The Tiger Lillies

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The Tiger Lillies
Tiger Lillies TFF 01.JPG
The Tiger Lillies at TFF Rudolstadt 2013
Background information
OriginLondon
Genres Dark cabaret, circus music
Years active1989–present
LabelsMisery Guts Music
Members
  • Martyn Jacques
  • Adrian Stout
  • Budi Butenop
Past members
  • Phil Butcher
  • Adrian Huge
  • Mike Pickering
  • Jonas Golland
Website tigerlillies.com
The band after a concert Tigerlillies2.jpg
The band after a concert

The Tiger Lillies are a British musical trio formed in 1989 by singer-songwriter Martyn Jacques. Described as the forefathers of Brechtian Punk Cabaret, [1] the Tiger Lillies are known for their unique sound and style which merges "the macabre magic of pre-war Berlin with the savage edge of punk". [2]

Contents

History

The band's name is rumoured to have been inspired by a murdered Soho sex worker called Lillie who used to dress up in animal print. [3] [4] Jacques, however, has stated that he named the band after a painting he had on his wall. [5] The band formed in 1989 when Martyn Jacques placed an ad on Loot looking for a drummer and a bass player for a new band. Adrian Huge and Phil Butcher (the band's first bassist who was succeeded by Adrian Stout in 1995) [6] were the only musicians that got in touch with him and therefore became the original Tiger Lillies' drummer and bassist respectively.

In Spring 2012 Adrian Huge decided to take a leave of absence and was replaced by drummer Mike Pickering who toured with the Tiger Lillies from 2012. [7] In early 2015 Pickering was replaced by Jonas Golland. [8] By late 2021 the band had recruited their current drummer, Budi Butenop. [9]


Musical style

The Independent has described The Tiger Lillies as "a provocative and avant-garde three-piece band that combines cabaret, vaudeville, music-hall and street theatre", [10] while Tim Arthur of Time Out described them as: "Kurt Weill conjuring up images of prewar Berlin while a falsetto vocalist screams, squeaks and squawks his way through every number like some rambling madman". [11] The Tiger Lillies' songs often involving bestiality, prostitution, blasphemy and other vices. [12] [13] [14] Their musical style is mainly influenced by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's masterpiece The Threepenny Opera and pre-war Berlin cabaret but other influences such as gypsy and circus music, French chanson and British music hall tunes are also evident. [15] [4]

Awards and nominations

Members

Current
Past


Discography

Cassettes

Studio CDs

Soundtracks

Live CDs

Compilation CDs

DVDs

Collaborations CDs

Extended play CDs

Contributions / various artists

Digital release

Books

Shows and films

Shows

The Tiger Lillies have appeared in numerous shows, the following are listed according to their premiere date:

Films

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References

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