Description
Anthology of THE greatest band you have never heard…
Brazen Hussies were a London based band who existed roughly and fractiously between 1996 and 2004. They were fronted by Canadian alien Dave Queen and Lou McDonnell (Psyche). The band were rounded out by the rhythm section of Lunch on bass and Russell Curtis on drums.
Dave Queen’s songwriting was what you get when you channel punk rock with an extensive love of hair metal and prog; they sound urgent and on the brink of collapse but betray a lyrical and artistic depth that defies the passage of time.
‘Manages to skewer the trashy glamour of punk-era Blondie, the whipcord sass of Elastica and the shambolic lurch of Sham 69, like a ransom note threatening the imminent mistreating of X, Mark E Smith and Kiss’ – NME, 14th April 1999
2021/22 Anthology reviews
“Chaotic rockers slashed with Bob Quine-like guitar ejaculations” – Record Collector
“With the quicksilver musical skills of a Fugazi or Minutemen, allied to utterly confrontational live performances (softened by the confessional and often quite beautiful lyrics of Dave Queen), tied to a sense of imminent collapse, Brazen Hussies should have been massive. Bands like Elastica owe a huge debt to Brazen Hussies as do The Libertines. If you’ve never heard them before this is as good place to start as any. Highly recommended.” – 9 out of 10 – Vive Le Rock
“A thrash loving Suede. Leonard Cohen being reimagined by the gutters of 90’s Kings Cross” – Whisperin’ and Hollerin’
The band only ever ‘officially’ released 5 tracks in their lifetime; ‘Touch It’ on 1997’s Snakebite City compilation (BLU09), 1999’s ‘Living In Fear Of Reprisals’ (Year 1) 3 track maxi single, which led to reviews in NME, Melody Maker and Kerrang! Pete Steele and Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative enjoyed it when they reviewed it as guest reviewers for Kerrang! as did the NME who gave a glowing review; less impressed were the Melody Maker who made the Hussies, ‘Cream Of The Crap’. In 2001 ‘The Whole World Envies Us’ appeared on ‘The Bureau Of Dissonant Cultures’ Maximum Wage compilation. In 2000 the Peoplesound EP ‘II’ emerged featuring ‘Superisolate’, one of Dave’s best set of lyrics; ‘Forgot More Than I Ever Knew’ and the mythical ‘Shit My Pants’ which although exists remains lost in the sands of time. Lou McDonnell departed the band around 2002. The ‘Ya-Ba’ EP was released on Peanut Records in 2002 to some critical acclaim and the band remained a fixture of the London circuit before spluttering to a halt in 2004 with the mythical 26 minute long song ‘Bridesville’.
Jezus Factory Records are rectifying this situation with ‘Year Zero; An Anthology’ released on CD, LP and across all digital platforms on …..
The tracks have been remastered by Ian Button (Death In Vegas/Papernut Cambridge)
The CD and LP versions have a different track order and both contain extensive sleeve notes and photography.
Researching this album has been a hellish punk rock ‘Searching For Sugarman’ style nightmare but the music stands the test of time.
The Brazen Hussies were led by the Dave/Lou duo, Dave with nervy provocative lyrics and melodies about to collapse – but in a uniquely beautiful way. It seemed like Lou maybe had a more sensible counter-point to Dave – to keep him rooted at least slightly – but equally based on fast, chunky fuzz guitars. It was always surprising, always angular.
Dave wrote songs that unashamedly showed off his personal anxieties, and had a cutting wit against injustices that he saw. It was acidic and funny, and so intense that it often boiled over live into him exposing himself – like he’d gone beyond words and that was the only way left to communicate. At the very least it was different to any other gig.
They were never ordinary.
At times they sound like a punk rock mess, but actually it’s what you get when punk visionary Dave Queen – with a liking for hair metal and prog rock – writes songs with unique musical turnarounds. But it’s ultra-rehearsed and tight; they knew what they were doing – might not always be easy to listen to, but it pushed hard into newness and originality.
He looked like a thin awkward creature, quite charismatic in a grimy way, demolishing cigarettes, alcohol, whatever was at hand. Between songs, a short machine gun burst of talking.
His guitar playing was the musical equivalent to his vocals. He has a whole lot of musical theory knowledge, which was all stuffed into the blender along with 80’s metal shredding. I’m sure he’d do Van Halen-like fretboard tapping if he could – but the whole experience was too edgy and high-energy to hold that down. It was always ahead of the beat, and always had a huge amphetamine undercurrent (whether that was what was happening in reality or not).
It was shocking and eloquent, controversial art. David Rainger & Jyl Millard – Rainger FX
‘Manages to skewer the trashy glamour of punk-era Blondie, the whipcord sass of Elastica and the shambolic lurch of Sham 69, like a ransom note threatening the imminent mistreating of X, Mark E Smith and Kiss’ – NME, 14th April 1999
Pete: “I like the cover – and if they intended the CD to sound like that it’s brilliant. I think if I was very drunk, I could sit around with my friends and enjoy this”.
Johnny: “That’s abrasive, man. I don’t find it offensive but I have no fucking idea what they are trying to do”. Kerrang! 14th August, 1999. With guest reviewers Pete Steele and Johnny Kelly from Type O Negative.
“F**cking c**ts” – Melody Maker, Wankers Of The Week, 14th August, 1999.
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