The Long Blondes

When I first heard this band I thought they sounded quite interesting; which was true. I also thought the singer was male, probably of Scandinavian decent; which was horribly wrong. I blame all bands out there with misleading names. After discovering that The Beautiful Girls and The Mint Chicks were filled with anything but, I naturally assumed a band named The Long Blondes were making fun of the common ditz. Well I was right to an extent as none of the members are blonde and a couple are men, but the singer isn’t exactly male or Scandinavian. She (Kate Jackson) is in fact a very stylish and very FEMALE lead lady from Sheffield, England. Add to this the overtly feminist (girly?) lyrics and you’ll begin to see just how off my first impression was. Then again, with all the falsetto male singers out there these days, how was I supposed to know? Listening to The Long Blondes, I am often reminded The Pipettes. Both have glamorous yet strong female singers, both create incredibly addictive pop music and both have horribly cringe- worthy lyrics. Thankfully the first two points are enough to overcome the last and I find their music very enjoyable. While The Pippettes’ sound is heavily influenced by 60s girl groups, The Long Blondes have a much greater punk element to their music. That’s not to say they resemble the hoards of b-grade girl-punk groups out there, instead their music is pop at heart with a refreshing punk tinge. Their music definitely isn’t for everyone, but if you’re after a fresh new sound, The Long Blondes may be just what you’re looking for.

Once And Never Again – “You’re only nineteen, for God’s sake, you don’t need a boyfriend”. This song perfectly sums how much I despise the subject matter of their songs. But as my favourite track, it also shows how easily I can look past this fault and see the highly addictive melodies underneath.

Weekend Without Makeup – Just when I thought radio in Australia was dead, they play this song and introduce me to a great new band. If only this was a common occurrence, I may actually listen more often.