“You see, the Suburban Lawns have this Sue Tissue character that soon joins them on keyboards, a very subdued looking girl with long black hair and a predilection for vinyl raincoats and boots. Many of the women who had been drawn to punk were sparky beginners, and the music press were used to judging women in bands on their attractiveness, sexiness and beauty of their voices … which now looks embarrassing … Oh hello Slash magazine? This level of musical flair, remember, was unusual for the time. Having obvious musical skills (She went on to study piano and later released a solo piano album, ‘Salon de Musique’), Su sang, played keyboards and bass in the band. They played LA venues like Masque and Whiskey a gogo. Starting with gigs at the band’s Long Beach studios, Suburban Lawns soon became the go-to support for local and out of town headliners like The Dickies, X, The Germs, Black Flag, Geza X, Human Hands, The Reactionaries, Fear and The Vandals. Their sound was influenced by Talking Heads, Devo, Television and Iggy Pop among others, with the conceptual elements that these bands had in lyrics, clothing and films. And the fact that they put out a single soon after forming, on their own label says a lot about the Lawns’ serious intent. The names – ‘Vex Billingsgate’, ‘Frankie Ennui’, ‘Chuck Roast’, ‘John Gleur’ and ‘Su Tissue’ all had more art-school style than the adopted names of some of their more blunt English counterparts. However, we can write about the band and the reported role that she played according to the guys in Suburban Lawns.Īll members of the Suburban Lawns took punky names for themselves. But we know that Su does not want to be contacted or involved in talking about the past we respect that so we won’t be contacting her. At punkgirldiaries, we often contact women who were involved in music in the 70s and 80s to find out their perspective and experiences. Only one album and two singles were officially released featuring Su Tissue. There were countless spirited and innovative live shows around LA, but few good photographs, videos or live recordings. Like many acts of the time, the impact of Suburban Lawns was huge.
Also, I have no idea how that cheesy production can sound so good.Su Tissue is the pseudonym of Sue McLane, who was at college in California in 1978, when she joined fellow art student William Ranson in the post-punk band Suburban Lawns. Songs like 'Appetite' feel like those novels where you go back and forth in time, but it’s all happening at once.
Some of the best songwriting architecture I’ve heard. Prefab Sprout: I love the spiral shapes of the best songs on this album.
My washing machine is doing its spin cycle, making a high-pitched drone, and that sound and a synth on the Peacock album are playing the same note) Side note: ALSO I'm doing laundry while writing this. You think you know where the songs are going - but you don’t! And to embrace that chaos is the best listening experience. "Su Tissue is a wonderful rogue mix of Steve Reich and Virginia Woolf.Īnnette Peacock: This album is so simple and so complex, occasionally conventionally beautiful, but persistently stubborn.
What’s so special about these albums, and why would you recommend them to others?
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