#SongoftheWeek: Daphne and Celeste – ‘BB’

• ARTIST: Daphne and Celeste
• SONG: BB

SO ALEX, WHY IS THIS YOUR SONG OF THE WEEK?

We have a documentary about the Now compilation albums on YouTube to thank for leading us to our new #SongoftheWeek this week. You see, at some point whilst watching this documentary last Sunday, it had a bit about how Now compilation albums usually feature what most term as ‘novelty hits’.

The choice of music they used to indicate an example of this? Daphne and Celeste – ‘Ooh Stick You‘ (your mama too. And your daddy), as featured on Now 45 in the spring of 2000. 18 years ago. I remembered Daphne and Celeste, as I’m sure anyone paying attention to the charts at the turn of the millennium did, for their frankly outspoken approach to pop music.

For those unaware of them, they were basically Jedward in a time before they were even thing. They released a handful of singles (aforementioned ‘Ooh Stick You’ being the biggest, reaching #8), riled fans of Westlife and Christina Aguilera on the letters pages of Smash Hits on the count of saying they were boring, and also had a very big hand in one of the greatest/bizarre moments at a music festival ever at Reading and Leeds that same year (one of those ‘has to be seen to be believed’ moments).

But they were also behind some of the most bonkers but brilliant pop music of their time, even if it attracted a niche audience, meaning they were gone almost as quickly as they came. And now, 18 years on, they’re back with a surprisingly brilliant new album we’ve had on loop for the last week.

In collaboration with Max Tundra, (the underground DJ and producer behind remixes for Missy Elliott, Pet Shop Boys and more) who first teamed up with them for comeback single ‘You And I Alone‘ in 2015 after he reached out to them over Twitter, it’s a surprisingly fun, frenetic but sonically complex effort, and makes musical sense in 2018 of an act who some might say were an acquired taste in a way you didn’t think would be possible.

Current single ‘BB’ (short for ‘Basic Busker’) is as cheeky and sassy as ‘U.G.L.Y‘ was in Y2K, taking a knowing aim, like ‘I’d Rather Jack‘ and ‘Hoxton Heroes‘ before it, at mainstream music’s obsession with lauding dullard boys with guitars. Just for its sheer feistiness and endearing attitude, this is the comeback record you don’t know you need, but once you hear it, there’s no question that you do need it. Welcome back ladies.

‘BB’ and the new album ‘Daphne and Celeste Save The World’ are available to stream and download now (and order on a variety of awesome formats at their official website) via Balatonic. Twitter: @Daphne_Celeste

Don’t forget to Tweet us or comment below and let us know your thoughts on our #SongoftheWeek this week!