Au Pairs

Formation Au Pairs formed in Birmingham in 1978. The genesis happened after guitarists Lesley Woods and Paul Foad met at a bus stop in Birmingham in 1976. They began dating and set about starting a band, though their relationship came to an end before the first Au Pairs album came out. Woods was initially a student of philosophy and French at Birmingham University, but transferred to Keele University in Staffordshire as it was a "hotbed of leftwing politics and feminism". and print 1,000 records. They sent a copy to John Peel who played it on BBC Radio 1 and invited them onto the show to play live. The single was released under the band's own 021 Records, which later released the debut single by Musical Youth. Playing with a Different Sex Their first album, Playing with a Different Sex (1981), reached number 33 in the UK Albums chart and number 1 in the Independent Albums chart. It is considered a post-punk classic, with strong, sarcastic songs such as "It's Obvious" and "We're So Cool" taking a dry look at gender relations. Bassist Jane Munro departed the band six months before their dissolution in 1983, Post-breakup (1984 - 2024) Woods formed an all-woman band called the Darlings in the late 1980s, Guitarist Paul Foad and drummer Pete Hammond formed the band End Of Chat with trumpeter Graham Hamilton. In a joint statement, they said: "One of the founding principles of the Au Pairs was equality, and that extended to the members of the band – each one of us uniquely important. We are saddened by Lesley’s desire to take our rights away from us." == Discography ==

Albums • Playing with a Different Sex (Human Records, HUMAN 1, 1981) (No. 33 UK) • Sense and Sensuality (Kamera Records, KAM 010, 1982) (No. 79 UK) Singles • "You" / "Domestic Departure" / "Kerb Crawler" (021 Records, OTO 2, 1979) • "It's Obvious" / "Diet" (021 Records, OTO 4, 1980) (No. 37 on the US Billboard Club Play Singles charts) • "Inconvenience" / "Pretty Boys" (Human Records, HUM 8, 1981) • "Inconvenience" / "Pretty Boys" / "Headache For Michelle" (remix) (Human Records, HUM 8/12, 1981) Live and compilation albums • Live in Berlin (AKA Records, AKA6, recorded 1982, released 1983) • Shocks to the System: The Very Best of the Au Pairs (Cherry Red, CDMRED161, 1999) • Equal But Different - BBC Sessions 79-81 (RPM, RPM139) • Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology (Castle Music, CMQDD1338, released May 2006 in the UK) • Equally Different. Live in Berlin, 1981, Suffragette Production SP 27 (bootleg) == Members ==

• Lesley Woods - guitar/vocals (1978 - 83, 2025 - present) • Alex Ward - guitar (2025 - present) • Estella Adeyeri - bass (2025 - present) • Jem Doulton - drums (2025 - present) Original members • Paul Foad - guitar/vocals (1978 - 83) • Jane Munro (now Dowsett) - bass (1978 - 83) • Pete Hammond - drums (1978 - 83) 1983 members • Nick O'Connor - bass/keyboards/backing vocals (1983) • Jayne Morris - percussion/backing vocals (1983) • Graeme Hamilton - trumpet (1983) • Cara Tivey - additional keyboards (1983) == Critical reception ==

In mid-1981 critic Robin Denselow of the London Guardian praised the group's "viciously well-observed lyrics on contemporary life and love and the role of women’. Music historian Gillian G. Gaar noted in her 2002 ''She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll (Live Girls)'' that the band mingled male and female musicians in a revolutionary collaborative way, as part of its outspoken explorations of sexual politics.{{cite book| author = Gillian G. Gaar| title = She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll == Influence ==

Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill cited the Au Pairs as an influence on her band, and the wider riot grrrl movement. ==References==