For the first time in over 40 years, the feminist post-punk band Au Pairs reformed for a live tour to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their debut studio album, ‘Playing with a Different Sex’, only now formed with sole original member, songwriter and vocalist Lesley Woods after the rest of the lineup did not wish to reunite. Instead Woods has recruited a fantastic, younger band formed of bassist Estella Adeyeri (Big Joanie), guitarist Alex Ward (Thurston Moore Group, Pere Ubu) and drummer Jem Doulton (Thurston Moore Group) who have also put a fresh twist on the older material.
Playing from the whole debut album track list, they began on the tangy guitar and funky walking basslines of ‘Come Again’, the chaotic clang of ‘We’re So Cool’ and Gang of Four-like backing vocal exchange between Woods and Ward in the explosive ‘Love Song’, although Woods’ bossy vocals could have developed more of the unusually psychedelic vocal midsection as in the recorded version. They also performed the band’s cover of David Bowie’s ‘Repetition’, a song covered by the original band on the album because of its subject matter about domestic abuse.
Amongst the older material, they also premiered new songs that they are in the process of recording for a new album, with ‘Let it Go’, reminiscent of Josef K, and ‘Cross the Bridge’, a moody ballad opening on plucky guitar scaling, before playing more tracks from the debut album with the creeping ‘Headache (for Michelle)’ and the frantic ‘Armagh’, which Woods dedicated to the Palestinians; a further new song ‘In the Wrong Body’ centres around transgenderism. The new material is still in the rough which affected the slightly longer track lengths.
Au Pairs ended their main set on their second single ‘It’s Obvious’, which closed down on Ward’s unconventional guitar solo featuring crying noise feedback. For the encore, the band performed their 1979 debut single, jangly punk rock chant, ‘You’, and also did a surprise cover of Erma Franklin’s ‘Piece of My Heart’, which the audience sang along to, well suiting the timbre of Woods’ vivacious voice.
01/05/26: Au Pairs @ Electric Ballroom, London.
Photos © Peter Tainsh.
© Ayisha Khan.