Viv Albertine. Born Sydney, Australia. French/Corsican father, Swiss mother. Brought up in North London (Muswell Hill). Quite poor. Comprehensive school. Favourite subjects, buying records; clothes, boys, art, English. Age17 went to art school. Dropped out and worked at Dingwalls, music venue Camden Town. Went to another art school met Mick Jones, saw The Sex Pistols first show. Bought Horses, Patti Smith. Dropped out. Bought Les Paul Junior with £200 my grandmother left me. Formed a band with Sid Vicious, Sarah and Palmolive called The Flowers of Romance (named by John Lydon). Started to learn to play guitar. Taught by Keith Levene who I have known since we were kids. He taught me that any sounds can go together, he really developed my ear and loads of other stuff. Johnny Thunders taught me how to do screamers (his name) and Joe Strummer, to tap my foot and play at the same time. I didn't have sex with any of them. Saw The Slits play their first show, called them the next day. We got together I back-combed their hair like The New York Dolls. We looked like a band. After The Slits I went to film school. Didn't drop out. Directed stuff for about ten years. Made some money not art. Now making sculpture and writing / recording / performing my own songs.

EP 'Flesh' released 15th March
on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label

Distributed in UK by Cargo Records.

Upcoming shows

20 May - Scala, London
26 May - Bitterscene, Chelmsford
30 May - Je Thames, London
5 Jun - Flat Lake Festival, County Monaghan
13 Jun - Strummerville, London
26 Jun - Glastonbury
23 Jul - The Secret Garden Party
31 Jul - Ladyfest, Norwich
6 Aug - Rebellion festival, Blackpool
6 Sep - Boat Ting, London

Videos on YouTube:
If Love »
The False Heart »

I'm only interested in love and sex as subjects. I mix lyrics and thoughts with shapes representing people.

Click photos to enlarge

25.02.10

EP 'Flesh' released 15th March on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label Buy online at: iTunes Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Emusic Boomkat

25.02.10

Viv Albertine: Interview
Viv Albertine talks candidly to Will Parkhouse about her musical reawakening and the release of her excellent new EP Flesh, on Ecstatic Peace - thequietus.com

Click here to read the full interview

13.01.10

Viv Albertine: Interview
Viv talks to John Clarkson - Published: 13/01/2010 on Pennyblackmusic.com

Click here to read the full interview

Viv Albertine joins up with experimental band Braindead Collective and Zoe Street Howe to record Viv's Christmas song, 'When it Was Nice'.

A melodic, poignant remembering of childhood innocence and trust, with a skewed and intense musical interpretation by BDC.

Viv met BDC when they were both appearing on The Late Late Breakfast Show on Resonance Radio 104.4 FM a month ago.

They hit it off immediately, played their first show together at a friend's birthday party a week later, never having played together before.

The improvisation worked and in that spirit they decided to record one of Viv's songs as a Christmas track available as a free download to mailing list subscribers...

Subscribe here

www.myspace.com/braindeadcollectivemusic

13.11.09

Playing live, solo, on Resonance 104.4 fm and online. 12.00 noon til 1.00. The late late breakfast show.

BBC 6 show The Hub. 11th Dec 2.00pm. Playing live and chatting.

Was on The Late Late show today 13th chatting. Available for download on sanderswood.com/radio

Mixing 'Confessions of a MILF' at The Premises Thurs 19th Nov. Recorded with Mick Jones.

03.11.09

Monitor mix concert review - click here

10.08.09

15 August - 5.00pm at Mick Jones' Rock n Roll Library, Acklam Road off Portobello Road. Viv playing a couple of songs acoustically and Zoe Street Howe reading from The Slits biography.

01.08.09

Viv interviewed for BBC radio 2 on 'the other Notting Hill' transmission date TBC

Viv interviewed for Janice Long Show. Chooses 6 tracks to play. Transmission date TBC

Viv, Tessa and Zoe Street Howe interviewed for Vincent Luttman's show on Resonance Radio. Transmission TBC

Viv interviewed on Gideon Coe's show, chooses 8 tracks to play. Date TBC

30.06.09 For the release in July of The Slits biography, written by Zoe Street Howe, I'm doing some signings at:

FOPP, Covent Garden, 13th July

Rough Trade East (possibly doing an acoustic set as well), July 14th.

Plus a Q and A at The Secret Garden Party on 26th July.

31.03.09 Queens of British Pop transmits BBC 1, 22.45 Wednesday 1st April.

30.03.09 Exclusive! A track on Don Letts' radio show this Saturday, 5th April. BBC 6 Music. Digital station. 11.00-12.00 midnight. Listen again for 7 days go to Don's page at BBC 6 music.

23.03.09 Viv interviewed for BBC documentary 'Queens of British Pop' broadcast on BBC1, 1st April 2009.

21.03.09 The Slits' album, 'Cut' chosen as one of the 50 albums to celebrate Island Records' 50 year anniversary. Viv interviewed for DonLetts' BBC radio documentary airing soon.

20.02.09 Viv recording with Dylan Howe, drums, Ross Stanley, organ, piano and Simon Yapp, violin. Mix by Dennis Bovell. Watch out!

12.02.09 Viv interviewed at The Roundhouse, Camden Town, Feb 15th, 7.30. For Simon Reynolds (Rip it Up) new book Totally Wired.

02.02.09 Viv interviewed in 'Who Killed Nancy'.

Who Killed Nancy - The Movie Opens in UK cinemas February 6th 2009 DVD release February 23rd 2009

29.01.09 The Slits biography written by Zoe Street Howe, to be published by Omnibus this year.

20.01.09 Viv interviewed by Jah Wobble for his radio show on Sid Vicious.
BBC Radio 4, 11:00pm Tuesday 20th January

Jah Wobble discovers the real Sid Vicious, 30 years after the Sex Pistols bassist's death. Wobble formed his own opinion of his friend Sid as they grew up together, but has since met other people who knew him that held contrasting impressions of him.

» click to read interview

» myspace.com/theslits

» theslits.co.uk