album of the week

Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
[Modular: 2008]

Think of some of the greatest ladies of the Eighties. Let’s say Debra Harry, Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox, Susannah from The Bangles, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks and that chick from Roxette. Then combine them all together into one incredible mutant superwoman of 80s pop music – complete with synthesisers, drum machines, basic lyrics, and the requisite cheese factor – and you have Pip Brown AKA Ladyhawke.
Her shamelessly retro debut is a collection of heavily synth-infused new-wave pop songs that are so nice, so infectious, so outrageously danceable that it sounds like it could be an album of fabulous Eighties hit singles - as opposed to the debut record from a shy New Zealand gal. Who cares if it’s all a bit derivative? – She’s named “Ladyhawke” after the 1985 Michelle Pfeiffer movie for heavenssake! - so she clearly wears her influences on her sleeve (painted in glitter and puff paints, no less). Ladyhawke is a charming homage to some of the most iconic female artists in pop music history. Viva la Eighties!



In honour of Ladyhawke’s excellently eighties-inspired debut, Album of The Week has put together a little list of our top ten

ladies of the eighties. In no particular order:


Cyndi Lauper – An inimitable voice, a take-no-shit Queens attitude and an outrageous, trendsetting approach to fashion,
Cyndi also wrote the theme song to awesome eighties movie, The Goonies.

Debbie Harry – As the lead-singer and namesake of seminal new-wave band Blondie, DH is a legendary streetwise and sexy icon of punk

Wendy James - lead singer of alternative UK rock group Transvision Vamp, most notable for the ass-kicking pop/punk single "I Want Your Love" and platinum hair

Pat Benetar - Rock n Roll Hall of Famer, four time Grammy winner and singer of some of the best karaoke tunes of all time
("Love is a Battlefied", "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"), Pat was the spandexed Queen of Eighties Rock

Annie Lennox - Amazingly charismatic front woman of synthpop duo Eurythmics, famous for her androgeny and reputation as "the greatest white soul singer alive"

Chrissy Amphlett - Husky-voiced Divinyls singer epitomised sex, drugs and rock n roll. Invented the concept of the "naughty
school girl" and offended mothers everywhere with "I Touch Myself" her paean to... touching herself.

Kylie Minogue - Adorable pop pocket-rocket is considered as a national treasure in both Australia and the UK, and is proud owner of one of the world's most famous bums.

Madonna - It goes without saying. Didn't just break boundaries in the eighties - destroyed them. Released the stunning pop album 'Like A Prayer' in 1989 managing to piss off the Catholic church, Pepsi Corp and millions of right-wing folk worldwide.
Has since sold 200 million records, rocked a conical bra, frenched Warren Beatty and become most powerful pop-culture identity living on earth.

Chrissie Hynde - Fender telecaster-weilding punk style-setter and songwriter for the Pretenders. Known for her lyrical candor
and being effortlessly cool. She dated both Sid Vicious and Ray Davies from the Kinks - enough said.

Stevie Nicks - Famous for her distinct vocals, mystical gyspy vibe and coke-snorting partner-swapping days in Fleetwood
Mac, Stevie's 80s hit 'Edge of Seventeen' was famously sampled for Destiny's Child's Bootylicious.

Honourable mentions go to: Martika, Belinda Carlisle, Marie from Roxette, Cindy and Kate from the B52's, Donna Summer,
Olivia Newton-John, Tiffany, Dolly Parton, Sade and the ladies of The Bangles and Bananarama

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