Monday 16 September 2013

Inspiration : Nineties Girlpop

Because, you know as much as I love her, it didn't begin and end with Courtney Love!  Lately I've been musing on some of the female fronted bands from the nineties that inspired me through my pre-teen and teenage years

St Ettienne




Sarah Cracknell was the perfect frontwoman for this 60's inspired helium vocalled dreampop band.  They churned out some impressive tunes in the early nineties, and of course the sequins and feathers sealed the deal




Shampoo (uh oh):-





Jacqui & Carrie, a coule of schoolgirls who ran a Manic Street Preachers fanzine and later went on to form their own pop double act with a hint of riot grrl.  Brattish and abrasive and not everyone's cup of tea.  Not even mine if I'm honest. But I did love these girls' style, more than I cared to admit.  And I'm pretty sure they coined the phrase 'girlpower' before the apocalyptic emergence of the Spice Girls




Alishas Attic:-




Style over substance?  Yeh probably.  Best known for the ubiquitous 'I Am, I Feel'.  Alisha's Attic had one standout successful album 'Alisha Rules The World" then kind of slowly faded into insignificance.   I bought it and spent more time studying the CD artwork than I did playing the music.  These girls had style and in the days before broadband internet the only way to absorb that was album artwork and the NME.  I particularly adored the way they did their make up

And I wanted to live in the flat in this video


Alisha's Attic - I Am I Feel by lucky33
There are more where that came from.  I may yet do a part 2.
Any memories here?

19 comments:

  1. I had totally forgotten about St Etienne, thank you for reminding me.

    /Avy

    http://mymotherfuckedmickjagger.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been inspired to bust out my black & white striped tights.

    <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved Shampoo! "Trouble" was my anthem!!! So teen badass ahaha

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good call!

    Kenickie anyone?

    Sleeper, Garbage, Elastica...all had great frontwomen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ooh ohh and Belly and of course, Dubstar! I loved/love Dubstar :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh I loved that Alisha's Attic song, it brings back memories of school holidays as I remember it being on the radio a lot when I was younger. I have a really old Now! compliation tape that has the Shampoo song on it, I was never a fan really but a lot of the girls at school were x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Still adore St Etienne - Only Love Will Break Your Heart is Jon & I's tune! x

    ReplyDelete
  8. I use to love Republica - a little more rock then pop but they were one of the first bands I actually remember. Garbage too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You made me so nostalgic about this second part of the 90's!! As you wrote these bands had style and I remember of dressing a little bit like them..vynil trousers, ponytails and my first vintage finds..but I never listened or took too seriously their music. My main icons were Bjork, Shirley Manson from Garbage and I adored a Swedish band called Whale..obviously P.J. Harvey , I know that you love her too,but also Elastica were great!
    xxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'd forgotten all about Alisha's attic. These make me think of pink angora jumpers, pvc trousers (just noticed Ila wrote that too!), Bjork style multi mini pig tails, t shirts with daisies on. Remember that hair cut that was like a blunt step under your chin? I loved Shampoo. I tended towards Elastic and Sleeper and their leather jackets. Part two please!

    ReplyDelete
  11. These pictures are SO '90s! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ah yes Lucy! Please do a part two! I've been looking at inspiration from nineties actresses and films. As in Winona Ryder, Liv Tyler , Janeane Garofalo etc. Tumblr is great for all that! I remember Alisha's Attic well (that one song anyway.

    Hope you're doing well!

    Emma x

    ReplyDelete
  13. I remember all these (and the bands other commenters have mentioned) but they really weren't my thing - maybe I was just a bit too old? I liked Voice of the Beehive and Dubstar, and though it's nice in a nostalgic sort of way to hear those songs again, it wouldn't be my music of choice. Some music just doesn't stay with you, it's too firmly rooted in its time. xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow these all take me back! I'm a 19 year old grunge girl in my DMs and vintage (seethrough) petticoat again!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love all this vintage stuff. The first bw to the all the colour that follows. Thanks for posting and feel free to drop by me anytime.

    ReplyDelete
  16. i love that first shot of alisha's attic! their dresses and tights are perfect!

    lindsey louise

    hellomrrabbitblog.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great post - it really brought me back! I really miss the girl bands from those times - ballsy and full of attitude, not just little sex dolls...

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'd forgotten all about Alisha's Attic, I loved Cerys Matthews from Catatonia in the 90's, lots of different women are popping into my head now but I'm really rubbish at remembering what era people are from, Alison Goldfrapp is another favourite, Neneh Cherry. I know when I finish this comment I'll be like "Oh no, how could I forget so and so!" I was far too old for Shampoo but thought they, or that one song at least, were great. Two of my favourite girl singers are Kate and Cindy from the B-52's but I know they were way before the 90's. Yes, please do a part 2 Lucy! I really enjoyed this post, hope you're keeping well and not feeling so sick any more. xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Yep defiantly some memories! I loved Alisha's Attic, I actually liked their song Alisha rules the world more than I am I feel. I wanted to have blonde, messy hair and thick eyeliner like one of the singers x

    ReplyDelete

Ah, thank you for commenting. You've made my day :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...