Smash Hits (April 28- May 11, 1983)
BAMBOO MUSIC
Deep in the jungle, something stirs. Strange drums beating, the cries of wild animals, a ghostly chanting sound ...This, says lan Birch, can only mean one thing
"It's almost two years since the first Creatures EP," marvels Siouxsie. "I can hardly believe it either."
As they're inclined to do in between bouts of Banshee activity, Siouxsie and drummer Budgie have just returned from making music of a different kind. Under the banner of The Creatures < Siouxsie singing. Budgie playing all manner of drums and percussion < they've finally followed up the "Wild Things" EP of '81 with an even more stark and experimental single, "Miss The Girl".
As usual, the recording conditions weren't what you might call 'normal'. The Creatures, typically, packed a few instruments, aimed for Hawaii and never looked back. It had to be "well away from Britain," quips Siouxsie. Hawaii wasn't exactly first choice. The two of them toyed with various studios in such exotic climes as Bali, Columbia, Mexico and Central Africa but everywhere they looked at was either fully booked or too expensive.
"The buck was constantly being passed around," explains Budgie, "and nothing was getting done. One day we looked at a map of the world and saw Hawaii."
Simple, really. They consulted an international directory and found a place called Sea West Studio. It was all systems go and they flew out on New Year's Eve. The small and sparsely equipped studio suited their needs perfectly. They wanted to make an album that was based solely around Siouxsie's voice and Budgie's backing which ranged from a normal drum kit to shells, a marimba (a kind of wooden xylophone) and a curious item called a waterphone. "This," as Budgie explains, "is a huge metal bottle with a fat bottom and thin top. It's made out of copper and around the circumference are different lengths of copper welded onto the body. You fill it with water and play it with a violin bow."
They also wanted to feel "isolated" while recording. As Siouxsie adds, "there wasn't a chance of bumping into a band like Duran Duran in Hawaii." The unusual location quickly had a strong effect on their music. Sea West is surrounded by jungle which not only teems with wildlife but also needs to be cut back all the time. If it isn't, the studio buildings would soon be swamped by Mother Nature. Armed with machetes, Siouxsie and Budgie would help the studio owners, Rick and Donna, thin out the foliage. One day they decided to record the noise of their swishing blades for the album. After all, says Budgie, "it was the natural percussion of hacking down bamboo shoots."
That wasn't all. The pair named one song after a local lizard called The Gecko. "They're well-loved in Hawaii," Siouxsie points out, "because they eat all the bugs and make funny clicking noises." To prove their affection. Budgie flicks at his earring. It's a silver model of a gecko.
They also discovered four Hawaiian 'chanters' who still use the ancient language of the island (apparently, only 1% of the population now is pure Hawaiian). These 'chants' have been passed down through countless generations and have a magical significance for the islanders. Not surprisingly, 'the chanters' were wary of Siouxsie and Budgie because they didn't know what The Creatures wanted from them. At their first meeting 'the chanters' sat down in a circle and performed with their own instruments which were made out of shells and dried fruit. Siouxsie and Budgie were amazed at what they heard and asked them to contribute vocal effects to a number called "Morning Dawning" which was then built around Sioux's voice, a recording of the Hawaiian sea and Budgie experimenting with a conch shell. They were delighted with the result and asked 'the chanters' to work with them on another two tracks.
After Hawaii, the couple flew back to Britain to prepare for a Banshees' tour of Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Banshees currently consist of Sioux, Budgie, Steve Severin and The Cure's Robert Smith. The question had to be asked: is Robert a fully fledged member of the band now?
Siouxsie sees it coming. "He is as long as he wants to be. I think he wants to leave everything open-ended at the moment rather than trap himself in something definite."
And, anyway, flexibility has always been part of the group's policy. Currently all four of them seem more preoccupied with various sidelines than the Banshees themselves. Robert and Steven also have their own private project. They've been recording an LP in London and have called themselves Glove.The name, by the way, comes from a mad, psychedelic character in The Beatles' cartoon film, Yellow/Submarine.
Looking back at the tour, neither Siouxsie nor Budgie were too excited by Australia. "I found people really rude in Sydney," snaps Sioux, "and I felt really threatened going out on my own. They will not tolerate anyone in shorts or who doesn't have a suntan."
Finally, Sioux, what about the voice? Late last year, after singing too loud too long, she began coughing up blood and a throat specialist in Stockholm told her she had to rest her voice for at least six months or consider giving up singing forever.
"He showed me a dummy of the vocal cords and they're such a delicate instrument. When you break a string on a guitar, you can put another one on. But if you damage a vocal cord, it either takes months to heal or doesn't heal at all."
She couldn't and wouldn't believe the Swedish doctor and so consulted another specialist in London. He recommended a lengthy rest and she took his advice.
"It's better than ever now," she sighs. "I felt like a wet girl at first but now I'm not scared of being called a sissy."
MISS THE GIRL
Kiss the girl, kiss the girl
Hands around the steering wheel
Caress the shiny vinyl feel
Don't you miss the girl?
Miss the girl
Seduced reflection in the chrome
There's petrol stains outside your home
Kiss the girl, kiss the girl
Your loving strokes are fatal charms
Revenge bites back into her arms
You didn't miss the girl you hit the girl
You hit her with a force of steel
She's wrapped around your burning wheels
Kiss the girl, kiss the girl
Your loving strokes are fatal charms
Revenge bites back into her arms
You didn't miss the girl you hit the girl
You hit her with a force of steel
She's wrapped around your burning wheels
Round your burning wheels
Round your burning wheels
Kiss the girl, miss the girl
Miss the girl, kiss the girl
Kiss the girl, miss the girl
Miss the girl, kiss the girl
You hit her with a force of steel
She's wrapped around your burning wheels
You didn't miss the girl
(Round your burning wheels)
Oh miss the girl
You didn't miss the girl
You didn't miss the girl
Miss the girl
Words and music by Siouxsie/Budgie
Reproduced by permission Dreamhouse/Chappell
On Polydor Records
Contributed by Bonnie Bryant.