WigWam (duo)

Last updated

WigWam
Origin London, England
Genres Pop
Years active20052006
Labels Instant Karma
Members Alex James
Betty Boo
Website www.myspace.com/wigwamrock

WigWam were an English pop duo, comprising Alex James, [1] [2] the bassist from Blur, and vocalist Betty Boo (Alison Clarkson). [3] [4] With record producer Ben Hillier, and former Boo collaborators Beatmasters, WigWam were said to be creating an album which they described as "experimental yet accessible 21st century pop". [5] [6] [7]

Contents

The debut single "WigWam" was released on 3 April 2006 in two CD formats by Rob Dickins' Instant Karma record label. [8] The music video to the single was filmed in Soho, London and was directed by Dom Joly, with the track peaking at its debut position of number 60 on the UK singles chart on 15 April 2006. [9]

Discography

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blur (band)</span> English rock band

Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released the albums Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a widely publicised chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Albarn</span> English musician (born 1968)

Damon Albarn is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is the frontman and main lyricist of the rock band Blur and the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz.

<i>Parklife</i> 1994 studio album by Blur

Parklife is the third studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 25 April 1994, by Food Records. After moderate sales for their previous album Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife returned Blur to prominence in the UK, helped by its four hit singles: "Girls & Boys", "End of a Century", "Parklife" and "To the End".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Boo</span> English singer, songwriter and pop rap artist (born 1970)

Alison Moira Clarkson, better known as Betty Boo, is a British singer, songwriter and rapper. She first came to mainstream prominence in the late 1980s following a collaboration with the Beatmasters on the song "Hey DJ/I Can't Dance ". Between 1990 and 1992 she had a successful solo career, which spawned a number of chart-placing singles, most notably "Doin' the Do", "Where Are You Baby?", and "Let Me Take You There".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex James (musician)</span> British bassist

Steven Alexander James is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Blur. He has also played with the bands Fat Les, Me Me Me, WigWam and Bad Lieutenant.

<i>Sound of the Underground</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Girls Aloud

Sound of the Underground is the debut studio album by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, formed through the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals. It was released in Ireland on 23 May 2003, in the United Kingdom and Europe on 26 May 2003, and reissued on 17 November 2003 through Polydor. Girls Aloud worked with a variety of musicians and producers on Sound of the Underground, which was largely inspired by 1980s music. Comparisons were made with artists such as Bananarama, The Bangles, Blondie and Spice Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beetlebum</span> 1997 single by Blur

"Beetlebum" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released on 20 January 1997 as the lead single from the band's eponymous fifth album, Blur (1997). Written about Blur frontman Damon Albarn's experiences with heroin, the song features Beatles-influenced music and a mood that Albarn described as "sleepy" and "sexy". Despite fears of the song's uncommercial nature, the single debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Blur's second track to top the chart. It has since appeared on several Blur compilations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parklife (song)</span> 1994 single by Blur

"Parklife" is a song by the English rock band Blur, released in August 1994 by Food and Parlophone as the third single from the band's third studio album, Parklife (1994). The song contains spoken-word verses by the actor Phil Daniels, who also appears in the music video, which was directed by Pedro Romhanyi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic Monkeys</span> English rock band

Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. Former bassist Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girls & Boys (Blur song)</span> 1994 single by Blur

"Girls & Boys" is a song by English Britpop band Blur, released in March 1994 by Food Records as the lead single from the group's third studio album, Parklife (1994). The frontman of Blur, Damon Albarn wrote the song's lyrics with bandmembers Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree, while Stephen Street produced it.

<i>Chemistry</i> (Girls Aloud album) 2005 studio album by Girls Aloud

Chemistry is the third studio album by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud. It was released in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2005 by Polydor Records. After the success of What Will the Neighbours Say?, the album was again entirely produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania. Chemistry is a loose concept album which details celebrity lifestyle and "what it's like to be a twentysomething girl in London." A number of the songs avert the verse-chorus form typical of pop music.

Instant Karma is an independent record label created by former Warner Music Group chairman and head of the BPI, Rob Dickins, in 1999. The label was founded by Dickins after his resignation from Warner Music, where he gained fame for his track record of signing female vocalists such as Enya and the Corrs. Instant Karma's first release was Helicopter Girl's How to Steal the World album in June 2000; the label received attention for the fact that its very first release was short-listed for the Mercury Prize. Helicopter Girl signed with Instant Karma on the condition that she be permitted not to tour.

The Beatmasters are an English electronic music group who gained success in the UK in the late 1980s with four top 20 hit singles. They then went on to produce and remix records for other artists, including Pet Shop Boys, Erasure and Marc Almond. The group's string of chart hit singles include "Burn It Up", "Hey DJ! ", "Who's in the House" and "Rok da House". The latter, having been recorded in 1986, is one of the earliest examples of hip house and most likely the first song of the genre. Hip house is a subgenre of house music which features rap vocals performed over a house rhythm track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want You Back (Bananarama song)</span> 1988 single by Bananarama

"I Want You Back" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 28 March 1988 by London Records as the album's fourth and final single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It became one of Bananarama's highest-charting singles, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart. It also climbed into the top three in Australia and the top 10 in New Zealand. The single was not released in the United States. Andy Morahan directed its accompanying music video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pure and Simple (song)</span> 2001 single by HearSay

"Pure and Simple" is a song by British pop group Hear'Say, the winners of the UK version of Popstars. It was a cover of the original version recorded three years earlier by English-Dutch girl group Girl Thing, who were dropped from BMG before the song was given to Hear'Say. It was written by Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes, and Betty Boo. The song was released on 12 March 2001 as the lead single from Hear'Say's debut studio album, Popstars (2001). The B-side is a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doin' the Do</span> 1990 single by Betty Boo

"Doin' the Do" is a song by English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist Betty Boo, released in May 1990 by Warner Bros. as the second single from her debut album, Boomania (1990). The song was co-written and co-produced by Boo, reaching the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Boo has stated in interviews, that the name of the song basically means 'I'm getting on and doing things'. Much later after the song was released, someone told her it was a slang expression for cunnilingus.

Brittany Smith, known professionally as Matisse or Brit Smith, is an American singer. She gained prominence from a young age as one half of a modeling duo with her identical twin sister Alex, appearing in various commercials. They later went on to pursue a music career and form the pop duo Brit & Alex, who were active from 2002 until their 2009 disbandment. As a solo artist, Smith signed with Interscope Records to release her 2013 single, "Provocative (hiDhi)". Due to the song underperforming, she briefly retired from her recording career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wig Wam</span> Norwegian glam metal band

Wig Wam is a Norwegian glam metal band formed in Halden in 2001. Wig Wam's lineup—consisting of vocalist Glam, guitarist Teeny, bassist Flash and drummer Sporty —has remained unchanged since the band's formation. The band's style mixes glam metal and hard rock with humorous lyrics and imagery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wig-Wam Bam</span> 1972 single by The Sweet

"Wig-Wam Bam" is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, released as a single in September 1972. It was the first Sweet single on which the band members actually played their instruments, as previous singles featured producer Phil Wainman on drums, and session musicians John Roberts and Pip Williams on bass and guitars respectively.

<i>The Magic Whip</i> 2015 studio album by Blur

The Magic Whip is the eighth studio album by English rock band Blur. It was recorded in Hong Kong and London, and released by Parlophone on 27 April 2015 and Warner Bros. Records on 28 April 2015. It was the band's first studio album in 12 years since Think Tank (2003), marking the longest gap between studio albums in Blur's career, and the first in 16 years since 13 (1999) to have featured the original line-up. The album also marks the return of the band's longtime producer Stephen Street following Blur (1997).

References

  1. "Who the Hell Are?". The Irish Times .
  2. "Alex James and Betty Boo on WigWam: "It's a really good calling card" - Interview | Music Interviews". 2 August 2006.
  3. "Sylvia Patterson on a recipe for pop mayhem". TheGuardian.com . 11 March 2006.
  4. WigWam - Betty Boo meets Blur's Alex James
  5. "Betty Boo: 'I think I've made the record I should have made when I was 25'". TheGuardian.com . 6 March 2022.
  6. "Re-doin' the do: The resurrection of Betty Boo". BBC News. 28 January 2022.
  7. "Betty Boo announces first new solo single in 30 years". NME . 10 January 2022.
  8. "Dickins shines on Karma". 17 March 1999.
  9. "WIGWAM | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts .