band info



BEAKER

BACKGARDEN   BUY 
Release Date: 28th Jul, 1997
Cat No: DISCO9707
Format: CDS

Young ladies, so perceived wisdom goes, should be seen and not heard. They should be demure and angelic and concern themselves only with thoughts of crochet and kittens. It is unthinkable that they should be psychotic, deranged or maniacal. Or that they should play punk rock electric guitars and say `fuck' in public.

But Beaker do. Because they can. And they'll even chuck `bollocks' into the bargain. And why not?

The foul-mouthed schizoid pyscho-babble that was `Sally Said' heralded the arrival of Oxford's maddest and most exciting new band back in November 1995 when guitarist T.J. and her friend Clare and their friend Sam and her mate Kim got together to start a riot. What followed was a glitter and gunpowder rampage through punk-metal and bubblegum pop with maybe the odd dash of opera chucked in for the hell of it.

Beaker's incendiary live set, particularly `Sally Said', attracted the attention of Rotator Records who released the track as part of the `OXCD' compilation, showcasing the best new bands in Oxford. Soon afterwards Shifty Disco fell in love with the band's pure pop lullaby, `Backgarden' and put it out on their acclaimed singles club. Local magazine Nightshift voted it the best single of the year while Mssrs Peel and Lamacq cooed over it on Radio 1.

When Radio 1 Sound City came to Oxford at the end of 1997 Beaker were chosen as one of the four local `Priority' bands who were broadcast on the Evening Session with Steve Lamacq again unstinting in his praise. Shifty Disco rounded off their first year with a showcase gig at the Highbury Garage, featuring their entire roster, including The Unbelievable Truth, Dustball and former Ride singer Mark Gardener's new band, Animal House. Beaker sparkled like a sonic supernova that night and Fierce Panda's Simon Williams immediately invited them to record a single for the label. `Drastic Sturgeon' was released in March 1998. The band went on to release one further EP before sadly splitting up in the Summer of 1999.

With a fusion of noise, melody, bizarre lyrics and singer Sam's dramatic on-stage persona Beaker are funny, scary and utterly compelling.

"Beaker are warped and wonderful. Hole with a sense of humour. Bjork gone hardcore. A delicious, disconcerting mixture. Sweet and dark, like a black banana." - (NME November 97)

"Beaker would much rather cause punk-metal headaches, sing confusingly operatic lullabies and make you insanely jealous you're not one of them" - (Nightshift November 97)

"It's scary stuff.... The singer roars, squeals, giggles and throws tantrums, switching from opera to sugar pop to punk thrash in the space of one minute" - (Organ January 97)