Lorraine Bowen (born 31 October 1961 in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

singer, songwriter, comedian and musician.Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music'', Europa, , p. 56 Bowen has released seven studio and compilation albums, and multiple singles as both a solo and contributing artist.

Music career

Early career

She studied music at the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

, and then busked around London. She was a member of two bands in the 1980s: ''See You in Vegas'' and ''The Dinner Ladies'', as well as performing regularly with

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...

on stage and on record. She has also made many appearances on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

including John Shuttleworth's show '' Radio Shuttleworth'' and the 1999 all-female sketch show ''Heated Rollers'', starring

Lynda Bellingham Lynda Bellingham ( ; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as ''All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series), All Creatures Great and Small'', ''Doctor Who'', ''Second Tho ...

Gwyneth Strong Gwyneth Strong (born 2 December 1959) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Cassandra, the love interest and, later, wife of Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst), in ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1989-2003), and for playing Geraldine Clo ...

and

Joanna Monro Joanna Monro (born 1956) is a British actress and former television presenter who, in the 1980s, appeared on the BBC show ''That's Life!'' with Esther Rantzen. In 1974 she appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' story '' Planet of the Spiders'', followed ...

. She has also written for BBC Radio 4's ''Loose Ends''.

1990–present: Solo career

In 1990, Billy Bragg encouraged Bowen to start a solo career. She started to perform solo shows under name of ''The Lorraine Bowen Experience''; her act featured three songs, a Casio keyboard and an ironing board. This has led to shows all over the world, including festivals in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and in the UK,

Glastonbury Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Glasgay,

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. The name Bestival is a portmanteau of the words best and festival. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festi ...

, The Big Chill,

Secret Garden Party The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent music festival, arts and music festival held in Abbots Ripton, England. The location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its own lakes, river ...

and

Shambala Shambhala (, ),Śambhala m. (also written Sambhala): Name of a town (situated between the Rathaprā and Ganges, and identified by some with Sambhal in Moradabad; the town or district of Śambhala is fabled to be the place where Kalki, the last ...

and many shows in Italy and Spain. Her songs are seen as "quirky", contain humour and are often with a sense of

kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...

.Maupin, Elizabeth (1993) "Bowen's Perkiness Won't Stop: Bubbly and Uninhibited Lorraine Bowen Even Gets the Audience Involved in Her Wackiness", ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...

'', 29 April 1993, p. E1 Themes often include food, film stars (one of her most popular songs is about

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. Christie's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in six films ranked in the British Film Institu ...

), mobile phones, fish fingers and launderettes. Bowen is known for her catchy choruses in songs and encouraging audience participation.

2005–2009: ''Vital Organs''

Vital Organs was the name of Bowen's first solo musical comedy tour celebrating her collection of portable

Casio is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It ...

electronic organs,

omnichord The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument introduced in 1981 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It allows users to play distinctive harp-like arpeggios produced through an electronic strum plate, simulating the experience of ...

and other eccentric portable organs. First performed at London's Drill Hall, the show toured extensively between 2005 and 2009.

2011–2014: ''Lorraine Bowen meets Barbara Moore''

In 2011, Bowen discovered that composer Barbara Moore was alive and living in Bognor Regis while recording an episode of ''Lorraine Bowen's Stereo Spectacular'' radio programme. Moore was active in the British music scene for over 25 years. After starting as a member of

The Ladybirds The Ladybirds were a British female vocal harmony trio, most famous for their appearances on ''The Benny Hill Show''. They participated in over 60 episodes between 1968 and 1991. In addition, they were long-standing backing singers to many esta ...

, went on to work with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

amongst others, but she is not widely known today. Bowen created 'Lorraine Bowen meets Barbara Moore' to provide a platform to show others how prolific Moore had been in the 1960s and 1970s. This show presented Moore and her work to a new audience and featured in the

Brighton Fringe Brighton Fringe is an open-access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England and one of the largest fringe festivals in the world. The programme of 2018 included 1008 events at over 166 v ...

festival in 2014.

2011–2015: ''Lorraine Bowen's Comfort Zone'' and ''Lorraine Bowen's Polyester Fiesta!''

Lorraine Bowen Comfort Zone show was a 'durational project' of three connected concerts exploring

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...

in connection with Brighton's Pink Fringe and the Nightingale Theatre. Supported by

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

, the show ran through the winters of 2011 and 2012, drawing upon a series of experiences provided by

Charlotte Glasson Charlotte Glasson (born 1 March 1973, London, England) is a British multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer and session player, playing soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, flute, alto flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin ...

, Mick Jackson and others. LB Polyester

Lorraine Bowen's Polyester Fiesta show celebrates

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...

and has four models, a scientist and a wardrobe mistress. Bowen acts as hostess, model and sings down the

catwalk A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is where ...

. Bowen has been a collector of vintage polyester outfits since visiting jumble sales as a girl and the collection has been featured on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

's ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...

'' and BBC Radio 4's ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History The first BBC programme for women was the programme cal ...

''. Polyester Fiesta! toured during 2015, been performed at Glasgay, The South Bank Vintage Festival,

, Colchester Arts Centre and

Royal Vauxhall Tavern The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a Grade II listed gay entertainment venue in Vauxhall, London. It is also known as the RVT. It is South London's oldest surviving gay venue. History The RVT was built between 1860 and 1862 at Spring Gardens, Kennin ...

among others.

2015: ''Britain's Got Talent''

Bowen was a contestant on ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

'' in May 2015 and was sent through to the live semi-finals by

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...

' golden buzzer after she sang her own song "The Crumble Song."

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...

and

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B / UK Garage group Mis-Teeq, who had seven UK top 10 hits, ...

buzzed the act, which was about her love of

apple crumble A crumble (British English) or crisp (American English) is a dessert with a crumbly cake-like topping, sometimes with oats, baked over a fruit filling. Apple and rhubarb are two popular varieties. Savoury fillings such as meat, cheese or vege ...

. Bowen was voted off the show in the first semi-final after singing a song about space. She came fourth in the votes, which was not enough to get into the final.

2019: ''Much Ado About Bingo''

This show is a musical cabaret, which features Bowen along with ''Derek Daniels'' Boogaloo Stu and the musical accompaniment of ''Ronnie Hazelnut'' Jason Peg on piano. Offering a mash-up of a Shakespearean game of musical bingo, classic 1970s tunes and largely fictional showbiz anecdotes.

Game music

2020

Bowen started work writing music with Philipp Stollenmayer for his KAMIBOX mobile Game company during the lockdown in 2020. The first release by the company was due in 2023.

2021

She also wrote the theme tune to Kitty Q/Katze Q - in English and German - a game introducing 12-14 year olds to the world of Quantum Physics.

Teaching career

During her early career, Bowen also worked as a part-time music teacher in schools across Hackney. Now based in Brighton, Bowen runs singing workshops at the

Brighton Dome The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England, that contains the Concert Hall, the Corn exchange, Corn Exchange and the Studio Theatre (Brighton), Studio Theatre (formerly the Pavilion Theatre). All three venues are linked to the rest o ...

and Bexhill's

De La Warr Pavilion The De La Warr Pavilion is a grade I listed building, located on the seafront at Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. The Modern architecture, Modernist and International style (architecture), International Style buildin ...

Media career

Radio

''Lorraine Bowen's Stereo Spectacular'' is Bowen's radio show consisting of binaural field recordings, interviews and eclectic tracks. Award-winning and featured on Brighton's

Radio Reverb RadioReverb is a Brighton based non-profit community radio station. The station broadcasts on 97.2 FM and DAB radio as well as online, to the Brighton and Hove area. History RadioReverb originally started by broadcasting as a Restricted Service ...

, the shows are now available as a podcast.

Film

Bowen provided the soundtrack for ''No Deposit, No Return'' by

Dallas Campbell Robert Dallas Campbell (born 17 September 1970) is a British television presenter, podcast host, and television and stage actor, previously a presenter on the factual Channel 5 (UK), Channel 5 series ''The Gadget Show'' in 2008 and BBC One sci ...

. Her original song "Julie Christie" appeared on the Canadian independent film, ''

Better Than Chocolate ''Better Than Chocolate'' is a 1999 Canadian romantic comedy film shot in Vancouver and directed by Anne Wheeler. Plot Maggie ( Karyn Dwyer) has moved out on her own and has started a relationship with Kim ( Christina Cox). Maggie's mother Lil ...

'' soundtrack. Bowen also provides vocals on "There Must Be An Angel" in Sorrentino's 2013 film, ''

The Great Beauty ''The Great Beauty'' ( ) is a 2013 art drama film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Filming took place in Rome starting on 9 August 2012. It premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it was screened in competition for the Palme ...

.'' In 2022, Bowen's song 'Take Time', which first appeared on ‘Suburban Exotica’ was featured in the soundtrack for the film ‘Father Earth’ (2022).

Writing

Bowen is the author of ''The Crumble Lady'', a collection of short stories for children published by Candy Jar Books in November 2017.

Work with other artists

She was discovered by Billy Bragg at the Hackney Empire performing with ''The Dinner Ladies''. After a successful audition to fill in for

Cara Tivey Cara Tivey is an English pianist/keyboardist and vocalist who has mainly worked as a side musician. She is best known for her collaborations with Billy Bragg. Tivey is also the cousin of Stephen and Nick Duffy of the Lilac Time. Biography Ca ...

's maternity leave, Bowen found herself performing her first show with Bragg at the

Liverpool Empire Theatre The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can ...

as part of the ''Workers Playtime Tour''. She then toured

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

just before reunification, performing in Army camps and stadia. Bowen made an appearance in two episodes of '' Radio Shuttleworth'' with John Shuttleworth (S01, E02 and S02, E03).

Discography

Albums

* ''Greatest Hits Volume One'' (1995) * ''Greatest Hits Volume Two'' (1998) * ''Bossy Nova'' (2000) * ''Songs from the Living Room'' (2002, Italian) * ''Vital Organs'' (2006) * '' Suburban Exotica'' (2010) * ''The Crumble Lady'' (2016) * ''Down to Earth (EP)'' (2021) * ''Beauty at the Computer'' (2022)

Singles

* "Faffing Around on Facebook" (2012) * "Drinking Song" (in German) (2012) * "Valentine's Day (in a 21st Century Way)" (2013) * "Japanese Crumble Song (Sushi Song)" (2013) * "Bears" (2015) * "Give My Love to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

" (2015) * "Christmas Crumble" (2015) * "Crumble de Noel" (2015) * "Reggaeton Crumble Song" (2016) * "Kitty Q Game Theme" (2021) * "Katze Q game Theme" (2021 * "Hibernate With Me" – studio version (2021) * "Shit Happens" (2021) * "War is Over, Bang the Drums" (2022) * "Apfelkuchen Song" with Philipp Stollenmayer (2022) * "Ecstasy is Having Your Ears Syringed" (2022) * "Backup Song"' (2022)

As a contributing artist

;Billy Bragg * ''

The Internationale "The Internationale" is an international anthem that has been adopted as the anthem of various anarchist, communist, socialist, democratic socialist, and social democratic movements. It has been a standard of the socialist movement since ...

'' (1990) * '' Don't Try This at Home'' (1991) ;Dope Smugglaz * "The Word" (1998) ;Fantastic Plastic Machine * "There Must Be An Angel (Playing with My Heart) (Mix for Mirror Ball)" (1998) * "Bossa For Jackie (Dedicated to Mrs Kennedy)" (1998) ;The Damned * '' So, Who's Paranoid?'' (2008)

References

External links

Lorraine Bowen's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Lorraine 1961 births Living people English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English keyboardists Musicians from Cheltenham Alumni of the University of Surrey Britain's Got Talent contestants English women comedians English comedy musicians Comedians from Gloucestershire