Red Monkey (band)

Last updated

Red Monkey
Origin Newcastle, England
Genres Post hardcore, riot grrrl, post-punk
InstrumentsGuitar, Bass, Drums
Years active1996–2005, 2008
Labels Slampt
Troubleman Unlimited
Kill Rock Stars
Past membersPete Dale
Rachel Holborow
Marc Walker
Joe Mask

Red Monkey were an English DIY post-hardcore, post-riot grrrl band, active from 1996 to 2005. [1] The band are notable for their political lyrics. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Red Monkey was formed by Rachel Holborow, Pete Dale and Marc Walker in 1996, [4] following on from Rachel and Pete’s earlier bands, the riot grrrl four-piece Pussycat Trash, [5] [6] [7] and lo-fi duo Avocado Baby. [8] Both acts had released records on the duo’s own record label Slampt, based in their adopted home town of Newcastle. Marc had previously drummed for Newcastle-based Post Hardcore/Rock bands Spinach and Kodiak. [9]

Red Monkey’s first release was the "Do What You Feel" [10] EP on Slampt, followed by "The Time Is Right" [11] EP on US label Troubleman Unlimited and then their debut album Make The Moment. Allmusic praised the album for its "melodic appeal" and the band’s "ability to make entirely political lyrics work in a personal, intelligent manner", [12] while the group’s sound was compared to Gang of Four.

In 1998, the band toured the US to support the stateside release of the album, and a third single followed on Kill Rock Stars records, [13] including two tracks performed on the band’s Peel Session earlier the same year. [14] Tours of Ireland and Europe followed before the band recorded their second album Difficult Is Easy, released in 1999. The record received more mixed reviews than the first; it was praised by the NME [15] but Popmatters criticised the album for failing to capture the live energy of the band, [16] albeit while making favourable comparisons to both Minutemen and Fugazi, the latter of whom Red Monkey supported on their American tours.

Third and final album Gunpowder, Treason and Plot [17] was released in 2001 on Troubleman Unlimited, after Slampt records was wound down the previous year. Joe Mask (of Leeds group Bilge Pump) joined the band on second guitar. The album was praised as a return to form and noted for the use of non-standard time signatures, as well as horns, which brought comparisons to The Ex. [18]

From 2001, the band was less active as members focused increasingly on their families and careers. A final split single with Erase Errata was released in 2003 and the band played their last shows in 2005. [1] Dale started work as a music teacher, and later as a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, [19] while continuing to play in long term side project Milky Wimpshake [20] and also, immediately following Red Monkey, in a band called Chronicity. Marc Walker and Rachel Holborow went on to play in The Guise and Do The Right Thing, respectively. [1]

Red Monkey reformed for a night to play a Slampt Records retrospective event in Newcastle in 2008, alongside a new generation of post riot-grrrl bands which they and their label helped influence. [6] They continue to be invoked as a touchstone for bands up to the present day. [21] [22] [23] In 2014, Berlin-based label Our Voltage released a Red Monkey singles and rarities compilation, calling it "posthumous post-punk.. by one of England’s finest Post-RiotGrrrl-Outfits". [24]

Reception

The band have been notated for their overt left-leaning political lyrics. Allmusic acclaimed the political agenda of the group, describing it as "down with materialist culture, up with self-actualization". [2] Chris Nelson, writing for MTV in 1998, noted the group's lyrics and "jagged" sound. He added that the three members had "... distinct voices moving forward as one." [3]

Discography

Singles and EPs

Albums

Compilation appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Hanna</span> American musician and feminist activist (born 1968)

Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, musician and pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s, she was the lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill, and then fronted the electronic rock band Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 2010, she has recorded as The Julie Ruin.

Kenickie were an English four-piece pop punk band from Sunderland. The band was formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne, drummer Johnny X, lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Marie du Santiago and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose. The band's name comes from their favourite character in the film Grease.

Slampt was a record label set up in Newcastle, England in 1992.

Lois Maffeo is an American musician and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. She has been closely involved with and influenced many independent musicians, especially in the 1990s-era Olympia, Seattle and Washington, D.C. music scenes.

XBXRX is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama, United States. Their early sound was no wave-influenced, but became more improvised and deconstructed, moving away from using the synthesizers that typify new wave. They are a collective with a revolving cast of musicians, including Steve Touchstone, Weasel Walter, and Vice Cooler. In 2002, Wesley Willis wrote a song dedicated to the band. For many years the collective resided in Oakland, California, where they finished working on their last full-length record, Wars, which was released in April 2007. In 2008 they were working on a record of improv based pieces titled "Sound" and splits with Mika Miko and Japanther. As of 2010, they have regrouped, and relocated to Los Angeles releasing new music and playing shows around California with their new line up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erase Errata</span> American band

Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Hoyston</span> American producer, vocalist, guitarist

Jenny Hoyston is an American producer, vocalist, guitarist, and trumpeter based in Austin, Texas, United States. She composed, recorded, and toured as part of the San Francisco, California, political punk and no wave band Erase Errata from 1999 to 2015 and records and performs with William Elliott Whitmore as Hallways of Always, with former Erase Errata bandmate Ellie Erickson as Hey Jellie, and as a solo artist, at times under the name Paradise Island. She also co-produces FABULOSA Fest near Yosemite every year since 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comet Gain</span> British indie pop band

Comet Gain are a British indie pop band, formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist David Christian in 1992, with musical influences including post-punk and northern soul. Pitchfork called them "one of the most underrated contemporary indie bands in the UK".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mama Weer All Crazee Now</span> 1972 single by Slade

"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1972 as the lead single from their third studio album Slayed? It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK, giving the band their third number one single, and remained in the charts for ten weeks. In the United States, the song reached No. 76.

The Flying Luttenbachers are an American instrumental unit led by multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser and producer Weasel Walter.

<i>At Crystal Palace</i> 2003 studio album by Erase Errata

At Crystal Palace is the second studio album by the band Erase Errata, released in 2003.

Troubleman Unlimited Records was a record label specializing in indie rock and similar genres. Founded in 1993, the label was based in Bayonne, New Jersey and owned by Mike Simonetti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass Candy</span> American electronic music duo

Glass Candy was an American electronic music duo from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1996 by vocalist Ida No and producer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Jewel. The band is part of the Italians Do It Better label. While the band's early work blends elements of no wave, art punk, and glam rock, their later work incorporates synth-pop and Italo disco.

Numbers are an American indie rock band from San Francisco, California.

Skinned Teen was a riot grrrl band from London, England, active in the early 1990s. They have been cited as an inspiration by Beth Ditto, Kathleen Hanna, Gina Birch and Josephine Olausson of Love Is All.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gringo Records</span> British independent record label

Gringo Records is a British independent record label based in Nottingham, England, which was founded in 1996. It is known for releasing experimental rock and its DIY ethic.

Linus was an indie band from London, England, formed in 1992. They were integral to the early UK riot grrrl scene and considered an essential early riot grrl band.

Tuff Enuff Records was a British queer/riot grrrl record label based in Brighton, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ethical Debating Society</span> English DIY punk/post-riot grrrl group

The Ethical Debating Society are a three-piece DIY punk, post-riot grrrl group from London. They have been described as "one of the most exciting DIY bands" in the UK.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Red Monkey". Kill Rock Stars. 17 January 1997. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 Charlie Wilmoth (1 June 1999). "Difficult Is Easy - Red Monkey | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Red Monkey Make Their Marx On Punk Rock". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  4. Strong, Martin C. (1999). The Great Alternative & Indie Discography . Canongate. ISBN   0-86241-913-1.
  5. "Pussycat Trash Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  6. 1 2 Julia Downes. "DIY Queer Feminist (Sub)cultural Resistance in the UK" (PDF). Etheses.whiterose.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  7. "Pussycat Trash - The Brat Years: 1992-1995 gullbuy music review". Gullbuy.com. 10 June 2003. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  8. "Avocado Baby Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  9. "Independent Music Publishers". Wipeoutmusic.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  10. "Red Monkey (2) - Do What You Feel (Feel What You Do) (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 25 November 1997. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  11. "Red Monkey (2) - The Time Is Right (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 25 November 1997. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  12. Nitsuh Abebe (30 March 1998). "Make the Moment - Red Monkey | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  13. "Red Monkey (2) - Mailorder Freak 7" Singles Club (March) (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 25 November 1998. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  14. "Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - 25/01/1998 Red Monkey". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  15. "NME Reviews - Difficult Is Easy". Nme.Com. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  16. "Red Monkey: Difficult Is Easy". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  17. "Red Monkey (2) - Gunpowder, Treason And Plot". Discogs.com. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  18. "insound". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  19. "Pete Dale — School of Arts — Oxford Brookes University". Arts.brookes.ac.uk. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  20. "Milky Wimpshake Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  21. "Giant Haystacks". Fdhmusic.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  22. "reconfest". Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  23. "Music features | Erika Elizabeth | obligatory backwards gazing for 2013". Collapse Board. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  24. "Our Voltage — VOLT 2 | RED MONKEY | How We Learned To Live Like A Bomb LP". Ourvoltage.bigcartel.com. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  25. "Red Monkey (2) / Submission Hold - Split Single (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  26. "Erase Errata / Red Monkey (2) - Erase Errata / Red Monkey (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  27. "Taking a Chance on Chances - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 3 November 1998. Retrieved 2 June 2015.

Further reading