|
We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Gonna Use It (shortened to Fuzzbox for the U.S. release of their first album) were an all-girl Birmingham, England based, punk-pop quartet that was loud, gaudy, and mildly controversial.|Founded in 1985, they initially fostered a raw amateurness to their playing style but later developed into a smoother, “sexier” look that still caused some controversy.|Their first release came in the spring of 1986, a double A sided single (with a blank B side) of “XX Sex” and “Rules And Regulations”. This led to the album release Bostin’ Steve Austin (some sources label it self-titled).|In the summer of 1986 the band teamed up with The Nightingales and Ted Chippington to record a single “Rocking With Rita (Head To Toe)”. The single featured Fuzzbox tackling such classics as “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” on the b-side.|For their next album,Big Bang! (1989), they made an abrupt change and reinvented themselves as a slick dance-pop vocal group, with Vickie Perks being cast centre stage as a budding sex symbol. The album had no musician credits, but the girls apparently did little or no playing, and this seemed a repudiation of their punk DIY ethos. The singles “Pink Sunshine”, “Fast Forward Futurama” and “International Rescue” were all co-written by Liam Sternberg.|In 1990, they began work on the new album, but the project was halted after the release of the first single “Your Loss, My Gain” due to Perks’ decision to begin a solo career under the name of Vix. Her self-titled album flopped, but Fuzzbox had already broken up. |
