Noisenoisenoise.co.uk - EP Review

Attack of the 50ft Woman
By: Dan Lucas



London-based post-punk-pop-rock neophytes 50ft Woman are set to release their EP, the intriguingly titled Ménage á Trois, on November 1st. Appropriately the title is as simultaneously enticing and yet opaque as the name of the band itself, suggesting unknown pleasures lie within whilst offering no obvious clue as to what they might be.

Indeed the 50ft Woman’s entire raison d’être seems to be to mislead and create an aura of intrigue. Neither the band’s press release nor website contains anything remotely resembling a biography - the latter proffers a band history but instead submits only a synopsis to Alice in Wonderland. It’s an apposite fairytale: one which, much like the names of the band and their releases, is filled with lucid imagery, suggesting much but ultimately, probably not saying anything. The band profiles are equally opaque. There is no real suggestion of what each band member actually plays, but instead a vaguely indicative title to accompany their first name: Adie the Maestro, Paul the Technician, Minki the Diva, Cormac the Timelord and Matt the, er, Pedant.

All of this seems to augment lead singer Minki’s apparent sense that their music should be fun and enjoyable in a live setting, rather than noodling and introspective. 50ft Woman claim to be influenced by both AC/DC and Adam Ant, but to listen to their music this appears to be another piece of misdirection: the vocalist’s self-professed predilection for outlandish costumes and her fetish for high heels may be a factor in this, but both live and on record she comes across as the missing link between Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ front woman Karen O.

50ft Woman are certainly keen to create an immersive experience for their fans. They are keen on the concept of themed gigs, “where everybody will dress up and wear something outrageous and make the effort”, whilst they also encourage fans to send in collages and PhotoShopped images for display on their website. Their music too is very much created to be enjoyed in a live setting. It’s a bit silly, thematically concerned with goldfish and Soho, train spotters and swingers, and it sounds as big, loud and bombastic as the band’s aesthetic, designed to fuel an energetic crowd.

However as one would expect from an EP named Ménage á Trois containing songs such as(Strictly) Only Swinging and You’re in Love with Love (But You Ain’t in Love with Me) the relationship that they develop with their listeners is likely to be more one-night stand than epic cinematic romance. Consisting of just three tracks and clocking in at a fraction over eleven minutes long, the band gatecrashes your iPod, loudly hurls around a few likeable hooks and leaves a catchy chorus ringing in your ears before making its excuses and leaving as abruptly as it arrived.

50ft Woman sets out to be “a superhero character with a superhero soundtrack.” They are indeed a blockbuster comic book movie of a band: energetic and eclectic, outrageous and yet unknown. They set out to create a big sound with an even bigger presence, a sonic Jerry Bruckheimer action picture, and on the evidence of this EP then it’s a case of mission accomplished.

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