Bow Wow Wow are playing in Oxford!

Another name from the distant past - Bow Wow Wow - has appeared in an advert for live shows, one of which is at the O2 in Oxford. I was a big fan of BWW in the very early 1980s. I loved the "Burundi beat" drumming and Annabella was a great singer. Of course the band were swampeed in controversy from the world go, due to the rather racy lyrics and their first album cover based on Manet's Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe, all when Annabella was only 14/15.

This rather detracted from the fact that she was actually a really good singer.

I have no idea what she has been up to since BWW split, but had hoped at one time that she would develop into a singer like Neneh Cherry. And I'm not convinced that I would like to see a live show now. I did see them once in London in about 1982 and they were very good. Annabella had two dancers with her and they were very impressive together. But it would be pretty odd to see BWW now, when Annabella is in her 40s, particularly since most of their best songs did rather play on her under-age status. For instance, a song like Louis Quatorze would be very odd.

Still, she did have a great voice, so I would like to think that her shows would go well.


Annabella and dancers - a 1982 live show in the USA

The controversial cover (as Annabella is 14) - BWW's Dejeuner sur L'herbe (Manet's Lunch on the grass - below)

Very much the look I remember from the live show I saw