Bow Wow Wow and Gene Loves Jezebel

Bow Wow Wow mixed the glimmer of pop music with the abrasive bark of punk rock as if this was the only way to hear these styles. Its fairly obvious that their music featured primal elements of punk, but what was less blatant was how they were able to get away with using these unrefined and base constituents alongside contradictory stylistic elaborations. They were able to maintain the edge and primitivism of rock, but dressed up their sound with jangling guitar leads, textural synths and canary-like vocals. At the heart of it they were masters of creating sophisticated pop songs.
In many respects this was a complete contradiction to the ethos of punk rock. Punk was a median in which the artists scraped off all the excess and sheen associated with pop and modern rock music. Although the music of Bow Wow Wow was so unique and pure, no one seemed to mind the dichotic structure of their sound. The punks accepted their style as did the mainstream.
The band seemed destined from the beginning to be a part of the punk rock scene. They initially formed under the supervision of Sex Pistol manager Malcolm McLaren; although the original purpose of the group was to push the New Romantic works of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. The group far surpassed their roles as models and proved to be one of the most exciting bands to come out of London in the early 80s. Their shows were met with unanimous support and exuberance worldwide. Seeing them live was like witnessing a tribal ritual. David Barbarossa would bang rapidly on the toms of his drums creating a strong and deep percussive vibe. The chugging bass matched the intense and deep tones of the drumming ebbing and flowing ecstatically. Vocalist Annabella Lwin was sensational to watch. She jerked and jumped constantly around the stage screaming out the lyrics and instigating the audience into action. Matthew Ashman wrote genius guitar riffs. The opening melody for “I Want Candy” is utterly remarkable and will probably never lose its fresh sound. Its light staccato frameworks dances beautifully on top of the repetitive drums and pounding bass.
The group can also pull blissful covers out of their sleeves. A remarkable example is “Fools Rush In”. The pitter patter of the drums provide the endearing pace of the song while the bass and guitar seamlessly alternate melodies. The vocals are absolutely superb and fluctuates unpredictably throughout the tune. Bow Wow Wow were not only an artistically innovative and musically coordinated they were a band who’s unconventional image and risk taking nature spoke to millions of fan demographics and aspiring musicians.

9/9/18 NYC - Great show!!! They did a good mix of old and new songs and projected a lot of energy on stag.
The show was at The Cutting Room, a smallish but very nice venue that has seating (with tables) only. I think many of us wanted to get up and dance, but as is generally the rule for these types of places, most of us remained seated so as to not block other patrons seated behind us. What was cool was that the band was downstairs afterwards, so on the way to the restroom, fans got to talk to them and take pictures. They were very gracious.
The only other time I saw Gene Loves Jezebel was in 1989 at the Ritz (NYC), with "Until December" as their opening act. I'm glad I got the chance to see them again. I hope they plan to return to NYC again -- we fans will be waiting to give them another warm welcome.