The Featherz

The Featherz
Origin London, England
Genres Punk rock, glam punk
Years active 2011–present
Labels Charles Of London Records
Associated acts Extreme Noise Terror, Georgie Girl And Her Poussez Posse
Members Danie Cox
Dazzle Monroe
Alice Atkinson
Past members Molly Spiers-MacLeod
Rachael Smith
Lily Marlene
Alex Gold
Daniel Jones

The Featherz (formerly The Feathers) are a Welsh/English band with glam and punk influences (self-styled as "Flock Rock") led by Danie Cox (born 15 December 1990 in Bridgend) on lead vocals and guitar. Cox formed the band with two fellow former members of Georgie Girl And Her Poussez Posse, a band fronted by Georgina Baillie and mentored by Adam Ant. After leaving Baillie and Ant to form their own group, they received press coverage in the Ipswich Star,[1] Wales On Sunday,[2] Basingstoke Gazette[3] and rock magazine Vive Le Rock who included their track RNR★ on the free CD with the January/February 2014 edition (issue 16).[4] They also completed a UK national tour supporting Boy George, in three of whose videos Cox has appeared.[2]

Since May 2014, Cox is the last remaining founder member. The band now features drummer Dazzle Monroe (formerly of Extreme Noise Terror) and bassist Alice Atkinson. There is currently a vacancy for second guitarist.

History

2011-2014 - Formation

Cox arrived in London in October 2010 to pursue a career as a professional musician. In January 2011, she was recruited to Georgie Girl And Her Poussez Posse as guitarist and backing vocalist. The band also included Baillie, Molly Spiers-MacLeod (the daughter of Spizz) on bass and backing vocals, drummer Rachael Smith and second guitarist Fiona Bevan. This lineup supported Ant on several tour dates in spring 2011 and recorded tracks for a planned album. Footage from early 2011 of a Poussez Posse band meeting at Ant's home is included in The Blueblack Hussar, a documentary about Ant directed by Jack Bond. Unhappy with the general direction of the band and Ant's style of mentoring, Cox, Spiers-MacLeod and Smith all left the group (to be replaced by a new lineup, still fronted by Baillie, which continued to support Ant on tour until the end of 2012.) The trio formed their own band The Feathers, making their debut guerilla gig appearance at the Occupy London camp outside St Paul's Cathedral on 23 October 2011.[2]

The band's track "Life Stranger" reached the quarter finals of the YouBloom online talent contest and was released on the compilation Hipsters 3.[5] Cox and Spiers-MacLeod also performed an acoustic set on Garry Bushell's Rancid Sounds radio show on TotalRock in April 2012.[6] Two years later in April 2014, they performed a second acoustic set for Bushell's show - by now transferred to online literary community Litopia's podcast section.[7] At around the time of the first session, Smith left the group to be replaced by Alex Gold, also of The Boys. Gold in turn would be replaced by Monroe in January 2013.

In April 2013, Cox befriended Boy George after they met at the launch party of an exhibition of stage costumes of their mutual hero David Bowie at the Victoria and Albert Museum at which George was a guest speaker. Impressed with the appearance and demeanour of the glammed-up Cox, George invited her to show herself on stage.[8] Subsequently, Cox appeared in three videos for singles by George: "I'm Coming Home" (also featuring a cameo by Monroe), "King of Everything" and "My God" directed by Dean Stockings. The band also supported George on his November 2013 solo UK tour to promote his album This Is What I Do.[1][2][4]

In spring 2013, the band undertook a photo session for fashion designer Mark Charles and his Charles of London fashion label. Since then, all band members have regularly worn Charles' designs as stagewear.[2] Charles also released the band's debut single "RNR★" on his Charles Of London Records label. The A-side was later included on the compilation CD Teenage Rampage, cover-mounted on issue 16 of Vive Le Rock magazine. The magazine's track guide described Cox as a "rising star" and the band as "injected with glam rock attitude" which "will give you glitter-covered goose bumps and get your feet stomping."[4] The single has also received airplay on BBC Radio Wales and Radio Caroline.

The Ipswich Star gave a headline preview to the band's 25 January 2014 gig at the Steamboat Tavern in Monroe's native Ipswich, alongside a photo of the band, noting how "The London trio, fresh from suporting (sic) Boy George on his recent UK tour, led by Danie Cox, are getting rave reviews for their brand of punk-pop."[1] Wales On Sunday extensively interviewed Cox in the 9 February 2014 edition about the band, their associations with Ant, Baillie, George and Charles, and her life in general. Commenting on Cox and her band, the newspaper noted "With her electrifying red hair, extravagant make-up and outrageous dress sense, 23-year-old Danie Cox and her band The Featherz look every inch pop stars."[2]

2014 onwards - Alice Atkinson joins

Spiers-MacLeod left the band in May 2014 and Atkinson was announced as replacement bass player in early June. She made her debut on 28 June 2014 at the 100 Club alongside new second guitarist Lily Marlene (the stepdaughter of Bond and credited on The Blueblack Hussar as Assistant to the Director[9]). The gig also marked Cox's return to the stage following a severe knee injury days after Spiers McLeod's departure.[10] Due to Marlene's commitments outside the band, she left amicably and an ongoing vacancy for second guitarist existed for 14 months until Daniel Jones' spell with the band.

In the meantime Cox, Atkinson and Monroe continued to gig in the three-piece format, occasionally joined by various guest guitarists, including veteran Norwich musician David Donley, his student Zoe Keeling, Vera Wild of the band Jelly and Polly Hedges of the band Seek Destroy. In late 2014, they recorded fresh material at Broadoak Studios, Sussex with producer/guitarist Kevin Armstrong. Their 14 February 2015 headline gig at the Irish Centre in Basingstoke received praise from the Basingstoke Gazette "The headline band were The Featherz ... who continued the general theme of girls showing just how well they can rock it up ... Not quite as heavy as (second on the bill act) Petrol Girls, they still had a real fast punky set. They had also picked up a posse of new followers who were now ready to worship every bead and every bit of glitter - as well as dance along to their songs." [3]

The band also played the Pavillion Stage of the 2015 Rebellion Festival.[11][12] Their set received an enthusiastic review from Martin Haslam of Louder Than War: "Bringing their brand of self-styled ‘Flock Rock’ to the masses, I’m pleased that the venue is filling up. Glam anthems (Glamthems?) get the crowd onside, ‘When Was The Last Time You Had Sex?’ and other ear worms. I’ve seen them before, but this line up has added Alice Atkinson, which is a very good thing; the three-piece with Danie Cox and Dazzle Monroe are now tighter and born to entertain. Championed by Boy George and dressed by Charles Of London, they deserve your attention. Now!"[12]

A second single for Charles Of London Records, You, was released from the sessions with Armstrong on download in early September 2015 followed by a CD release two months later. A video was filmed back in April 2015 in Brighton, directed by Stockings. Interviewed by Haslam at Rebellion for Louder Than War, Cox confirmed that the band's next release will be their debut album. Cox also commented on her philosophy as a performer and bandleader: "I’d always had a dream, to write my own songs, to express myself through my clothes and how I present myself. Luckily, I found that in The Featherz, in London ... We are The Featherz, there is nothing else for me. I’d rather die than give up. Our songs are statements. It really is all I can do"[13]

Around the time of the single's download release, the second guitarist role was briefly filled when Jones joined. He left amicably three months later due to musical differences, shortly before the band played three high profile support slots in Sheffield, Liverpool and London, for The Damned. Following the death of her hero David Bowie in January 2016, Cox was filmed by Italian television show Studio Aperto performing Bowie's songs at his shrine at the Heddon Street telephone box[14] while the Featherz performed at a Bowie memorial concert at the Union Chapel, Islington with Mick Ronson's sister Maggi guesting with the band on vocals for Ziggy Stardust[15]

Discography

Singles

  1. "RNR★"
  2. "When Was The Last Time You Had Sex?"
  1. "You"
  2. "Bad Girl"

Compilations

  1. "Life Stranger" (also released as standalone mp3 on iTunes. Reissued on Bandcamp 18th December 2014)
  1. "RNR★"

MP3

  1. Takes One To Know One
  2. When I Fall In Love

References

  1. 1 2 3 Featherz lead lineup at Steamboat, Ipswich Star 24 January 2014 page 4
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Outrageous dressing Welsh singer Danie Cox teams up with 80s legend Boy George Wales On Sunday 9 January 2014 page 10
  3. 1 2 Neil Duncan reports on the Valentine's night gig which snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Basingstoke Gazette18 February 2015
  4. 1 2 3 4 Vive Le Rock issue 16 (January/February 2014), p28 & covermount CD
  5. 1 2 http://acidjazz.bigcartel.com/product/hipsters-3-various-cd
  6. ↑ "Sat, 28 Apr 2012 ... Garry is joined in the studio by reggae legend Dave Barker, rising Ska stars Buster Shuffle and the feisty Feathers"
  7. ↑ http://litopia.com/featherz-infa-riot
  8. ↑ http://www.davidbowie.com/news/see-danie-cox-and-feathers-london-free-51711
  9. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5536955/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr27
  10. ↑ http://www.the-gonads.co.uk/blogmay2014.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.rebellionfestivals.com/line-up
  12. 1 2 http://louderthanwar.com/rebellion-festival-2015-blackpool-winter-gardens-live-review/
  13. ↑ http://louderthanwar.com/interview-featherz-self-styled-flock-rock-band-spoke-louder-war-rebellion-last-weekend/
  14. ↑ "Studioaperto Edizione Speciale:Hero in onore del Duca Bianco". Studio Aperto. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  15. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35340025

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.