Audioporn

AUDIOPORN BIOGRAPHY

“ Some people like Audioporn, and some people are wrong” is often the sentiment of Audioporn fans, including the mighty John Malcovich, who was introduced to the band by fellow fan Bella Freud. John loved the creative surrealism of the fledgling band’s music so much that he enlisted them to score 2002’s ‘Hideous Man,’ a short film he was directing, and whose cast included Anita Pallenberg, Peaches, Skin and Emilia Fox.
Audioporn came into being when the four band members, who had all been involved in art and music in some way, decided to use their collective skills and experience to create their evocative and unique sound and bring a new dimension to the music scene.
Singer and guitarist Adrien Munden started his artistic career as an actor. He toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company, taking over from none other than Alan Rickman. However he turned down the opportunity of further work with the RSC to follow his heart and try to create something musically that had an element of theatre combined with the spark and passion of the punk records that had inspired him as a child in sleepy Dorset.
When drummer Che Albrighton first moved to England from Germany as a 7 year old with his hippy mother, they found themselves at Richard Branson’s offices with members of iconic punk band the Sex Pistols, after responding to a flatshare ad in the local paper. During the interview Che started a fire in the ashtray and the band, impressed with his rock n’ roll attitude, offered them a place in their house in Alperton on the spot – the same house where ‘The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’ was later filmed. From that moment on Che knew his destiny was to be in a band.
Coming from a ‘Good Life’ style of living, serene keyboard player Lucy Underhill spent her childhood days tending the chickens and extracting honey from beehives but cut her musical teeth as a 14 year old, playing saxophone and touring working men’s clubs in a 10-piece band. Later she auditioned for a tour with Blur, but managed to secure a rejection after saying goodbye to Damon Albarn and promptly walking into a cupboard.
Pete Coombs, Audioporn’s bass player, spent his late teens in the midlands and did a stint working in the Tic Toc Club where his musical tastes and desire to play in a band were honed. Jerry Dammers was resident DJ and took it upon himself to give the young Pete a musical education, often making compilation tapes for him. One evening Pete met Martha Reeves, who was playing a gig at the club, in the local chip shop. She’d forgotten her purse so a gallant Pete stepped in to spare her blushes and paid for her fish supper.
They met when Pete’s girlfriend misread an ad placed by Adrien. She thought it was for a singer and so called to offer her services. A confused conversation ensued and Adrien explained that the ad actually said ‘bass and drums wanted…Weller to Walker to Wobble’. After her initial embarrassment she told Adrien that her man was a bass player and that he also knew a good drummer (Che). A meeting was arranged, the three musicians clicked immediately, Lucy was then found at the end of a saxophone and Audioporn was born.
The band released their debut album ‘Tank’ in 2004 and began touring regularly. An underground buzz began to build and now they have attained true cult status, mainly due to their mesmerising live shows.
“It’s incredible to be part of what seems like a new musical movement,” says Lucy. “I am always amazed at how much we get back from our audience, and that just makes us want to give them even more.” With captivating arthouse style performances and challenging, provocative lyrics it’s no wonder that word has spread and Audioporn are fast gaining a reputation as a must see band.
November sees the release of their much anticipated second album, ‘A Message From Our Sponsors’, on new indie label Alien Frequencies, set up and run by drummer Che Albrighton. “Having co-produced the album ourselves, we decided we wanted to be involved in all aspects of the record and retain complete creative control this time round. Setting up the label was the best way to achieve that in our opinion.”
The album was recorded on a farm, in a converted barn thought to be haunted by cavalrymen using it as a watering hole during the civil war in the 18th century. Many strange things have happened there and Audioporn’s experience was no different. Some of their equipment disappeared during recording only to turn up elsewhere the following day. On another occasion, having spent all night finishing lyrics for ‘ Get Up, Get Happy,’ Adrien awoke to find all his work missing and so recording of that song was postponed to a later session.
‘A Message From Our Sponsors’ is a roller coaster ride through the trials and emotions of life in this ever-crumbling credit CCTV fairground. It’s also a social commentary on the development of the world we live in, with the lyricism and musical craft reminiscent of Alex Harvey or Fr