Biography
Until the Australian folk band Club Hoy dissolved in 1993, Penny Flanagan served as one of its two members. She then launched an independent path that, despite ongoing label difficulties, established her among the stronger Australian singer/songwriters active in the mid-1990s.
Her first solo album, Bravado, arrived in 1994, a year after Club Hoy ended, and featured the New Moon as her backing group. The lead single “Lap It Up” preceded the album and earned notable Australian radio exposure. While folk at its core, Bravado also incorporated country-leaning songs, direct pop pieces, and a dance-oriented Boxcar remix of “The Sky,” itself another radio success. Limited promotion from her label, however, kept the record from wider commercial reach even though reviews were favorable and “Lap It Up” had performed well.
Nearly two years of contract disputes concluded with her release from the label in 1996. She then founded Penny Dreadful Records, cut an acoustic collection that revisited several Bravado tracks, and issued the set as Seven Flights Up later that year. Although critics responded positively, commercial results remained modest because mail-order sales alone were available for an extended period.
Flanagan reemerged in 1999 with Light Sleeper, her first collection of entirely new songs in five years. She has also published two novels and multiple short stories.
Her first solo album, Bravado, arrived in 1994, a year after Club Hoy ended, and featured the New Moon as her backing group. The lead single “Lap It Up” preceded the album and earned notable Australian radio exposure. While folk at its core, Bravado also incorporated country-leaning songs, direct pop pieces, and a dance-oriented Boxcar remix of “The Sky,” itself another radio success. Limited promotion from her label, however, kept the record from wider commercial reach even though reviews were favorable and “Lap It Up” had performed well.
Nearly two years of contract disputes concluded with her release from the label in 1996. She then founded Penny Dreadful Records, cut an acoustic collection that revisited several Bravado tracks, and issued the set as Seven Flights Up later that year. Although critics responded positively, commercial results remained modest because mail-order sales alone were available for an extended period.
Flanagan reemerged in 1999 with Light Sleeper, her first collection of entirely new songs in five years. She has also published two novels and multiple short stories.
Albums
