Hulafrau
Friday
The story of Hulafrau is one of three blokes, two sheds, and one cricket
bat.
It all began with Nick and Paul making some noise with drums and bass, a
noise that sounded nothing like Drum ans Bass, then Simon joined and
Hulafrau was born.
The name is from a Daffy Duck cartoon, the sound is part electro, part
post-punk, part pop - telling stories about the every day bric-a-brac of
life, ASDA, organic chairs, classic cars, and people who pretend to be
Chinese. Nick sings and hits things, Paul plays bass, guitar and a heavily
modified cricket bat, and Simon plays keys and provides solos on trombone.
The first album (called simply Viva!) was recorded in the rehearsal studio
and mixed in Nick's shed. According to Sandman it was an 'entertainingly
brilliant album that can't fail to enchant' and one reviewer said their live
performances were 'a triumph for the absurd, for novelty over blandness, fun
over pomposity, and garish purple blazers over any normal sense of decency'.
The new album (called A User's Guide, 2009) was once more recorded and
mixed in Nick's shed with the 100% recycled packaging printed and assembled
in Paul's shed. Simon has no shed, however, the rest of the band has never
made an issue of this - despite the fact that it is precisely this kind of
'musical difference' that has split bands up in the past. Famously John
Lennon had no shed.
Like low-aspiration Lottery winners, the band have always shunned fame,
preferring to keep the trappings of ordinary life, rather than revel in
superstar lifestyles etc. They have sold literally dozens of CDs and host
their own night every month ? the Strychnine Lounge ? in Pudsey, West
Yorkshire.
