathy vocals" on "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" in an article about women-led new wave and post-punk bands. [9]
In an NME feature on "Women in Rock", Gogan expressed frustration that many women musicians were afraid of being labeled a feminist, [10] [11] highlighting her advocacy for stronger female representation in post-punk music. Female musicians in the late 1970s punk scene faced sexism and aggressive audiences. [12] They also developed distinctive forms of assertiveness. Barbara Gogan exemplified this, using punk to express emotion and navigate male-dominated spaces. According to Reddington, women in punk "highlighted the distance between the different roles women were expected to play" and used music to convey anger, mischief, and autonomy. [12]
The Passions, which was formed in 1978 as "The Youngsters" by Gogan, Claire Bidwell, Richard Williams, Dack Dyde and Mitch Barker, released four studio albums:
Vocalist, bass guitarist, and songwriter Claire Bidwell left the band in 1980 and was replaced by David Agar. Gogan then took over lead vocals and lyric writing. [13] Their best-known single, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star", was inspired by Steve "Roadent" Connelly, a roadie for The Clash and the Sex Pistols. [14] The band toured extensively in the UK and Europe, including headlining along with The Cure on the Future Pastimes Tour (1980). Critics praised Gogan's lyrics and vocal delivery, with Loud Women describing her vocals on "Thirty Thousand Feet Over China" as "haunted [and] soaring" and noting the album's "evocative, impressionistic" qualities. [15] The Passions disbanded in 1983.
In her 2019 feminist history of punk, Vivien Goldman mentions The Passions alongside contemporaries such as The Slits, The Raincoats, and The Mo-Dettes. [16]
After The Passions disbanded, Gogan relocated to New York City and later France, continuing her career in experimental, ambient, and electronic music.
In 1997, she collaborated with French composer Hector Zazou on the album Made on Earth, released on Crammed Discs. [17] The record combined Zazou's ambient soundscapes with Gogan's vocals and lyrics. NPR's "All Things Considered" praised the album as "a CD of smart lyrics and intricately produced sounds", with critic Charles de Ledesma highlighting Gogan's "intimate vocals" as central to the work. [18]
She had earlier contributed vocals as a guest artist on Zazou's 1989 project Sahara Blue , which featured multiple experimental and world-music artists. [19] [20]
Gogan contributed lyrics to Sara Lee's 2000 solo album Make It Beautiful, which featured songwriting by other notable artists including Ani DiFranco and Emily Saliers. The album received coverage in Billboard. [21] [22]
Gogan produced and recorded her solo album Wheels/Ruedas (2002) across multiple countries. [23] In 2021, she released the tracks Horizon, featuring Tuvan throat singer Albert Kuvezin, and Crazy Bird. [24] [25]
Gogan performed as a guest on Lene Lovich's 2019 UK tour. [26]
Since 2020, Gogan has collaborated with Italian musician Marco Dianese in the duo Barbara+Marco. Their music combines electronic instrumentation, layered guitar, and ambient textures. In 2020–2021, they released a number of singles that would later become part of their first full-length album, Sonic Garden Experience, released on 1 June 2022. [27]
In February 2023, Barbara+Marco released their collaborative album Fellow Alliances through Secret Lovers Records. [28] The duo composed sixteen tracks and sent them to musicians around the world, inviting collaborators to reinterpret or expand on the material. Gogan co-produced and contributed vocals and instrumentation, while Marco co-produced and contributed instrumentation across all tracks as well. Contributors included Kirsten Morrison, Laura Martin, and Johanna Moffitt. A single from the album, "America - Remix", featuring Barbara Gogan and Marco Dianese, was released separately in September 2024. [29]
In 2024, soundscapes composed by Gogan and Dianese contributed to Conduit, an exhibition by artist Doug Safranek at the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling in New York. [30] A review noted that the combination of visual and audio work created a symbiotic experience for visitors. Their 2024 and 2025 albums include Bench (February 2024) and Eikasia (March 2025). Eikasia was described as "like looking at the surface of water – as light touches it, colors reflect and refract, shimmering as it's in motion". [31] The track "Playtime" was premiered by Klubikon, highlighting the album's immersive and evocative soundscapes. [32]
The Passions' single "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" appeared on the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006). [33] The song was also covered in 2008 by artist and filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson, with production by the Pet Shop Boys. [34]
Gogan has contributed live music for performances by LAVA, a feminist acrobatic dance company based in Brooklyn and Calicoon, New York. Performances she has composed for include Intimacy Creates, collaborating with choreographers and integrating live instrumentation with movement. [35]