INFO - mail@leeloumusic.com
PRESS - Sainted PR - heatherfinlay@saintedpr.com
LeeLou's carefully crafted post-punk sound harks back to a time when pop artists were exactly that.artists. Intelligent and exhilarating, there's a substance to their music so often lacking in today's chart fodder. Like Siouxsie and The Banshees or The Cure, there may be a brooding aesthetic that packages their innovative music but their uncompromising songs bleed positivity and hope. LeeLou's powerful voice tears through the rich tapestry of Paul Simm's production to create inventive and adventurous pop music that cuts straight to the core.
LeeLou, aka Rebekah Dobbins, turned her hand to singing, song writing, and poetry from an early age. Her profound use of verse to express herself has long been a cathartic outlet for her emotions and remains to this day a prominent part of her daily life. Citing her influences as everyone from Ted Hughes to Vivienne Westwood, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, Ted Hughes, Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain. She formed her first band at the tender age of 12 and has been on the stage or in a studio ever since.
A random encounter in the West End led her to meet the enigmatic figure, Marc Collin of Nouvelle Vague, who later invited her to join the band for their forthcoming tour. Already using her artist name LeeLou, she sang on the bands last album NV3 which was released in 2009, before turning her full time attention to the project with songwriting and creative partner Paul Simm.
Like Rebekah, Paul is no stranger to the music business, sculpting hits for the likes of Amy Winehouse, The Sugababes, Siobhan Donaghy and Neneh Cherry, which has seen his songs grace the charts on many occasions and his time split between the UK and the US. "What I really want to make is real music with real artists". The pair met in a Denmark Street studio and immediately recognised that they had found what they were looking for in a musical partner.
LeeLou will release her debut EP, 'Kiss. Death. Love. Come.', in October. Dark, edgy and effortlessly cool, it's a hugely accomplished debut and its singer a star in waiting. Beautiful, sexy, intelligent, creative and with a true rock n roll spirit.
Inspired by the MP expenses scandal of 2009, lead track 'Burn Your Houses Down', is a visceral assault on the senses and a revolt against the carefree, nonchalant use of money by those who have plenty of it. "As an artist, there's a constant worry about money. You struggle to get by in order to make something beautiful". Lyrically sharp and witty, the song translates into a powerful slice of socio-politically fuelled pop. The track was recorded with a little help Tessa Pollitt of the seminal female post-punk trio The Slits.
'Kill For Your Love' is a powerful song that reflects a timeline of memories. Dark and brooding, its subject matters are escapism, fear and the craving for love.
The rousing third track, 'Gasoline' explores the idea that no matter how tough a situation may become, we stay strong in the face of adversity and keep shooting for the stars, holding our dreams and aspirations tight.
The intriguing closer 'Kiss Like Carnivores' discusses mutual indifference to something or someone, using and being used and our acceptance of that.
"We want to always make artful things, relevant things. Music, art - it's a lifeline that connects us to the world. Uncensored, loud, proud."
