Musician, Artist, Urban Pantheist

I fell in love with Danielle Dax's music (and okay, I'll admit, Dax herself) after hearing Cat-House in 1988. 

 

Danielle initially started out with post-punk band The Lemon Kittens before going onto a solo career releasing multiple albums, EPs and singles from the early 1980s to mid-1990s.

 

Danielle has only appeared a couple of times previously in various artist selections so I will get to one in her own right at some point. In the meantime, here's a selection of videos, including White Knuckle Ride, a snappy tale of a serial killer and their soon-to-be victim and a fantastic leftfield pop song.

 

I first heard Cat-House played out in the indie/alternative clubs that I went to circa 1988 and it remained a staple for many years after. I would have seen the video a while later on The Chart Show. A hit on the indie chart but it didn't make the commercial crossover in the UK that it deserved.

 

Big Hollow Man from 1987 is another alt-pop favourite.

Here's Danielle in December 1987 on ITV's graveyard shift programme Night Network, reviewing singles with snooker legend Steve Davis. It's a partial clip, so their review of Eurythmics is lost but both Bruce Springsteen and Wally Jump Jr & The Criminal Element get fairly short shrift. 

Not limiting herself to being an incredible musician and performer, Danielle is also a dab hand as a designer. In 1997, she won Amateur Decorator of the Year on BBC2's Home Front. I've vivid memories of her signature use of kitchen foil as wallpaper and faux mirrors as my girlfriend at the time was similarly inspired (though being extremely amateur, we limited ourselves to the latter not the former in our rented home!)

Glen Robins, a kind soul and fellow Dax fan, has unearthed their VHS home recording of the broadcast episode and uploaded it to YouTube. I haven't seen it since 1997 and it's a stark reminder of how long ago it really was. One of the judges is Kevin McCloud, of Grand Designs infamy, rather more hirsute then than now!