Rosie and the Goldbug
Encyclopedia
Rosie and the Goldbug were a British
indie-rock trio active from 2007 to August 2009.
, UK. They formed in 2007, after lead singer and keyboard player Rosie Vanier
had completed her music studies at Roehampton University
and returned home, eager to form a band. The "Goldbug" in the name referred to a story by Edgar Allan Poe
.
According to The Guardian
, Vanier grew up in Bodmin Moor
"on a plot of land with no electricity, no heat, no TV, just a piano." Her mother and part-Native American father used to go on cycle tours in Europe, playing folk
ballads along the way to entertain passers-by. The bass player and guitarist, Lee "Pixie" Matthews, is the "son of hippie-surfer parents who spent his childhood in a beachside caravan." The drummer, Sarah "Plums" Morgan, had previously played with a Japan
ese drumming ensemble. Matthews and Morgan knew each other from being university students in Exmouth
; they had played in a band together before joining Vanier.
Rosie and the Goldbug soon built up a reputation as a live band in Cornwall and started to attract wider attention. They toured Europe with Cyndi Lauper
for most of 2008. The band released their music on their manager's label, Lover Records. They said that going it alone was an easy decision to make; according to the BBC
, they wanted "to make it purely on talent alone and stay true to their roots" and were hoping that without relying on the support of a major label, people would be "more honest and raw about them." They entered into writing partnerships with Marcella Detroit
and Glaswegian
band El Presidente
on some of the tracks of their debut album. Their first EP and album were produced by Jim Eliot of electro pop duo Kish Mauve
.
On 14 August 2009, the band announced via their MySpace site that "Rosie and the Goldbug are over". The band members voiced regret, but did not go into any details as to what had caused their decision. The band had planned to record a second album in the U.S., with new management. Vanier subsequently embarked on a solo project; she completed her debut solo EP in November 2010.
, stated that the "drama-pop trio" was like a throwback to "more interesting times", noting that "Classically trained singer-pianist Rosie Vanier has a voice which leaps from sugary pop to operatic whoops, her ivories chiming through a repertoire ranging from the turbulent to the serene, and even juddering Moroder electro-disco." Morgan's playing was characterised in an NME
review of a live concert as "primal, cavewoman-with-class drum bashing". Clash
announced in September 2008 that the band had become "one of the hottest names to drop on the indie scene", describing the group as "sexually charged".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
indie-rock trio active from 2007 to August 2009.
History
The band were from CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, UK. They formed in 2007, after lead singer and keyboard player Rosie Vanier
Rosie Vanier
Rosie Vanier is a British singer and keyboard player from Cornwall. She was a founding member and the front woman of Rosie and the Goldbug; following the break-up of the band in 2009, she has embarked on a solo career.-Life and career:...
had completed her music studies at Roehampton University
Roehampton University
The University of Roehampton is a campus university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, south-west London.-History:...
and returned home, eager to form a band. The "Goldbug" in the name referred to a story by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
.
According to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Vanier grew up in Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in size, and originally dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history....
"on a plot of land with no electricity, no heat, no TV, just a piano." Her mother and part-Native American father used to go on cycle tours in Europe, playing folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ballads along the way to entertain passers-by. The bass player and guitarist, Lee "Pixie" Matthews, is the "son of hippie-surfer parents who spent his childhood in a beachside caravan." The drummer, Sarah "Plums" Morgan, had previously played with a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese drumming ensemble. Matthews and Morgan knew each other from being university students in Exmouth
Exmouth
Exmouth is a town in Devon. It may also refer to:Places*Exmouth Peninsula in Southern Chile*Exmouth, Western AustraliaPeople*Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth , a British naval officerShips...
; they had played in a band together before joining Vanier.
Rosie and the Goldbug soon built up a reputation as a live band in Cornwall and started to attract wider attention. They toured Europe with Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
for most of 2008. The band released their music on their manager's label, Lover Records. They said that going it alone was an easy decision to make; according to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, they wanted "to make it purely on talent alone and stay true to their roots" and were hoping that without relying on the support of a major label, people would be "more honest and raw about them." They entered into writing partnerships with Marcella Detroit
Marcella Detroit
Marcella Detroit is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. She was a member of the band Shakespears Sister, along with Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. Detroit's soprano voice provided lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay," which was No...
and Glaswegian
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
band El Presidente
El Presidente (band)
El Presidente was a pop rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 2002 by former and current Gun member Dante Gizzi, the band gained major exposure with slots at T in the Park 2005, V Festival 2005 and again at T in the Park in 2006...
on some of the tracks of their debut album. Their first EP and album were produced by Jim Eliot of electro pop duo Kish Mauve
Kish Mauve
Kish Mauve is a British electropop group. The group was formed in 2005 in London, England, and consists of Mima Stilwell and Jim Eliot ....
.
On 14 August 2009, the band announced via their MySpace site that "Rosie and the Goldbug are over". The band members voiced regret, but did not go into any details as to what had caused their decision. The band had planned to record a second album in the U.S., with new management. Vanier subsequently embarked on a solo project; she completed her debut solo EP in November 2010.
Reception
The band's style mixed electronics and rock and was described as "Kate Bush on crack with Goldfrapp on synths," with Vanier's voice moving "effortlessly from seductive whispers to banshee wails." Q Magazine characterised it as "somewhere between Siouxsie & The Banshees and Cyndi Lauper having a sing-off with Kate Bush; the band’s spiky synth stabs providing the perfect canvas for Vanier's enchanting howl." Simon Price, writing for The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, stated that the "drama-pop trio" was like a throwback to "more interesting times", noting that "Classically trained singer-pianist Rosie Vanier has a voice which leaps from sugary pop to operatic whoops, her ivories chiming through a repertoire ranging from the turbulent to the serene, and even juddering Moroder electro-disco." Morgan's playing was characterised in an NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
review of a live concert as "primal, cavewoman-with-class drum bashing". Clash
Clash (magazine)
Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....
announced in September 2008 that the band had become "one of the hottest names to drop on the indie scene", describing the group as "sexually charged".
Line-up
- Rosie Vanier (vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, wurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
) - Lee "Pixie" Matthews (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals) - Sarah "Plums" Morgan (drums, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals)
External links
- Rosie and the Goldbug talk Cyndi Lauper and Gwen Stefani: interview on the ITN Music News channel on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Rosie and the Goldbug, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Cornwall - New Rosie single, interview on BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Cornwall