| Huggy Bear | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London/Brighton, England |
| Genres | Riot grrrl, art punk, punk rock |
| Years active | 1991 – 1994 |
| Labels | Kill Rock Stars Wiiija Gravity Records |
| Associated acts | Comet Gain Blood Sausage Thee Element of Crime Phantom Pregnancies |
| Website | Huggy Bear's U.S. label page |
| Members | |
| Niki Elliott Jo Johnson Jon Slade Karen Hill Chris Rowley |
|
Huggy Bear were an English riot grrrl band, formed in 1991 in London, and based in Brighton.
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Rising up in tandem with the Olympia, Washington-based riot grrrl movement led by feminist bands such as Bikini Kill,[1] Huggy Bear called themselves "boy-girl revolutionaries," both in reference to their political philosophy and the gender makeup of their band.[2] [3]
During the course of their existence, they refused to be photographed or interviewed by mainstream press,[1] nor gave their full names once they began releasing records formally. In spite of a major label bidding war, Huggy Bear stayed with indie label Wiiija.
| “ | Our situation was different to the one the American Riot Grrrls were responding to. The underground in London had deteriorated totally, there wasn't really much of an alternative . . . 'indie' just became an abstract term for a style of music, not ideas or values, 'cause they were all signing to major labels. The notion of selling out wasn't important. Punk rock wasn't important. Fanzines were seen as a sad joke, so we had to explain stuff that might have been obvious to American kids but was alien to young British kids. The reasons for being independent were snorted at.[4] | ” |
Their avant-garde debut EP, Rubbing the Impossible to Burst, was released in 1992, and in the same year they began working closely with Bikini Kill as riot grrrl's popularity peaked on both sides of the Atlantic, culminating in a split album on Catcall Records (Huggy Bear) and Kill Rock Stars (Bikini Kill) called Our Troubled Youth/Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, the names of the Huggy Bear and Bikini Kill sides, respectively.[1] Huggy Bear then released a series of EPs, which were collected on Taking the Rough with the Smooch. No longer featuring Slade on guitar, Huggy Bear released Weaponry Listens to Love in 1994, their first full-length album as well as their final release.[5]
On February 14, 1993, Huggy Bear performed "Her Jazz" on the British television programme, The Word. After their set, the band stayed in the studio to watch a report on two American models who called themselves "The Barbi Twins". Huggy Bear and their fans became upset at this and started shouting at the show's presenter Terry Christian. They were ejected from the studio, and a spokesperson for The Word later said that one of the band's friends had "bit the face of a member of our production team."[4] The performance was given a Melody Maker cover story, the event being compared to the Sex Pistols' Bill Grundy incident.[6]
After leaving Huggy Bear, Slade joined I'm Being Good and Comet Gain. Rowley later did some artwork for Skinned Teen. Hill started Phantom Pregnancies, whilst Elliott and Johnson joined Blood Sausage. Rowley and Johnson also formed Thee Element of Crime in 1993.