The Suicidal Birds

Although Frisian band The Suicidal Birds are live two girls, the ten songs on their debut cd “Z-List” have been played and recorded by singer/guitar player Jessie on her own in her studio deep in the woods in the Northern Province of Holland.

Armed with out-dated amps, (self-made) pedals, drum machine, drums, bass guitar, guitars and an elastic and both strong and moving voice she has made recordings that sound like a sledge-hammer.

Drenched in raw passion the blues gets presented from the more or less lightly opener till the hectic closer as a raging storm: intense, urgent, confronting, conjured, personal, sometimes treacherously playful, oppressed, exciting and inescapable.

With a voice full of character, uncompromisingly distorted guitar- and vocalsounds and an at times overwhelming sound-orgy, she has managed to give feelings of doubt, craziness, tragedy, sex & drugs, hope and despair, believe and disbelief a musical format deeply rooted in the blues combined with the energy of punk.

As uncompromising the playing and singing, is the way the songs are recorded: elemental, organic and dynamic, sometimes far in the red, emphasising the rough and readiness, weirdness and wildness that is so essential in Rock & Roll.

A quote, taken from the “Born Bad”-compilation series: “Throughout the history of rock'n'roll there has been those creatures that dwelt on the fringe, rock'n'roll's twilight zone. Deranged visionaries who took their music to the edge, and sometimes over” wouldn't have been misplaced on “Z-List”.

The Suicidal Birds- Z-List release dates:

24/01/05 (Europe)
07/03/05 (UK)

After the release of their critically acclaimed (see reviews) debut album The Suicidal Birds gigged extensively in Holland, played some outdoor festivals, and were invited by BBC Radio One to record a session for Huw Stephens "One Music" programme, which was broadcast on September 27, 2005.

The "One Music"-team played several tracks of Z-List and also Karl Hyde of Underworld played a track of the album during a live webcast.
Beginning of October the band did a short tour in England.

The song "Me Animal" was voted on the # 41 spot in the 2005 Festive Fifty of BBC Radio One's "One Music" programme.

February 2006 The Suicidal Birds did their second tour in England, including live sessions for London's Resonance FM programme "gLASSsHRiMP" on February 8 and BBC Radio One's "One Music" on February 15. The half hour BBC Radio One "One Music"/Huw Stephens live-session was  broadcast on March 28.

for reviews: see reviews page

photo by Kevin Goodall