Just
the Facts Although Cath Carroll's band Miaow enjoyed a high profile
in their lifetime, their musical legacy amounts to three hard to find
singles recorded between 1985 And 1987, two seldom heard radio sessions
for John Peel, and rumours of an unreleased album for Factory Records.
The band traveled a long way in two short years - from Manchester to
London, from C86-era guitar jangle to sophisticated electronic pop -
and their rambling (but never shambling) route can be traced on this
more or less chronological CD. Cath combined Miaow with day jobs at
Blast First and as an NME scribe, and her cult status was assured after
US band Unrest released the skewed tribute song Cath Carroll on their
4AD album Perfect Teeth. Eventually Miaow imploded in 1988 and Cath
went on to cut an album solo for Factory, the superb England Made Me,
released in 1990. Meanwhile Cath dishes the real dirt herself
Baby
Butch Miaow arrived in London on January 2, 1984 as the Gay Animals;
Liz Naylor, Chris Fenner Jon Fell and myself, plus Stanley the cat,
all bound for a newly-claimed squat. Our destination was on Rotherhithe
Street, in an unwelcoming area of the Docklands. We had managed to
inspire both vexation and indifference in the audiences of Manchester
so it was time to seek fresh ears. Although she would leave within
48 hours of arriving in London, La Naylor certainly left her imprint
on the soon-to-be Miaow. We first met through a newspaper ad in 1979
when she was 16 and I was 18 and arranged to meet outside Debenhams,
Stockport, one Sunday afternoon. I waited in the doorway for over
half an hour. The only other person in sight that day was a ten year
old delinquent of indeterminate gender who stood about two feet away
from me in the same doorway. How odd that we should both be waiting
for someone at the very same time in this godforsaken spot on this
unforgiving March day!
Luckily
we figured it out before the pubs closed and thus began a fine tradition
of hiding Liz from the barman and getting chased out of the Ladies toilets
(and sometimes the pub itself). We spent the next four years in a strange
parallel universe, cloistered in our council flat, up to our elbows
in Tippex and Copydex as we foisted out somewhat 19th Century world
view on the local arts scene via the fanzine we had monopolized, City
Fun. Gay Animals began life as Glass Animals with bass player Cilla
and drummer Pip Nicholls (the Distractions' bass player), and rehearsed
determinedly. We were very kindly indulged by Kay Carroll and Mark Smith
of the Fall, and appeared with the band in several support slots across
the north of England. Anxious to improve our stage presence, we used
to perform behind a white sheet, I think Liz and I intended to eventually
show ourselves when we felt we had sufficiently incubated our mystique.
However, the affectation was short-lived as gig-goers found that they
could just lift the sheet and look underneath. In 1982, encouraged by
New Hormones maestro Richard Boon, we began to manage Manchester-based
messy art/messy jazz act, Ludus. It was most unconventional but utterly
enchanting few months. We exacted our toll from Linder and Ian by opening
for them on a variety of nationwide dates.
Gay
Animals were variously augmented by Lynn Howe (bass), Adam
Lesser (drums) and Kingsley (bass) and were equally influenced by
the Fall and Vesta Tilley. Failing to hold on to a rhythm section,
we bought a £20.00 rhythm unit, featuring six presets (five bossa
novas and a march) and continued with the preset Latin thing until
we met Chris and Jon. Fate is the only GA's song to survive here,
and although the bossa box was long gone by the time we recorded this
version, on a clear night you can still hear the ghostly yet relentless
meter of preset #5: March.
Carry
On Up The Walworth Road We were welcomed by Johnny, our new neighbour
and seasoned squatter, a local in his early 40s who had become marginalised
for reasons beyond our ken. "It's fackin' Aladdin's Cave" he choked
as we opened the truck and ninety lamps and potted plants fell out.
Nonetheless, he fulfilled his promise to help us unload and move in.
We bequeathed the trusty crowbar to the next band of hopefuls looking
for somewhere to settle in Londinium.
Liz immediately
left, seeking broader artistic vistas and more lesbians. Jon Fell
soon went too, to Microdisney, and Steve Maguire and Jonathan Bedford
came down from Manchester to take their place in the flat and to serve
time in the band. Soon after, we heard a public service announcement
on a local radio station offering cheap rehearsal space at the Elephant
& Castle. We didn't realise the radio show and the rehearsal invitation
were intended for the benefit of physically challenged artists, so
we called up and booked ourselves in. When the Gay Animals showed
up, they were given a circumspect reception and realised now might
be a good time for a name change.
Nightmare
Organ Gay Animals inherited the old Vox organ belonging to Manchester
favourites and sometime flatmates the Distractions who, in turn, claim
to have been given the instrument by Manfred Mann in 1657. By the time
Miaow got hold of it, it had a nasty plastic belt nailed to it, so as
to better lug it around across the shoulder, lots of missing keys, and
a randomly pitched clarion call that tormented many a soundperson. It
survived several journeys unsheathed in the luggage hold of the National
coach route between Manchester (Chorlton Street) and London (Victoria)
and horrified bus conductors with its bulk. Apologies to all people
who suffered by coming into contact with it, esp. Jonty Bedford.
Cummins
and Gowings Chris, Steve and Jonathan came variously from the
Floating Adults of Manchester and the Performing Ferrets (of Maidstone,
Kent). They, with bandmates Nigel Chatfield and Cathy Brooks, held
a weekly club upstairs at the Thompsons Arms in Manchester and in
early 1983 were one of the few venues bold enough to book the G.A.s.
Once in London, we would hang around the Malt & Hops at Kings Cross
with the Naylor Sisters, Brian O'Neill and Richard Boon, skimming
favours off the patient staff at Rough Trade. Here, Venus Records
was born, and, like a male drone bee, it enjoyed but one release before
laying down its earthly burden, this one the Belle Vue ep, featuring
Budgie Woman cover art by Pat Naylor.
When
Steve left we were soon fortunate enough to find bass player and guitarist
Ron Caine. We kept bumping into each other at the vending machine at
the rehearsal rooms, he would stop by from his other band's rehearsal
to see Chris and me as we toyed disconsolately with our (new) drum machine.
Ron's boundless sense of adventure caused him to say yes to our pleas
to join us and there was great rejoicing up and down the Walworth Road.
In 1986 guitarist Andy Winters was introduced to us by Brian, and around
about this time we recorded Sport Most Royal.
So
Much To Answer For A few months down the road, a colleague played
a tape of When It All Comes Down to Tony Wilson of Factory Records,
and we went on to receive the benefit of two Factory releases, the
second being Break The Code. Miaow/Gay Animals had been known to Tony
for some years, in much the same way that a noxious fly trapped in
a car is known to the driver. Tony was always gallant. By now, Andy
had left to focus on his burgeoning theatre career and we were joined
by Joe Korner.
Between
1984 and 1987, thanks to the lobbying of Brian O'Neill and Paul Smith,
we attached ourselves to some improbable concert line-ups: Sonic Youth,
Nick Cave, and most memorably, the Butthole Surfer's UK debut at the
Ambulance Station on the Old Kent Road. These audiences were quite gracious
considering Miaow's grind-free set lists. Although we didn't know it
at the time, our last gig was to be on October 3, 1987 at the Clarendon's
Klub Foot in Hammersmith, London.
Joe Korner's
living room was the venue for a series of demos recorded in September
1987 intended to be an album, Priceless Innuendo, a phrase gleefully
shrieked by the glorious Charles Hawtrey in a Carry On... film whose
title I forget. The album was never recorded. Chris, Ron, Joe and
myself, we were several bands all happening at once. I'd heard solo
work from the other three and liked it more, and besides how could
we have every truly embodied the tawdry glamour hinted at in Mr Hawtrey's
utterance?
Some
Songs from Manchester Belle Vue (1960s, same as the 1860s/Gorton),
Fate (1860s, same as the 1960s/Gorton), Did She (dominant partner/Hulme)
Following Through (cross-dressing/Harpurhey)
Some
Songs from London Thames At High Water (angst/Surrey Docks), Three
Quarters of The Way to Paradise (obsession/ Upper St), The Dreamer's
Death (obsession/ Highbury), Just Keep Walking (codependency/deepest
Peckham), Cookery Casualty (petty self/Rotherhithe), Sport Most Royal
(posh dykes/Hampstead Women's Pond), Grocer's Devil Daughter (some have
more bootstrap than others/ Grantham), Stolen Ears (High Art/ Westbourne
Park), When It All Comes Down (obsession/ Highbury & Islington), Break
The Code (obsession/WC1), Carnal Drag (same angst/ Kings Cross), Fear
of The Sun (surprise! obsession/ N1)
Lilac
Whine Ahh. Wobbling with amps up the stairs of Routemaster buses,
Thursday nights at The Bell, the weekly communal flat shopping trip
for budget cheese, idyllic sojourns in Kent, freezing mornings in
the wrecked bathroom at Lavender House, yet always, the never-ending
wonder of living in London. Although the shadow of Thatcher stretched
grim and horizonless beyond us, our somewhat dodgy existence was blessed
by the kindness and goodwill of others.
Thanks
to Brian O'Neill for his unconditional cheer leading and help, and to...
Age of Chance, Steve Albini, Martin Aston, Nigel Bagley, the staff of
Blackwing Studios, Richard Boon, Gill Bradley, Cathy Brooks, Jane Burridge,
Roy Carr, Kay Carroll and the Fall, Fred Dellar, Juliet De Valero Wills,
the staff of Factory Records, Nigel and Audrey Fenner, Finitribe, Tony
Friel, Julie Gask, Dave Harper, Julian Henry, Lynn Howe, Johnny, Phil
Jones, Paul Kendall, Kerry Kelekovich, Kingsley, Ann Lehman, Adam Lesser,
Linder and Ian, Rob Lloyd, Andy MacDonald, Rory Manchee, Alan McGhee,
Bruce Mitchell, Liz, Olga and Pat Naylor, OZ PA, Stephen Parker, David
Quantick, Vini Reilly, Ro and Mandy, the staff of Rough Trade, Anne,
Fred, David and Peter Ryecroft, Scotland, Paul Smith, Tatt, Tony Wilson,
Alan Wise, the Woodentops and the bus drivers and long distance lorry
drivers of London, Manchester and all points in between.
A very
special thank you to James Nice for making this compilation
happen.
Cath
Carroll Chicago, November 2002
Factory
Demo Restoration
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LTM is pleased to make available the
entire recorded works of Miaow, the cult indie guitar band lead
by Cath Carroll.
Alerted to their talents by a demo of their first
single, Tony Wilson brought the group to Factory Records,
which lead to the release of two unabashed pop singles in 1987: When
It All Comes Down and Break the Code. As well as all the
single sides and all eight tracks recorded for both Peel sessions
(six of them otherwise unrecorded), this compilation also includes all
compilation tracks, and two previously unheard demos (Carnal Drag
and Fear of the Sun) for the never-completed Miaow album, Priceless
Innuendo.
After the band splintered, Cath recorded her acclaimed
solo debut for Factory, England Made Me (1991), itself recently
re-released by LTM. Included in the extensive sleeve notes is a frank
memoir by La Carroll herself.
Cath spent her teenage years in Manchester
and co-edited the vitriolic scene sheet City Fun. After moving
to London in 1984 she wrote for the NME and fronted Miaow, then
relocated to Chicago in 1990. To date Cath has released four
solo albums.
- LTM press release
belle vue
FATE
grocer's devil daughter
SPORT MOST ROYAL
did she?
FOLLOWING THROUGH
three quarters of the way
to paradise
COOKERY CASUALTY
when it all comes down
DID SHE?
just keep walking
THAMES AT HIGH WATER
the dreamer's death
FATE
break the code
STOLEN EARS
wiacd (12")
CARNAL DRAG
fear of the sun
KING CREOLE
The
two John Peel Sessions brought out the best in Miaow and the eight Maida
Vale recorded songs are sublime. (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 2/03)
~
The
second Peel session is fantastic... Miaow never once sounded like they
weren't having fun. One neat compact collection. (mundanesounds.com,
2/03)
~
Miaow
is one of those curious groups whose mystique and influential sway greatly
overshadowed their meager recorded output. Between 1985-1987, the band
contributed "Sport Most Royal" to NME's original C-86 compilation,
recorded two sessions with legendary British DJ John Peel, and released
an unforgettable single on Factory Records. If these feats don't solidify
Miaow's old-school indie cred, vocalist Cath Carroll also wrote for
NME, married Big Black guitarist Santiago Durango, and went on to be
the fanboy fantasy of TeenBeat's Mark Robinson. But the best thing about
Miaow's legacy? They actually deserve it. Songs like "Did She?,"
"Grocer's Dead Daughter," and "Following Through"
sound so impossibly fresh, it's difficult to believe they aren't 21st
century recordings from Slumber Party, Belle & Sebastian, or the
Shermans.
No
matter what the genre was eventually called -- twee, indie pop, shambling,
etc. -- Miaow's effortless melodies, bittersweet lyrics, and complete
lack of musical pretense contributed significantly to its blueprint.
When It All Comes Down is the definitive Miaow retrospective. It includes
all of the trio's studio material, their two John Peel sessions, and
previously unheard demos of "Fear of the Sun" and "Carnal
Drag," which were recorded for the infamous, unfinished Factory
release Priceless Innuendo. (Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide)
~
Perfect
Cheekbones Miaow: When It All Comes Down
There's
a bit in an obscure St Etienne song where Stephen Duffy says that if
you remember the '80s you weren't really there. Well sometimes I think
that I don't remember the 1980s, so I guess I must have been there,
although really I wasn't anywhere. Except purgatory perhaps, although
I presume we all think this of our adolescences, whenever they happen
to happen. Or not, as the case might appear to be.
So
I don't remember Miaow. I don't remember how between 1985 and 1987 they
shimmered and shivered, sounding like some strange lost soul wandering
the glassy streets in the dead of night with scalpel blades taped to
finger tips. It escapes me exactly how or why bands sounded the way
Miaow did: all complex simplicity and simple complexions, but I'm glad
they did. I have no memories of their brittle and muted funk guitars
invading my head now; no late-teenage epiphanies come to mind that went
hand in hand with their meet-me-behind-the-bike-sheds skiffle swing,
or with their sly shuffles and skipped feet in gasoline puddles.
Never
being one to listen to late-night radio (I was far too busy sleeping
or reading architectural history books, I'm afraid to say) I have no
awareness of the two slinky sessions they recorded for John Peel in
'86 and '87, and didn't know that the songs therein swung from chandeliers
in icy abandoned palatial mansions, showering the peeling walls with
pinpricks of silver. Others will remember much better than I how Miaow
were feted at the time by a music press that still cared to dare and
dared to care (or at least that's how it seemed, or seems in retrospect
- I'm perfectly willing to accept that this may just be me looking at
history through oddly tinted spectacles). They will nod sagely when
they cast their memories back and remember the shows they played as
support to Sonic Youth, Nick Cave and, perhaps most bizarrely of all,
to Butthole Surfers at the legendary Ambulance Station.
Miaow
sounded nothing like any of those groups of course, which was inevitably
why they should have been on the same bill of course; parts of the '80s
being about risks and eclectic mixing. Not that I really remember of
course, and not that you'd guess it from the retrospectives hurled about
by the mainstream media. But that's the mainstream media for you. Miaow
were never mainstream, which isn't to say they were pointedly or consciously
'difficult', just that they were too naturally obtuse and slightly skewed
to ever really mix it with whatever it was that clogged up the mainstream
charts of the time. Because as I say, I don't really remember those
times at all...
And
being one for whom visual keys often open doors of remembrance, I don't
even feel a flicker of recognition on seeing the sleeves of their two
Factory singles 'When It All Comes Down' and 'Break The Code', although
if pressed I would suggest to myself that I may have seen the iconic
former pinned to a desk beside Patrick's drawing board, Patrick being
the owner of the finest cheekbones ever and the owner of a healthy obsession
with all things Factory. And more than most, Miaow sounded like perfect
cheekbones.
(Alistair Fitchett ©
2003 Tangents)
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