BOW WOW WOW + THE BABY SEALS – ROPETACKLE ARTS CENTRE, SHOREHAM-BY SEA 24.10.25
As I made my way to the excellent Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham-by-Sea this evening, I was pondering just how amazing musical journeys can be. I came to the conclusion that my sadly departed partner Jordan Mooney would have been with me this evening on account of her connection with the artist.
Jordan famously worked in ‘Sex’ the famed fashion shop at 430 Kings Road in London with Vivienne Westwood (RIP) and Malcolm McLaren (RIP). In the shop there was a jukebox, which was crammed full of inspirational tunes. One of these being a 1971 recording credited to Burundi Steiphenson Black going by the title of ‘Burundi Black’ which climbed to No.31 in the UK Singles Chart. This song sampled a recording of drumming from Burundi made in 1967 by anthropologists Michel Vuylsteke and Charles Duvelle, which was released on the album ‘Musique du Burundi’ on the French Ocora label in 1968.
Entrepreneur McLaren was never one to miss a business opportunity and in his time he brought over the proto punk glam rockers New York Dolls to the UK to advise them. After this, having been inspired by the New York Dolls sound, he famously formed the Sex Pistols in the shop, with Jordan physically watching Johnny Rotten’s audition to be the band’s lead singer. I strongly suspect that the Burundi drumming was not only engrained in McLaren’s brain, but also in regular ‘Sex’ customer Adam Ant’s mind as well. As he used to find absolutely any excuse to go into the shop, as he had a serious crush on Jordan and he even secretly wrote her anonymous love letters. In time, Adam formed Adam & The Ants and approached McLaren to manage them, following the band’s debut album which was released in late 1979.
However, three of the original Ants, David Barbarossa (also known as Dave Barbe), guitarist Matthew Ashman (now RIP) and bassist Leigh Gorman “left” to form Bow Wow Wow in 1980 and they recruited an early teenage Burmese-born female singer going by the name of Annabella Lwin and conveniently they also fell under the management of McLaren. Here’s an interesting fact: Boy George was recruited as a second vocalist for Bow Wow Wow, but he left to form Culture Club. The members of Bow Wow Wow were also dressed in clothing designed by McLaren and Westwood. McLaren also continued to manage Adam Ant as he formed a new lineup of the Ants. Adam & The Ants then developed a new sound for the band and it had that distinctive Burundi sound thus ‘Kings Of The Wild Frontier’ was born. At the same time, Bow Wow Wow were also delving into the same sound and their Burundi beat was provided by Dave Barbarossa on drums. Luckily I caught Dave’s new outfit Third House in action at Daltons back in February – Review HERE.
The debut Bow Wow Wow single was ‘C-30,C-60,C-90 GO!’ which was released on cassette only and reached No.34 in the UK singles chart in 1980. The band’s debut LP ’See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah! City All Over, Go Ape Crazy’ was released and this contained the band’s first top 10 hit ‘Go Wild In The Country’. Bow Wow Wow toured at the time with The Pretenders, Madness, Queen, and The Police. In 1982, a cover of ‘I Want Candy’, originally released in the 1960’s by The Strangeloves, became the first transatlantic Bow Wow Wow hit single. After splitting in 1983, Annabella formed The Naked Experience working with Guy Chambers, Jason Nevins and Utah Saints amongst others.
I was fortunate enough to catch heyday Adam & The Ants play Brighton’s Top Rank Suite on 1st December 1980, but strangely did not attend Bow Wow Wow’s concert at the Corn Exchange in Brighton on 14th October 1981 and by 1983 the band had imploded. These days there are two versions of Bow Wow Wow on the circuit, there’s bassist Leigh Gorman’s Bow Wow Wow Band, as well as Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow, who played in Brighton at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar back on 9th August 2016. Around a year ago it was announced that Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow would be touring the UK for the original band’s 45th anniversary. Sadly there was no Brighton concert, but the Ropetackle Arts Centre was on the list, and so I decided to finally catch Annabella Lwin and her new chums in action this time around.
This evening at the Ropetackle we are in the band’s company for 74 minutes from 9:00pm to 10:14pm and in that time they gave us 17 tunes. The quartet comprises Annabella Lwin on vocals and tambourine, Wild Bill ‘Lightnin” Woodcock on guitar (with a tremolo), plus backing vocals, John Montgomery on drums and backing vocals, and a bassist/backing vocalist whose name I sadly missed when they were announced. The lads grace the stage first and set about performing ‘Sun, Sea And Piracy’ from the 1982 ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album, and are then joined by Annabella. They lead on to a couple of notable cuts from the famed ‘Your Cassette Pet’ mini album from 1980, these being ‘Louis Quatorze’ and ‘Sexy Eiffel Towers’. I’m not quite sure how John Montgomery is achieving it, but the drumming on these three openers does have that Burundi multiple drum sound. He’s putting a lot of effort in!
Annabella then takes time out to remember Matthew Ashman, Bow Wow Wow’s original guitarist, who died in 1995 after lapsing into a coma due to diabetes at the young age of only 35. ‘W.O.R.K. (N.O. Nah No! No! My Daddy Don’t)’ from the 1982 ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album is their next selection, and was swiftly followed by my favourite ever Bow Wow Wow tune, namely their debut ‘C30 C60 C90 Go!’ single from 1980, which eventually saw its way onto the ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album in 1982. This track tonight was also the best song of their set, and thus for me they had peaked just 5 songs into their 17 song set.
‘See Jungle (Jungle Boy)’ which is found on 1981’s lengthy titled debut long-player ‘See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!’ came next. Annabella informs us that Shoreham reminds her of Exmouth, which is where she used to live with her aunt and uncle back in the day. Then she applauds the town, but then discusses its lack of high street banks. Up until now, I hadn’t actually realised how funky the Bow Wow Wow sound could be, but now mid-set, they are seriously straying away from that loveable Burundi sound as ‘Baby, Oh No!’ from the US version ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album is given an outing, followed by the average ‘Love Me’ which is from 1983’s ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ album and this features some echoey guitar action. The slow chugging ‘The Man Mountain’ from the same LP is next and it’s dedicated to Matthew Ashman as he wrote the tune. I note that drummer John has switched drumsticks to ones with the cotton buds on the end for this track.
Annabella exits the stage and the three lads delve into the obscure bass slaps laden instrumental ‘The Joy Of Eating Raw Flesh’ which is from the 1982 Japanese edition of their ‘Teenage Queen’ EP. As often is the case with bands, when the frontperson leaves the stage it’s for a costume change in order to keep the fans attention and the set fresh, however, when Annabella returns for her 2012 solo ‘White Smoke, Blue Smoke’ single, she’s wearing the exact same gear! What has she been doing backstage I ask myself. Another solo single is slotted in next with the arrival of ‘Do What You Do’ from 1994, which Annabella informs us that it’s the first time they have ever played it live! I kid you not, that if you heard it played on the radio, you wouldn’t guess that it’s Annabella, in fact I picked up more of a Beats International ‘Dub Be Good to Me’ meets Happy Mondays vibe than a Bow Wow Wow one. Annabella now informs us that she was endeavouring to release the next track prior to the tour but it didn’t happen. This being ‘Naked Experience’ another standard tune, but it did feature some tremolo guitar action from Woodcock, and overall I’d even suggest it had that ‘Madchester’ sound from back in the day.
According to the setlist, the next tune was supposed to be ‘Aphrodisiac’, but the quartet skipped it (for now) and set about performing ‘Do You Wanna Hold Me?’ from 1983’s ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ album. This signalled a return to that Burundi sound, along with a Brazilian Salsa style feel to it as well. This was one of the few set highlights, as was fan favourite ‘Go Wild In The Country’ from 1981’s ‘See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!’ album, which signalled the final number….for now.
They left the stage, but the punters were seeking further value for money and after what seemed like a few minutes, the band returned and played another set highlight, this being the earlier omitted ‘Aphrodisiac’, which was followed by the closing number, their take of The Strangeloves ‘I Want Candy’ from the ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album. It was a good delivery. Overall, the longer the musicians played for, the more they appeared to be enjoying themselves. From the uncertainty of how the gig would go, to the nervous setting of the mic levels, through to the smiles of the closing tunes. The band had clocked up another mildly successful concert.
Bow Wow Wow:
Annabella Lwin – vocals
Wild Bill ‘Lightnin” Woodcock – guitar
? – bass
John Montgomery – drums
Bow Wow Wow setlist:
‘Sun, Sea And Piracy’ (from 1982 ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album)
‘Louis Quatorze’ (from 1980 ‘Your Cassette Pet’ mini album)
‘Sexy Eiffel Towers’ (from 1980 ‘Your Cassette Pet’ mini album)
‘W.O.R.K. (N.O. Nah No! No! My Daddy Don’t)’ (from 1982 ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album)
‘C30 C60 C90 Go!’ (from 1982 ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album)
‘See Jungle (Jungle Boy)’ (from 1981 ‘See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!’ album)
‘Baby, Oh No!’ (from 1982 US version ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album)
‘Love Me’ (from 1983 ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ album)
‘The Man Mountain’ (from 1983 ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ album)
‘The Joy Of Eating Raw Flesh’ (from 1982 Japanese ‘Teenage Queen’ EP)
‘White Smoke, Blue Smoke’ (a 2012 Annabella Lwin single)
‘Do What You Do’ (a 1994 Annabella Lwin single)
‘Naked Experience’ (unreleased)
‘Do You Wanna Hold Me?’ (from 1983 ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ album)
‘Go Wild In The Country’ (from 1981 ‘See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!’ album)
(encore)
‘Aphrodisiac’ (from 1983 ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ album)
‘I Want Candy’ (The Strangeloves cover) (from 1982 ‘I Want Candy’ compilation album)
Support this evening came from The Baby Seals who emerged from a pub chat in Cambridge among Amos, Kerry and founding member Jaz, sparked by the idea of creating a band that humorously explores the challenges of everyday female experience. A colleague of Amos’s said she was off to Hunstanton to see “the baby seals”. On realising she meant seal pups, not a band, Amos suggested “The Baby Seals” as the group’s name. The journey continued in March 2015, when Kerry gained recognition as the “labia girl” at a party, having written their first song, ‘My Labia’s Lopsided, But I Don’t Mind’.
By September of the same year, the trio officially established the band, writing songs such as ‘Period Drama’, ‘Guuurl,’ and ‘Money Honey.’ From 2015 to 2019, The Baby Seals built a solid reputation, touring Germany three times, Italy, playing the main stage at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, and I believe also playing in Brighton at the sadly lost Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar. The band’s momentum was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of maternity leave in 2019 to 2022.
In 2022, a new chapter unfolded as Kate, a friend of Amos and a fan of the band, joined as the bassist. Later that year, establishing themselves as a formidable live act, The Baby Seals supported Headswim at a sold out show at Camden Underworld, and Billy Nomates on her 2022 tour. Previous touring and support buddies include legends such as Martha, The Raincoats, The Pearl Hearts, Eli, Molly Punch, Jelly Cleaver, Dream Nails, The Menstrual Cramps, The Ramonas, and rising Brighton duo ARXX.
This revitalised lineup set the stage for a significant milestone in 2023 when Kerry, drawing inspiration from her experiences as a new mother, led The Baby Seals back into the studio to record their debut album, ‘Chaos’. The band self-describe themselves as “Spinal Tap with tits”, and state that “they bring pop punk to life with catchy hooks and lyrics about body positivity”.
We are in their company this evening for 42 minutes from 8:02pm until 8:44pm and in that space of time we are rewarded with 9 tracks. The band also supported Bow Wow Wow two days ago at The Junction in Cambridge, but drummer Amy was unable to travel to Shoreham this evening and so Daz (in his socks) has stepped in for the very first time, and apparently without a rehearsal.
Sadly the venue was sparse at the beginning of The Baby Seals set, but thankfully the longer the trio played, the more folk wandered in. They kick off with a tune called ‘Irene’ which isn’t a cover of The Photos 1980 single, but a grunge infused number which went down well with the punters in the room. Their second track was to my liking as it was more immediate with a faster proto-punk beat, it was ‘Vibrator’ from their 2018 ‘The Baby Seals’ EP as well as on their 2024 ‘Chaos’ debut album. Selection three was ‘Invisible Woman’ from their ‘Chaos’ album and this had a rocker vibe with Daz shining on the drums. It was back to punk with the arrival of ‘Id’d At Aldi’, which is also on the album, and after which the band’s punk mentality shone through with the arrival of ‘Nipple Hair’ from both the album an EP and the standout line being “dont f*cking care!”.
Track six is listed as “Temu” on their setlist, but is correctly introduced as ‘Tamoo Trance’ which is their forthcoming single, and a good one it is too, with much guitar riffage and grit and I liked the way Kerry utilized two microphones, with the second being used as an echo. ‘It’s Not About The Money, Honey’ from their EP and album was choice seven and although this was a grunge number, I did sense a whiff of folk about it with the vocal delivery, which once again was across the two microphones. A new number followed, which Kerry informs us is about an “M.O.T” and its title is ‘I Panic If I Want To Shirley’, which is often repeated during the song. They signed off with the title track from their ‘Chaos’ album which has some intro riffage akin to The Troggs ‘Wild Thing’ before heading off into 1970’s psych guitar rock, which sees Kate arching her back whilst playing the bass more than on any of the previous numbers.
The sound was good and thus Pug at the rear of the room got a big-up from Kerry as a thank you. Despite being the first time they have played together as a trio without rehearsal, it was a surprisingly solid set and I, for one, would enjoy a second sitting, should they decide to come down from Cambridgeshire again.
The Baby Seals:
Kerry – vocals, guitar
Kate – bass, backing vocals
Daz standing in for Amy – drums
The Baby Seals setlist:
‘Irene’ (unreleased)
‘Vibrator’ (from 2018 ‘The Baby Seals’ EP & 2024 ‘Chaos’ album)
‘Invisible Woman’ (from 2024 ‘Chaos’ album)
‘Id’d At Aldi’ (from 2024 ‘Chaos’ album)
‘Nipple Hair’ (from 2018 ‘The Baby Seals’ EP & 2024 ‘Chaos’ album)
‘Tamoo Trance’ (forthcoming single)
‘It’s Not About The Money, Honey’ (from 2018 ‘The Baby Seals’ EP & 2024 ‘Chaos’ album)
‘I Panic If I Want To Shirley’ (unreleased)
‘Chaos’ (from 2024 ‘Chaos’ album)
