Biography
In 2009, while studying at Bristol University, London friends Luisa Gerstein and Heloise Tunstall-Behrens formed the concept for pop-folk act Lulu & the Lampshades. Gerstein launched a MySpace page under the blended moniker Helouisa to pursue her goal of band membership, and the project gradually coalesced from there. Once a succession of male guitarists had moved on, Jemma took the guitar chair and drummer/percussionist Dan completed the quartet.
The ensemble draws on calypso rhythms alongside traditional folk lines, allowing its prominent vocal harmonies to guide sugary folk material through shifting tempos and unexpected forms. Gerstein fronts the vocals with Behrens supplying support, weaving in the brooding delivery of their acquaintance Peggy Sue as well as rich, layered backing that sometimes pulls in the full band. The foursome issued “Feet to the Sky” on the U.K. independent label Voga Parochia as a limited-edition 7" of 200 copies that sold out rapidly. Their concerts drew attention in part because the “Lampshades”—two friends costumed as lampshades who danced at either side of the stage—regularly joined, heightening the group’s playful eccentricity.
Fond of writing material while riding bicycles, the band employs an eclectic and unconventional instrumental palette that includes ukulele, glockenspiel, trumpet, violin, and skiffle-style percussion assembled from scrapyard metal, pots, and pans. This resourceful rhythm approach is captured in their D.I.Y. YouTube hit “Cups,” which originated in a percussion-class exercise and merged fluidly with gospel-tinged call-and-response vocals. Moshi Moshi signed the act in 2010 and released the “Cold Water” 7" in 2011 as part of its singles club, with “Cups” on the B-side.
The ensemble draws on calypso rhythms alongside traditional folk lines, allowing its prominent vocal harmonies to guide sugary folk material through shifting tempos and unexpected forms. Gerstein fronts the vocals with Behrens supplying support, weaving in the brooding delivery of their acquaintance Peggy Sue as well as rich, layered backing that sometimes pulls in the full band. The foursome issued “Feet to the Sky” on the U.K. independent label Voga Parochia as a limited-edition 7" of 200 copies that sold out rapidly. Their concerts drew attention in part because the “Lampshades”—two friends costumed as lampshades who danced at either side of the stage—regularly joined, heightening the group’s playful eccentricity.
Fond of writing material while riding bicycles, the band employs an eclectic and unconventional instrumental palette that includes ukulele, glockenspiel, trumpet, violin, and skiffle-style percussion assembled from scrapyard metal, pots, and pans. This resourceful rhythm approach is captured in their D.I.Y. YouTube hit “Cups,” which originated in a percussion-class exercise and merged fluidly with gospel-tinged call-and-response vocals. Moshi Moshi signed the act in 2010 and released the “Cold Water” 7" in 2011 as part of its singles club, with “Cups” on the B-side.
Albums