EP Review: New-Reviews.co.uk

50ft Woman, well... Where do I begin? Original, funky, sophisticated and seductive. Minki has a voice, which would be the equivalent to 'come to bed eyes'. She has an almost gruff, sexy style which will never fail to disappoint.

When I hear the first track '(Strictly) Only swinging' I am definitely pleasantly surprised, reminding me of artists such as The Bangles, Dirty Harry and Hole. They not only have the attitude, but their music is miles above the rest in this style. They also have a slight similarity to The Pretty Reckless, but 50ft Woman are filled to the brim with that addictive characteristic; you just want to hear more. I will definitely be putting these guys on my iPod.

What's not to love? Think high heels, suspenders and a group of artists with outstanding ability and you're spot on.
Having listened to so many bands, I start to find a circle of similarities between them all... However, in this case, the sexy sleaze, the fresh crisp guitars and the dance-starting drums will pull you in one way or another.

The second track 'Psychic Hygiene' has a similar feel, they are consistent throughout, keeping the standards extremely high. Check them out, I dare you.

Suzie Kidger | New Reviewss

Click here for full review page

Interview - Rock Realms (highlights)

Edited highights from the recent interview with Jon Wilde of Rock Realms: 

Who were your early inspirations?

Minki: I think for sheer showmanship and self-belief Adam Ant. Hearing the drums of Kings of the Wild Frontier and seeing this bloke who was dressed as a pirate... Doesn't get much better than that!

How did 50ft Woman get started – how did the various members come onboard etc...?

Minki: It actually started as a solo project, but the logistics of having to beg, steal and borrow people to come and play live gigs just got too much. Plus the fact I got a bit lonely! So I put an ad on forming bands, found Adie and everyone has come on board via adverts and auditions...which are quite possibly the most demoralising thing any band can go through. You have to sift through a lot of chaff to find the wheat. We had a bit of a Spinal Tap thing going on with drummers, but weirdly our old drummer found Cormac, our current sticksman. He is now chained up in the cellar in case he wanders off too!

How would you describe the sound of the band to someone who hadn’t heard you before? What other bands would you compare 50ft Woman to?

Minki: It's always really difficult! We really do straddle 3 genres, so we decided to just create our own, so we say we are 'rockpoppunk'. Rock because of the guitars and general sound, pop because it's not a dirty word and there is nothing wrong with having a catchy chorus or hook that sticks in your head, and punk because people say they can hear that New York 70's punk sound in the songs.

Other people say immediately 'oh you sound like Blondie', but I personally don't think so, plus I wouldn't want to bandy that about like some massive flag. It seems damn cheeky to even say it! We've also had the Garbage/Elastica comparisons, but to be honest I think people always do that with female fronted bands. Most of my influences are male, so other comparisons of bits of Aerosmith and AC/DC are fine by me!

How long did the “Ménage á Trois” EP take to write and record?

Minki: Well the songs were written over the past two years, though You're In Love With Love (But You Ain't In Love With Me) has taken on a totally new sound. We recorded them in 2 days and mixed in 1. It was a really easy process, especially since it was the first time we had all been in a studio together. We had help though, from the wonderful Steve Honest who was very patient and put up with my perfectionist megalomaniac diva-ishness.

Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing inspirations?

Minki: Oh God, lyrics come from anywhere, literally anywhere. I love words and am always writing down phrases people say that I like, or headlines, or reading a story in a magazine. I think my most random lyrics was inspired by seeing a CATV cable TV manhole cover (once again walking to the tube) which made me think of my cat staring at my goldfish. And so CATTV was born! I also write a lot about issues I am passionate about such as Skinny Minnie, about anorexic models and Ultra Violet, about waggish fitness freaks. I always try to inject some sort of humour though, it's never too serious. Anorak is about train spotters, though one of the first ever 50ft Woman gigs, someone did actually leave in a huff when we played it. At the moment I am listening to a lot of 50s music which I think is resulting in a few more rockabilly influenced numbers. It's a bit early to get Matt a double bass though.

Are there any pieces of kit you and the band couldn’t live without?

Minki: I know Adie and Paul are both really into their Orange Amps. Obviously I couldn't live without my shoe carrier. It always contains my gig shoes and a secret stash of lollipops.

What’s your favourite track on the EP, and is it the sound of the song or the memories behind it that make you love it?

Minki: I think it has to be (Strictly) Only Swinging. I never ever tire of singing or hearing it. I had actually released that on a previous EP but was never happy with it compared to how we play it live now with the full band. The boys all agreed that it was a song that deserved to be re-recorded. The guitar hook all the way through never fails to make get me going. I think I love it so much as it is such a complete story and such a dynamic song. The lyrics really do conjure up the pictures. The old man in tweed really does exist! he lives in Muswell Hill. (but that's another story!)

I understand you are big on fashion, especially shoes at your gigs. What sort of clothes and footwear do you like your fans to wear? Does it only apply to the ladies, or should the gentlemen put some effort in too?

Minki: Well I do like a well turned out shoe, preferably on a well turned out leg! Any of the ladies from Mad Men would be most welcome at our gigs. I do love an excuse to dress up and think it's great when people make an effort. I love the old 50's Hollywood and the Burlesque look and if coming to one of our gigs gives someone the inclination and freedom to do that, all the better. And no, it's not just women, I like it when guys make an effort too. My dream is to have proper themes or fancy dress nights, but you do worry about people NOT coming because they are too chicken!

What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?

Minki: Well I can pretty much guarantee there will be one point where Matt will nearly whack me in the face with his bass! We definitely need a bigger stage for us two to be on it! I like to see people's faces, so it's great when you see people getting into it or smiling at a lyric. I would hope that people go away remembering us, making an impression. I hate it when bands just get on stage wearing the same clothes they turned up in, not looking like they are bothered about giving a performance, a whole experience. I LIKE the fact that the band is set apart from the audience. You get up on stage and there is no doubt that you are THE BAND. That's what makes it magical. That's what I want when I go to see a band, so that's what I have to go on too. I can't wait until we get bigger stages and a bigger budget and get the pyros and bubble machines in!

Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?

Minki: Well I won't tell you the question, but the answer is Chupa Chups.

What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?

Minki: Preparing the playlist for the radio show I do, ready for tomorrow night.

Anything else you would like to mention?

Minki: The numbers on the back cover of the EP actually mean something.

Thanks again to Minki for her time!

Click here for the full interview on Rockrealms.com

EP Launch - 4th November

To celebrate the launch of the new 50ft Woman EP - Ménage á Trois, on 1st November, there will a launch party at the Bedroom Bar in Shoreditch on the 4th November.

More details to come, but it promises to be flirty, fabulous and free if you are on the guest list!

So far we have our best mates The Scratch as our special guests, rather excellent jockeying of discs from our comrades at Recharged Radio, plus more to come, including some rather lovely burlesque ladies and surprises along the way :)

Add your name to the VIP Guest list for free entry and a 50ft Woman goodie bag: vip(at)50ftwoman.com

Dress Code: Shoeperstar/Dress to Impress - prizes for the most fabulous

Time: 7pm til late

Venue: Bedroom Bar, Shoreditch 62 Rivington St, LONDON, EC2A 3AY 020 7613 5637
Nearest Tube: Old Street / Nearest Overground: Shoreditch High Street
Map: Map of venue

New September/October dates

New dates announced

24th September - The London Tattoo Convention -  Tickets here

1st October - the first ever Friday Forum live, Recharged Radio - Listen here
2nd October - Relentless Garage (supporting The Union) - Tickets here
3rd October - Clwb Ifor Bach  (Supporting The Union) - Tickets here
8th October - The Horn, St Albans (THE SCRATCH 'DIY' album launch party) - Tickets here

And our EP Launch party to be announced! To make sure you don't miss out, make sure you are on mailing list. You can mail web(at)50ftwoman.com to ensure you are added on and receive a priority invite.

Recording new EP

We have been busy beees indeed.

A few days in the studio (the new Church of Steve Honest no less) has produced 3 new tracks, (one of which you WILL have heard before, but we felt we wanted to re-record it with the current sound), (Strictly) Only Swinging, Psychic Hygiene and You're In Love with Love (But you Ain't In Love with Me). We really feel like we have captured our live sound, which was something that was always missing before!

Due for release around Halloween, more news when we get it.

We are so excited ..

We celebrated by also having some band photos done in a top secret location where we had special permission ... no peeking yet.

More gig news coming soon - it's exciting stuff ...

It's been a long time since I rock 'n' rolled ...

Well it had, but now it isn't.


After a stonking night last Thursday at the Tourdates Session at Tommy Flynn's in Camden, 50ft Woman is now a complete entity once more. You can see a little sneaky peek here covertly filmed from the bar by 'Silent' Dave from Recharged Radio: http://yfrog.us/jo9juz

Soon we will be introducing the boys from the band, with some rather dodgy photos taken at the quite frankly very dodgy dress rehearsal.

PLUS - lots of new photos to come in the new whizzy photo album soon to be uploaded onto www.50ftwoman.com. This will contain photos not viewable anywhere else, plus some fantastic new photos of Minki in pin-up mode.

So stay tuned .. and let us know if there is anything on the website that isn't there that ought to be, as we have small pixies about to set work with their HTML picks and axes.

Plus new dates to be announced in the next week! Ooh busy busy busy, just how we like it!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone!

Yes, yes I know it's late, but I was up in the mountains enjoying the snow, and now come back to a UK full of er ... snow. What a difference a country makes.

Anyway, it's a new year, with a new band and new outlook.

I have always descibed 50ft Woman as a band for the noughties. Well, that may have been true, but now we need a new name for the 'teenies', it doesn't seem to have the same ring about it does it?

Answers on a postcard please ... :)