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The Featherz (formerly The Feathers) are a Welsh and English
band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
with
glam Glam is a shortened form of the word glamour. Glam or GLAM may also refer to: Film * ''Glam'' (film), a 1997 experimental drama film Institutions * University of Glamorgan, founded in 1913 and merged into the University of South Wales in 2013 ...
and
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
influences (self-styled as "Flock Rock") led by Danie Cox (born 15 December 1990 in
Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...
, also known as Danie Centric 2018-2020) on lead vocals and guitar. Cnx formed the band with two fellow former members of Poussez Posse (aka Georgie Girl And Her Poussez Posse), a band fronted by
Georgina Baillie Georgina Baillie (born 7 July 1985) is an English actress, artist, post-punk singer, songwriter, and formerly a burlesque performer. Her stage names have included Voluptua and Georgie Girl. From 2010 to 2013 she worked as a backing vocalist for ...
and mentored by
Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard (born 3 November 1954), known professionally as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK ...
. After leaving Baillie and Ant to form their own group, they received press coverage in the ''
Ipswich Star The ''Ipswich Star'' (formerly ''Evening Star'') is a daily evening local newspaper based in Ipswich, UK published by Archant. The newspaper started publication on 17 February 1885 and is published Monday to Friday. History The newspaper was kn ...
'', ''
Wales On Sunday Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
'', ''
Basingstoke Gazette The ''Basingstoke Gazette'' is a local newspaper for Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The newspaper is published once a week, on a Thursday. A Wednesday edition branded as the ''Basingstoke Extra'', distributed free of charge, ceased to be pub ...
'', website ''
Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by the English musician and journalist John R ...
'' and rock magazine ''
Vive Le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985, which contained two versions of Ant's 1984 song "Apollo 9". Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and Dav ...
'' who included their track "RNR★" on the free CD with the January/February 2014 edition (issue 16). They also completed a UK national tour supporting
Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...
, in three of whose videos Centric appeared and subsequently toured with The Damned. Since May 2014, Cox/Centric is the last remaining founder member. Currently the only other permanent member is longtime drummer Dazzle Monroe (formerly of
Extreme Noise Terror Extreme Noise Terror (often abbreviated to ENT) are a British extreme metal band formed in Ipswich, England in 1985 and one of the earliest and most influential crust bands. Noted for one of the earliest uses of dual vocalists in hardcore,Bonn ...
, born 7 February 1966 in
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
). Together, Cox/Centric and Monroe have continued to record and play live under the Featherz bandname either as a duo or else with guest lead guitarists/bassists. Since early 2019 the band has been mostly on hold while Cox focuses on her side project, all-female
Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...
tribute band Slady (styled SLADY).


History


2011–2014 - Formation

Cox arrived in London in October 2010 to pursue a career as a professional musician. In January 2011, she was recruited to Georgie Girl And Her Poussez Posse as guitarist and backing vocalist. The band also included Baillie, Molly Spiers-MacLeod (the daughter of Spizz) on bass and backing vocals, drummer Rachael Smith and additional guitarist
Fiona Bevan Fiona Mackay Barclay Bevan is an English singer-songwriter from Suffolk, England, who currently resides in London. She co-wrote the song " Little Things" for One Direction along with Ed Sheeran, which became a number-one single in 13 countries a ...
. This lineup supported Ant on four tour dates in Spring/Summer 2011 and recorded tracks for a planned single plus EP. Footage from early 2011 of a Poussez Posse band meeting at Ant's home is included in ''The Blueblack Hussar'', a documentary about Ant directed by Jack Bond. Unhappy with the general direction of the band and Ant's style of mentoring, Cox, Spiers-MacLeod and Smith all left the group (to be replaced by a new lineup, still fronted by Baillie and including future
Curse of Lono Curse of Lono is an English alternative rock band based in London and signed to Submarine Cat Records. They have released one EP and two studio albums. Their most recent album, ''As I Fell'', peaked at number 10 on the Official Americana Albu ...
bassist Charis Anderson, which continued to support Ant on tour until the end of 2012.) The trio formed their own band The Feathers, making their debut
guerilla gig A guerrilla gig is a type of concert performed in a non-traditional setting or arranged in an unusual fashion. It became associated with punk rock, and noise rock bands in UK and the United States during the early to mid-2000s. Bands who perform a ...
appearance at the
Occupy London Occupy London was a political movement in London, England, and part of the international Occupy movement. While some media described it as an "anti-capitalist" movement, in the statement written and endorsed by consensus by the Occupy assembly i ...
camp outside
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
on 23 October 2011. The band's track "Life Stranger" reached the quarter-finals of the YouBloom online talent contest and was released on the compilation ''Hipsters 3''. Cox and Spiers-MacLeod also performed an acoustic set on
Garry Bushell Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York C ...
's ''Rancid Sounds'' radio show on
TotalRock TotalRock is a radio station based in London, England. The station first started in 1997 as Rock Radio Network (RRN), changing name to TotalRock in 2000. The station broadcasts rock and metal music internationally across the internet. History R ...
in April 2012. Two years later in April 2014, they performed a second acoustic set for Bushell's show - by now transferred to online literary community Litopia's podcast section. At around the time of the first session, Smith left the group to be replaced by Alex Gold, also of The Boys. Gold in turn would be replaced by Monroe in January 2013. In April 2013, Cox befriended Boy George after they met at the launch party of an exhibition of stage costumes of their mutual hero
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
at which George was a guest speaker. Impressed with the appearance and demeanour of the glammed-up Cox, George invited her to show herself on stage. Subsequently, Cox appeared in three videos for singles by George: "I'm Coming Home" (also featuring a cameo by Monroe), "King of Everything" and "My God" directed by Dean Stockings. The band also supported George on his November 2013 solo UK tour to promote his album '' This Is What I Do''. In early 2013, the band undertook a photo session for fashion designer Mark Charles and his Charles of London fashion label. From then until mid 2016, all band members regularly wore Charles' designs as stagewear (as Cox did frequently for some time thereafter, resuming the practice with her Slady bandmates in 2019.) Charles also released the band's debut single "RNR★" on his Charles Of London Records label. The A-side was later included on the compilation CD ''Teenage Rampage'', cover-mounted on issue 16 of ''Vive Le Rock'' magazine. The magazine's track guide described Cox as a "rising star" and the band as "injected with glam rock attitude" which "will give you glitter-covered goose bumps and get your feet stomping." The single also received airplay on
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...
and
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford, initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopol ...
. The ''Ipswich Star'' gave a headline preview to the band's 25 January 2014 gig at the Steamboat Tavern in Monroe's native Ipswich, alongside a photo of the band, noting how "The London trio, fresh from Boy George on his recent UK tour, led by Danie Cox, are getting rave reviews for their brand of punk-pop."Featherz lead lineup at Steamboat, ''
Ipswich Star The ''Ipswich Star'' (formerly ''Evening Star'') is a daily evening local newspaper based in Ipswich, UK published by Archant. The newspaper started publication on 17 February 1885 and is published Monday to Friday. History The newspaper was kn ...
'' 24 January 2014 page 4
''Wales On Sunday'' extensively interviewed Cox in the 9 February 2014 edition about the band, their associations with Ant, Baillie, George and Charles, and her life in general. Commenting on Cox and her band, the newspaper noted "With her electrifying red hair, extravagant make-up and outrageous dress sense, 23-year-old Danie Cox and her band The Featherz look every inch pop stars."


2014–2016 - Alice Atkinson era

Spiers-MacLeod left the band in May 2014 and Alice Atkinson was announced as replacement bass player in early June. She made her debut on 28 June 2014 at the
100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...
alongside new additional guitarist Lily Marlene (the daughter of Bond's partner and credited on ''The Blueblack Hussar'' as Assistant to the Director). The gig also marked Cox's return to the stage following a severe knee injury days after Spiers McLeod's departure. Due to Marlene's commitments outside the band, she left amicably and an ongoing vacancy for additional guitarist existed for 14 months until Daniel Jones' spell with the band. In the meantime Cox, Atkinson and Monroe continued to gig in the three-piece format, occasionally joined by various guest guitarists, including David Donley, his student Zoe Keeling, Vera Wild of the band Jelly and Polly Hedges of the band Seek Destroy. In late 2014, they recorded fresh material at Broadoak Studios, Sussex with producer/guitarist Kevin Armstrong. Their
14 February It is observed in most countries as Valentine's Day. Events Pre-1600 * 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the A ...
2015 headline gig at the Irish Centre in
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...
received praise from the ''
Basingstoke Gazette The ''Basingstoke Gazette'' is a local newspaper for Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The newspaper is published once a week, on a Thursday. A Wednesday edition branded as the ''Basingstoke Extra'', distributed free of charge, ceased to be pub ...
'' "The headline band were The Featherz ... who continued the general theme of girls showing just how well they can rock it up ... Not quite as heavy as (''second on the bill act'')
Petrol Girls Petrol Girls are an English punk rock band formed in London in 2012 by Ren Aldridge and Liepa Kuraitė, with Joe York and Zock Astpai joining later. The band is named after the historical Pétroleuses and is outspokenly feminist. They have relea ...
, they still had a real fast punky set. They had also picked up a posse of new followers who were now ready to worship every bead and every bit of glitter - as well as dance along to their songs."Neil Duncan reports on the Valentine's night gig which snatched victory from the jaws of defeat
''
Basingstoke Gazette The ''Basingstoke Gazette'' is a local newspaper for Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The newspaper is published once a week, on a Thursday. A Wednesday edition branded as the ''Basingstoke Extra'', distributed free of charge, ceased to be pub ...
''18 February 2015
The band also played the Pavilion Stage of the 2015
Rebellion Festival The Rebellion Festival, formerly Holidays in the Sun and the Wasted Festival is a British punk rock festival first held in 1996. The festival has attracted mainstream press coverage from such sources as The Independent, The Daily Telegraph and ...
. Their set received an enthusiastic review from Martin Haslam of ''
Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by the English musician and journalist John R ...
'': "Bringing their brand of self-styled ‘Flock Rock’ to the masses, I'm pleased that the venue is filling up. Glam anthems (Glamthems?) get the crowd onside, ‘When Was The Last Time You Had Sex?’ and other ear worms. I’ve seen them before, but this line up has added Alice Atkinson, which is a very good thing; the three-piece with Danie Cox and Dazzle Monroe are now tighter and born to entertain. Championed by Boy George and dressed by Charles Of London, they deserve your attention. Now!" The band appeared again at the 2017 and 2018 festivals, both times on the
Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...
stage. Cox returned to the festival in 2023 on the
Empress Ballroom The Empress Ballroom is an entertainment venue in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre. As part of the Winter Gardens, the ballroom is a Grade II* Listed Bui ...
main stage with Slady who also played 2024 on the Almost Acoustic stage as a duo of Cox and guitarist Dawn Firth-Godbehere. The full band are scheduled for the Club Casbah stage in 2025. A second single for Charles Of London Records, "You" was released from the sessions with Armstrong on download in early September 2015 followed by a CD release two months later. A video was filmed back in April 2015 in Brighton, directed by Stockings. Interviewed by Haslam at Rebellion for ''Louder Than War'', Cox announced that the band's next release would be their debut album. Cox also commented on her philosophy as a performer and bandleader: "I'd always had a dream, to write my own songs, to express myself through my clothes and how I present myself. Luckily, I found that in The Featherz, in London ... We are The Featherz, there is nothing else for me. I'd rather die than give up. Our songs are statements. It really is all I can do" Around the time of the single's download release, the additional guitarist role was briefly filled when Jones joined. He left amicably three months later due to musical differences, shortly before the band played three high profile support slots in Sheffield, Liverpool and London, for The Damned. Following the death of her hero
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
in January 2016, Cox was filmed by Italian television show ''
Studio Aperto ''Studio Aperto'' (lit. ''Open Studio'') is the brand for Italian TV channel of Mediaset network Italia 1's news programmes. Founded by Emilio Fede on 16 January 1991 with the beginning of Gulf War, it's shown domestically on Italia 1. Created by t ...
'' performing Bowie's songs at his shrine at the Heddon Street telephone box while the Featherz performed at a Bowie memorial concert at the
Union Chapel, Islington Union Chapel is a working Congregational church, live-entertainment venue and charity drop-in centre for the homeless in Islington, London, England. Built in the late 19th century in the Gothic revival style, the church is a Listed building, G ...
with
Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...
's sister Maggi guesting with the band on vocals for "
Ziggy Stardust Ziggy Stardust was a glam alter ego of musician David Bowie in the early 1970s. It may refer specifically to: * Ziggy Stardust (character) * ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'', often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'', a ...
" Cox and
Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight, The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur, CSS and The Pretty Reckless. Early caree ...
's biographer Clifford Slapper also performed a vocal/piano version of " We Are the Dead". Also in early 2016 the band, plus Donley again on additional guitar, recorded new material at Quadra Studios in Walthamstow with producer John "Lucifer" Pridige. A new additional guitarist, Chris Shepherd, joined the band in April. In June a video, featuring the new lineup, was filmed in
Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
for Atkinson composition Forget All You Know. In early September, the video was posted to YouTube and this track and a cover of
Moonage Daydream "Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band Arnold Corns in May 1971 on B&C R ...
(featuring Slapper on piano), both from the Quadra session, were uploaded to the group's Bandcamp account and
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
store. Prior to this, a trailer video featuring a clip from a third track from Quadra, a cover of "
The Ballroom Blitz "The Ballroom Blitz" is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The song reached number one in Canada, number two in the UK Singles Chart and the Australian Chart, and number five on the US Billboard H ...
" had been posted to YouTube. Cox and Slapper recorded another version of Moonage Daydream for the latter's planned album ''Bowiesongs 2'', while Cox also collaborated with
The Lurkers The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They were the first group to be on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five singles also chart ...
on their track High Velocity, which was released as a single 24 November 2017. ''Louder Than Wars Ged Babey praised Cox's contribution: "Dani (''sic'') has a likeable
Honey Bane Honey Bane (born Donna Tracy Boylan, 1964) is an English singer and actress, possibly best known for her 1981 UK Top 40 single "Turn Me On Turn Me Off". Early life and career Honey Bane began her musical career at the age of 14 in 1978 when s ...
meets
Beki Bondage Beki Bondage (born Rebecca Louise Bond) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontwoman of the punk rock, punk musical band, band Vice Squad. She appeared on the front cover of a number of influential Music journali ...
singing style and is perfect on the song." The track received airplay on
Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with BBC Radio 6 Music. Lamacq was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire ( ...
's show on
BBC Radio 6music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...
and Cox recorded further material with the Lurkers in December 2017, February 2018 and May 2018.


2016–2018 - ''Five-Year-Itch'', ''Ordinary Girl?'' EP

Atkinson and Shepherd left the band in late 2016. Guitarist Holly Henderson of the band Dorja and bassist Jenny Lane of the band Planet Of The Capes, both of whom previously deputised in these roles in The Featherz, served as temporary live members until the arrival of permanent replacements, Swedish bassist Gerda Lucy Rankka aka Lucy Lawbreaker and Italian additional guitarist Aryanne Maudit. In the meantime, the band produced new music videos of the tracks Chelsea, Takes One To Know One and Moonage Daydream and recorded further material in Quadra Studios with Pridige and Faebhean Kwest. Appearing on internet radio station K2K Radio's show Flipside London Radio hosted by Aidan McManus, on 28 March 2017, Cox confirmed that the band's imminent debut album was entitled ''Five-Year-Itch'' and would be 17 tracks long. Episode 8 with Danie Cox from Flock Rockers The Featherz, transmitted 28 March 2017 K2K Radio. Event occurs at 01:50:14 The album was released on 13 April 2017 and was compiled by Pridige (who also funded the release) from content from various sessions since 2012 (hence the album title) including material from his own sessions with the band at Quadra Studios as well as the Broadoak Studios sessions with Armstrong, both sides of the RNR★ single recorded in 2013 and the band's earliest attempt at making an album at Perry Vale Studios in 2012, as well as Pridige's own live recordings of the band. ''Vive Le Rocks Alison Bateman rated the album 7/10. Although lukewarm about the choices of covers included, she nevertheless enthused, "(The band) have already built a buzz with their energetic live shows, centred on flame-haired attitude-oozing young frontwoman Danie Cox. Their cheeky punked-up glitter rock risks being a tough act to translate to the studio, but ''Five-Year-Itch'' mostly manages with charismatic flair... They're neither short on musical chops, nor shy of buckling down to serious business of writing infuriatingly immovable hooks."''Five-Year-Itch'' review by Alison Bateman, ''Vive Le Rock'' issue 46 (July 2017) page 87 The band's next single, Ordinary Girl? recorded late 2016 at Quadra with Atkinson and Shepherd (shortly before their departures) and produced by Pridige, was released on Bandcamp on 1 May 2017. The single cover featured Cox's friend, the late Imogen Goldie whose mother Diane had previously designed and provided the costumes worn by the band in the Forget All You Know video and again in the video for this single, in which she herself appeared. In September, the band announced their intention to recruit a keyboard player. Successful applicant Catherine Robertson from Wales made her debut with the band on 26 October at the O2 Islington when they supported Penetration (whose song Don't Dictate previously appeared on ''Five-Year-Itch''.) In late November Maudit left and was replaced by Lawbreaker's partner and fellow Swede John Jönsson, who had already substituted for Maudit at two of the four dates of the band's November 2017 UK tour. The CD edition of ''Ordinary Girl?'' was released on 3 January 2018, also including the last remaining tracks from the first Quadra studios session from early 2016. Ged Babey, reviewing the EP for ''Louder Than War'', was suitably impressed, describing the band as "brash, flash,
glam Glam is a shortened form of the word glamour. Glam or GLAM may also refer to: Film * ''Glam'' (film), a 1997 experimental drama film Institutions * University of Glamorgan, founded in 1913 and merged into the University of South Wales in 2013 ...
, blam-blam wiggy,
Ziggy Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include: Nickname or hypocorism * Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League play ...
, rockin rollin’, into Bolan… just a great old-skool party band," the lead track as having "the feel of a fab 1979 Noo Wave single -sprinkled with glitter and all over Radio Wun - not arf!" with "that staccato
Lene Lovich Lili-Marlene Premilovich (born March 30, 1949), known professionally as Lene Lovich ( ), is an American-British singer. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Sin ...
feel that
Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Caree ...
nicked and lovely thick slices of guitar," the video as "beautifully lo-fi and am-dram and captures a band who take their music but not themselves too seriously," and the cover image of Imogen Goldie cover as "proving if nothing else that behind the glitter there are some tears and there is more ‘depth’ to the band than there might initially seem." The band recorded a session in January 2018 with Centric (as Cox was now known) self-producing. Around this time it was announced that Centric was now permanent vocalist for The Lurkers, while also continuing with The Featherz. In February 2018 Maudit returned to the band after only three months away, to form a new six piece lineup, with Centric no longer playing guitar. Further work on the January recording was carried out in mid March; shortly afterwards however, Maudit, Lawbreaker, Jönsson and Robertson all left. In April, with Pridige once again producing, Centric and Monroe recorded another session, with lead guitarist Calle Englemarc of
The Members The Members is a British punk rock, punk band that originated in Camberley, Surrey, England. In the UK, they are best known for their single "The Sound of the Suburbs", reaching No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, and in Australia, "Radio" ...
and, together with Lane on bass, they filmed an official live video at the
Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...
Bassist Emily Condon (of Southend band The Fleas) joined the band in July, making her debut in August at the Rebellion Festival, but was fired in September after pulling out of several gigs, the last of which, in Ipswich, went ahead regardless as a duo performance, which has since remained the band format. Centric, Monroe and Pridige also recorded yet further tracks at QRS Studios at the end of 2018.


2019–present - Side projects, second album

Centric's second single with
The Lurkers The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They were the first group to be on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five singles also chart ...
, Electrical Guitar, came out in January 2019 and topped the UK Vinyl Singles chart. Parent album ''Sex Crazy'' was released in October 2020 featuring the two A-sides recorded with Centric although "This Is Your Revolution" and other songs were rerecorded in 2019 without Centric for the release. Interviewed for ''Vive Le Rock'' in 2020 to promote the album release, Centric's fellow Lurkers praised her contributions. Esso recalled "I asked her to join us for a few tracks or whatever, and I'm glad she did. I think she sounds great, it gave us a bit of a lift - she's a great singer." Moore concurred, "We were looking for a fresh feel at the time, so when she asked to meet Esso to talk about his book ''God's Lonely Men'' I suggested she ask her if she like icto do some vocals, she agreed and made a great job of "High Velocity" and "Electrical Guitar." I can't imagine anyone else singing "High Velocity." Early in 2019, Pridige mastered the Featherz' 2017–2018 Quadra Studios sessions to form a second album with the working title ''Flock On'', to clear up most of the band's remaining songs thus far. However this was not released at the time as Centric was dissatisfied with the mix on one track. The combination of intensive Slady-related activity (as detailed below) and disruption from the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
has left this project on hiatus as of . However, both Centric and Pridige expressed willingness to complete the album at some point in the future. Centric also formed all-female
Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...
tribute band Slady, with drummer Fiona Dulake and bassist Wendy Solomon (aka Angel Melodyhorn - the partner of David Woodcock who has guested with the full band, billed as " Our Friend Stan"), who made their debut in Southend in November 2018.''Whatever Happened To Slade'', Darryl Eastlea,
Omnibus Press Omnibus Press is a publisher of music-related books. It publishes around 30 new titles a year to add to a backlist of over 300 titles currently in print. History Omnibus Press was launched in 1972 as a general non-fiction publisher to complem ...
2023, p396
They were later joined by guitarist Annie Needham and drummer Sophie Reed who replaced Dulake. Respectively, Centric, Solomon, Reed and Needham adopted the aliases Gobby Holder, Jem Lea. Donna Powell and Davina
Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...
in the band. Since February 2019, this project has been Centric's main focus and they played at Slade's main fan convention in Wolverhampton in Octobers of 2019, 2021 and 2022. They were listed in ''
Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
'' as one of three "Acts To Catch This Christmas" in their 'Going Out' section. Slady's live set for 2021 featured a track-by-track performance of the hit album ''
Slade Alive! ''Slade Alive!'' is the first live album by the British rock band Slade. The album was released on 24 March 1972 and reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, remaining in the chart for 58 weeks. It was Slade's first album to enter the UK charts and ...
''. Needham left Slady at the end of 2021, once all existing commitments were completed, to focus on her other band Sweet Giant (formerly Big Peyote). The search for Needham's replacement received press coverage in the ''
Shropshire Star The ''Shropshire Star'' is an English regional newspaper and reputedly the twelfth biggest-selling regional newspaper in the UK. It is based at Grosvenor House, Telford, where it covers the whole of Shropshire plus parts of Herefordshire, Worces ...
''. She was replaced by Dawn Firth-Godbehere as the new "Davina Hill" in early 2022. Shortly afterwards, Jessica Dann replaced Reed as "Donna Powell" on drums. Both Needham and Reed have occasionally returned to stand in for their respective successors. The band toured with
The Rezillos The Rezillos are a punk and new wave band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1976. Although emerging at the same time as other bands in the punk rock movement, the Rezillos did not share the nihilism or social commentary of their contemporaries ...
in June and recorded a studio session in August 2022 for a first single, a cover of Slade's "
Merry Xmas Everybody "Merry Xmas Everybody" (stylised as "Merry Xmaƨ Everybody") is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas ...
" and custom composition "Slade Are For Life Not Just For Xmas" (by Slade fan John Barker). A video for the former was filmed in a
Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. It was Historic counties of England, historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. Hoxton lies north-east of the City of London, is considered to be a part of London's East End ...
pub in October; the filming attracted coverage from the ''Hackney Post'' and ''
Hackney Gazette Archant Limited is a newspaper and magazine publishing company with headquarters in Norwich, England. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 50 weekly newspapers, and 80 consumer and contract magazines. The company is a subsidiary of ...
''. The CD and download single were released and the video was premiered on Youtube on 1 December followed by a video for the second track on 14 January 2023. The band recorded their second single in April 2024 "
Cum On Feel The Noize "Cum On Feel the Noize" is a song by the English rock band Slade which was released in 1973 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK Sin ...
" b/w "Dig Me", the latter being the Featherz' song revisited, both being rerecordings of tracks from ''Five Year Itch''. It was released 23 August 2024, followed by music videos of both tracks. Georgia Levermore replaced Firth-Godbehere in April 2025. The new lineup recorded three tracks - "
Coz I Luv You "Coz I Luv You" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released in 1971 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart, giv ...
", " My Oh My" and another as yet unspecified Featherz song - for their third single. In June, Cheryl Marie Chitty and Dill Tasker replaced Levermore and Dann respectively. In late 2023 "Holder", "Lea" and "Stan" formed a stripped-down three piece acoustic version of the band for smaller bar gigs. Cox/Centric has also formed the band "Cilla's Back" - a tribute act to
Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...
and other female 1960s singers - and performed as Black in stage show ''This Is Merseybeat'' (as previously scheduled for 2022) at a March 2025 performance at the Gladstone Theatre in the Wirral. Monroe meanwhile contributed for some time (until his 2022 return to Suffolk) to Slady as a concert photographer and as a graphic designer and on one occasion (an August 2019 support slot for John Rossall's disputed version of
The Glitter Band The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing gramophone record, records of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glitte ...
at the
Dublin Castle Dublin Castle () is a major Government of Ireland, Irish government complex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located off Dame Street in central Dublin. It is a former motte-and-bailey castle and was chosen for its position at ...
) as substitute drummer for Reed, once again on stage with Cox/Centric. In addition, he has occasionally played reunion gigs with his early Suffolk scene band, Rue De La Mort.


Personnel


The Featherz

Current members * Danie Cox/Centric – vocals September 2011 – present, guitar September 2011 – February 2018 and April 2018 – present * Dazzle Monroe – drums January 2013 – present (Band dormant since early 2019) Former members *Molly Spiers-MacLeod – bass September 2011 – May 2014 *Rachael Smith – drums September 2011 – April 2012 *Alex Gold – drums May 2012 – December 2012 *Lily Marlene – lead guitar April 2014 – August 2014 *Alice Atkinson – bass June 2014 – December 2016 *Daniel Jones – lead guitar October 2015 – November 2015 *Chris Shepherd – lead guitar April 2016 – December 2016 *Aryanne Maudit – lead guitar February 2017 – November 2017 and February 2018 – March 2018 *Lucy Lawbreaker – bass February 2017 – March 2018 *Catherine Robertson – keyboards, October 2017 – March 2018 *John Jönsson – lead guitar December 2017 – January 2018, rhythm guitar February 2018 – March 2018 *Emily Condon – bass July 2018 – September 2018 Timeline


Slady

Current members * Danie Cox/Centric – vocals and guitar as "Gobby Holder" November 2018 – present * Wendy Solomon – bass as "Jem Lea" November 2018 – present * Dill Tasker – drums as "Donna Powell" June 2025 – present * Cheryl Marie Chitty – lead guitar as "Davina Hill" June 2025 – present Part time member * David Woodcock – keyboards as "Our Friend Stan" intermittently 2018–present Former members * Fiona Dulake – drums as "Donna Powell" November 2018 – April 2019 * Sophie Read – drums as "Donna Powell" May 2019 – January 2022 * Jessica Dann – drums as "Donna Powell" February 2022 – May 2025 * Annie Needham – lead guitar as "Davina Hill" May 2019 – December 2021 * Dawn Firth-Godbehere – lead guitar as "Davina Hill" February 2022 – March 2025 * Georgia Levermore – lead guitar as "Davina Hill" April 2025 – May 2025 Timeline


Discography

The discography of The Featherz consists of one studio album (including some live material), one EP, four singles including the EP title track, nine music videos and one original appearance on another release. A second studio album, recorded 2017–2018, remains unreleased. Cox/Centric has also sung on two singles by
The Lurkers The Lurkers are a British punk rock band from Uxbridge, West London. They were the first group to be on Beggars Banquet Records for whom they released two albums, the first of which charted in the UK Albums Chart, while five singles also chart ...
and played guitar and sung on two singles by Slady with a third single recorded and awaiting release.


Album

*''Five-Year-Itch'' (Flockrock Records, FRO1, 2017 - CD album only) # "Takes 1 2 Know 1" # "When I Fall In Love" # "RNR★" # "When Was The Last Time You Had Sex?" # "Dig Me" # "Chelsea" # "Bad Girl" # "Party Crasher" # "Forget All You Know" # "
Moonage Daydream "Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band Arnold Corns in May 1971 on B&C R ...
" # "Patience" (Live - Acoustic) # " Ballroom Blitz" # "Give Over Darling" # "
Cum On Feel The Noize "Cum On Feel the Noize" is a song by the English rock band Slade which was released in 1973 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK Sin ...
" # "Beat On The Brap" (Live) # "Hopeless Summer" (Live) # " Don't Dictate" (Live)


Singles/EP

* ''RNR★'' (Charles Of London Records, COLRecords1, 2013, 7" vinyl only) # "RNR★" # "When Was The Last Time You Had Sex?" * ''You'' (Charles Of London Records, COLR002, 2015, mp3s on
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
plus CD single) # "You" # "Bad Girl" * ''Forget All You Know'' (2016, mp3s on Bandcamp and
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. A CD single edition was planned, but did not materialize - instead the tracks were included on the ''Five-Year-Itch'' album.) # "Forget All You Know" # "
Moonage Daydream "Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band Arnold Corns in May 1971 on B&C R ...
" * ''Ordinary Girl?'' EP (Flockrock Records, FRO2, 2017, Track 1 only mp3 single on Bandcamp and
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. 2018 CD EP of full release) # "Ordinary Girl?" # "Do You Wanna Feel Free?" # "
20th Century Boy "20th Century Boy" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan, released as a stand-alone single on 2 March 1973. Although at first considered as its closing track, "20th Century Boy" was not featured on the album '' Tanx'' ...
" # "When Was The Last Time You Had Sex?" (Live) # "Ordinary Girl?" (original mix) # "Bad Girl" (Live - Acoustic - bonus hidden track)


Compilations

* ''Hipsters 3'' (
Acid Jazz Records Acid Jazz Records is a record label based in East London formed by Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller in 1987. The label is the namesake of the acid-jazz subgenre of jazz music for which it is most famously known for producing. Background The l ...
, AJX287, 2012, CD) # "Life Stranger" (also released as standalone mp3 on iTunes. Reissued on Bandcamp 18 December 2014) * ''Teenage Rampage'' (''
Vive Le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985, which contained two versions of Ant's 1984 song "Apollo 9". Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and Dav ...
'', VIVE016, 2013, CD''
Vive Le Rock ''Vive Le Rock'' is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in September 1985, which contained two versions of Ant's 1984 song "Apollo 9". Production Producer Tony Visconti, famous for his 1970s work with Ant's heroes Marc Bolan and Dav ...
'' issue 16 (January/February 2014), p28 & covermount CD
) # "RNR★" *''Redrock Festival 2016: All Day Rock Fest - National and International Bands 2nd Oct 2016'' (Redwire, RED002, 2016 CD) # "Bad Girl" *''The Punk Lounge Presents.. Songs From The Sofa Volume 1'' (The Punk Lounge, download on Bandcamp, 2018) #"You"


Other projects by Danie Cox/Centric


The Lurkers

''See also The Lurkers discography'' *''High Velocity EP'' (Human Punk/ Damaged Goods, DAMGOOD491-HP002, 2017, limited edition 500 copies on 7 inch pink vinyl) # "High Velocity" (single A side - two non-Centric tracks on B side) *''Electrical Guitar'' (Human Punk/Damaged Goods, 2019, limited edition 750 copies on 7 inch split black/clear vinyl) - UK Vinyl Singles chart no.1 # Electrical Guitar # That Was Julia *''Sex Crazy'' (studio album, two Centric tracks) Damaged Goods DAMGOOD541 2020
  1. High Velocity
  1. Electrical Guitar
: (Track 10 This is Your Revolution had also previously been recorded with Centric and performed live by The Featherz. The Lurkers recorded initial versions of several other tracks with Centric early in the album sessions.)


Slady

*''
Merry Xmas Everybody "Merry Xmas Everybody" (stylised as "Merry Xmaƨ Everybody") is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas ...
'' (Sladydor, 5624, 2022, CD single and Download) # "
Merry Xmas Everybody "Merry Xmas Everybody" (stylised as "Merry Xmaƨ Everybody") is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas ...
" # "Slade Are For Life, (Not Just For Christmas)" (by John Barker/Slady) *''
Cum On Feel The Noize "Cum On Feel the Noize" is a song by the English rock band Slade which was released in 1973 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK Sin ...
'' (Sladydor, 2024, CD single and Download) #"
Cum On Feel The Noize "Cum On Feel the Noize" is a song by the English rock band Slade which was released in 1973 as a non-album single. It was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler. It reached No. 1 in the UK Sin ...
" # "Dig Me" (The Featherz song)


Videography


Music videos

The Featherz Other projects by Danie Cox/Centric: Appearances by Danie Cox/Centric in other acts' official videos In addition, in 2015 Cox starred in and Monroe directed an unofficial video for "Never Marry A Railroadman" by
Shocking Blue Shocking Blue was a Dutch rock band formed in The Hague in 1967. They were part of the Nederbeat movement in the Netherlands. The band had a string of hit songs during the Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture movement of the 1960s and e ...
.


Concert tours


Headlining

* November 2017 UK tour - four dates including London
100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...
support slot for
The Members The Members is a British punk rock, punk band that originated in Camberley, Surrey, England. In the UK, they are best known for their single "The Sound of the Suburbs", reaching No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, and in Australia, "Radio" ...


Opening act

*
Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...
's '' This Is What I Do'' UK tour, first leg - all seven dates (November 2013) * The Damned's December 2015 UK tour - three dates plus afterparty for London date and headline show in Camden one night before opening date * Healthy Junkies' ''Box of Chaos'' UK tour - four dates plus headline show in
Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...
two nights before opening date (June–July 2016) In addition, as sidewomen in the Poussez Posse, the founding line-up of Cox, Smith and Spiers-MacLeod toured supporting
Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard (born 3 November 1954), known professionally as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK ...
's ''The Good the Mad and the Lovely'' UK tour - three dates including preview show (May 2011) Side project Slady toured with
The Rezillos The Rezillos are a punk and new wave band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1976. Although emerging at the same time as other bands in the punk rock movement, the Rezillos did not share the nihilism or social commentary of their contemporaries ...
on their Summer 2022 national tour - three dates plus headline show in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
, day after final date (June 2022)


Equipment

Prior to 2021, Cox/Centric's signature instrument was her emerald-glitter painted
Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporati ...
"Alian". In the aftermath of Kemp's death, she received a cherry red
Gibson SG The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961, following on from the 1952 Gibson Les Paul. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. SG stands for "solid guitar". Origins The S ...
as a birthday present from her Slady bandmates, named "Dave" in his memory which has become her main guitar. Since early 2015 she has also had a light blue Fender acoustic guitar, named "Glas" (Welsh for "sky"/"blue") which has been used with both Slady and The Featherz-related acoustic performances (replacing an earlier black acoustic guitar, a gift from Smith). When Spiers-Macleod joined the Poussez Posse in 2011, Cox loaned her a replica Music Man bass "Gravy" which she continued to use until leaving The Featherz in 2014. Atkinson had her own bass "Dallon" - a white
Gibson Thunderbird The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone. Background and introduction The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introdu ...
which she continued to use with subsequent bands the Black Bullets, Neverlanded and Bitchin' Hour - and a blue
Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...
Exotica acoustic bass named "
Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lol ...
" (to visually match "Glas" at acoustic gigs).


References


External links


The Featherz official website

The Featherz discography on Discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Featherz Indie rock groups from London English punk rock groups Glam punk groups 2011 establishments in England Musical groups established in 2011