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Dolly Mixture

Dolly Mixture

English post-punk trio blending '60s girl-group harmonies with punk energy, formed in Cambridge in 1978.

APPLE MUSIC

Night After Night

Dolly Mixture

About

MOODS · energetic · melodic · punk-inflected · girl-group pop · DIY · jangly · spirited · youthful · rebellious · catchy · nostalgic · lo-fi

BIOGRAPHY

Dolly Mixture were an English band formed in Cambridge in 1978 by bassist-vocalist Debsey Wykes, guitarist-vocalist Rachel Bor and drummer Hester Smith, three school friends united by a shared love of the Shangri-Las and the Undertones. They supported the Undertones on an early UK tour and were themselves once supported by U2. After moving to London, they gained airplay and column coverage from BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel in the pop paper Sounds, and appeared on the covers of Sounds and Record Mirror before releasing a single. Signed to Chrysalis, they released a cover of the Shirelles' "Baby It's You" (1980), which they later disowned, before issuing "Been Teen" (1981) and "Everything And More" (1982) on Paul Weller's Respond label. They also sang backing vocals on Captain Sensible's hits "Wot", "Glad It's All Over" and the UK No. 1 "Happy Talk". Their 1983 double album Demonstration Tapes, pressed in just 1,000 copies, was reissued in 1995 by Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

Dolly Mixture fused the giddy melodicism of '60s girl groups with the drive of punk and new wave, becoming a quiet touchstone for the indiepop scene and an acknowledged influence on Riot Grrrl. Their run of singles for Chrysalis and Paul Weller's Respond label, alongside a self-pressed Demonstration Tapes double album, captured a band moving fluidly between pop craft and DIY grit, a combination later celebrated by Bob Stanley's 1995 reissue.

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