Poppycock are a predominantly female collective built around Una Baines, a founder member of both The Fall and Blue Orchids and a symbolic godmother to many Mancunian artists and musicians who cite her as an aspiration and mentor. Following low-key releases over the years, finally a full-length album on Tiny Global, and it is utterly spellbinding. (If that’s the right word thinks Ged Babey realising it alludes to witchcraft…)
I am a feminista / I am your sacred sister / No means no / Stop Means stop. (Magic Mothers)
The title track is the only song on this wonderfully varied album that explicitly spells out in defiant slogans the feminism and punk rock core of Poppycock. It’s also one of two that coincidentally shares the vibe of Vi Subversa ‘s Poison Girls – a spiritual sister band to Poppycock if ever there was one.
In some ways Magic Mothers -the album – is a follow up to The Fates – Furia. The greatest ‘lost’ post-punk album and first feminist acid-folk album of the 80’s. Reissued and still available it seems here.
But in essence Magic Mothers, a labour of love stretching back 15 years and more, is a collection of songs Una Baines has written, performed with a cast of friends, singers and players.
Poppycock are musically gentle, melodic, considered and dignified. (Compared to the ‘strident’ and aggressive feminism of some of todays female punk bands. Something that comes with the wisdom of age I guess.) A love of trad Jazz, the bass and the ‘church-organ’ keyboard sound are key to Poppycocks music.
‘Song For Jean’ is a sad but celebratory song for a fallen sister and is almost acapella jazz in the style of Ella Fitzgerald singing Summertime. Neatly the ‘cotton is high’ line is relocated to the North where “those mills how they roar”.
Songs like Hel, Trinity and Let It Out are airy, (acid) folk which have flickers of Nico, who Una knew of course, and the eco-concerns in the lyrics remind me of the Joan Baez songs from the movie Silent Running. (There’s a great bit about Hel in Uncut magazine)
Gaslighting is destined to be an album favourite with its deceptively light Cole Porter style arrangement, it’s a Spanish guitar tango that masks the deadly seriousness of the subject.
