Biography
Though recognition has come to Astley chiefly through her work alongside other artists rather than through her own releases, she trained classically in Britain as a pianist and flutist and is Pete Townshend's sister-in-law. She supplied piano for his "Slit Skirts" and recorded sessions with Siouxsie & the Banshees. The Ravishing Beauties, her late-'70s band, also featured future Dream Academy singer Kate St. John and Nicky Holland, who would work with Tears for Fears and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Her modest catalog fuses ambient, at times experimental textures and forms with her pretty soprano vocals. She has produced three albums, only the last issued in the U.S., plus a handful of single and EP tracks, yet she stays virtually unknown to American audiences. Her records are recommended to listeners looking for intriguing ambient British pop who find the Cocteau Twins and the 4AD stable too wimpy and pretentious.