Someone lost their mobility because they hated us so much!
April 1, 2015 12:55 PM   Subscribe

Daphne and Celeste were a manufactured teen pop duo around the turn of the century, who released singles such as U.G.L.Y and Ooh Stick You and reached some kind of apotheosis during a legendary near-riot of a performance at the 2000 Reading Festival (at a time when it was essentially a heavy metal festival), and then went off to have normal lives. Ben Jacobs made quirky, obscure but well-loved electro-pop records under the name Max Tundra, before going on an extended sabbatical in 2008. In 2011, Ben contacted Daphne and Celeste and asked if they'd like to make a record with him. This is it. The Guardian reports.

Personally, I think it's wondrous. Other opinions are, of course, available. It's just that I don't recognise them.
posted by Grangousier (26 comments total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
I nearly posted this, but this is a much better effort than I would have made. Good work Grangousier.
posted by biffa at 12:59 PM on April 1, 2015


Thanks! It's such an earworm, isn't it? I have a constant urge to dance around humming it, which is an unflattering look for a gentleman of my age and circumference.
posted by Grangousier at 1:06 PM on April 1, 2015


man, this sent me off trying to remember the two russian girls from 2000 -- tatu. Yeah, be careful of your search terms when trying to remember things like that.
posted by k5.user at 1:06 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]


That Reading festival video is hilarious. I don't know anything about these women, but they are awesome.

Theoden: What can men do against such reckless hate?
Daphne and Celeste: Thanks guys, I will die! We're going to sing another song now!
posted by Think_Long at 1:20 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]


and reached some kind of apotheosis during a legendary near-riot yt of a performance at the 2000 Reading Festival (at a time when it was essentially a heavy metal festival),

I was at the Leeds counterpart in 2000 and more or less the same thing happened there, but one day earlier. It is, for some reason, completely forgotten when people speak about the incident in Reading. I recall that a band had cancelled their appearance at Leeds at short notice--though I can't remember who--and Daphne and Celeste riled up the audience by saying that the band had actually arrived and were backstage...then revealed they were lying. I remember plenty of bottles, and even shoes, being thrown at them. I couldn't hear the music over people shouting, "Fuck you!" in full voice. It was funny for a while, but actually a little unpleasant all things considered.

Also, it wasn't a heavy metal festival in 2000, it was loosely rock. Acts that I remember that day were Blink 182, Placebo, Rage Against the Machine, Stereophonics (man, were they boring), and Slipknot (the only one of those I would call heavy metal).

(PS, were they actually teens? Everybody knew they were manufactured, but most folk thought they were a fair few years out of their teens.)
posted by Thing at 1:28 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Sack Foo Fighters! Get Daphne and Celeste headlining Friday night at Glastonbury. Teach all those pricks on the anti-Kanye petition a lesson.

This is also a really good track.
posted by howfar at 1:28 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]


Agreed. I liked it more than I expected, given their prior work.
posted by Samizdata at 1:34 PM on April 1, 2015


For the record, here's the line-up for the 2000 Reading and Leeds Festival. Thing's recollection was pretty spot-on.
posted by mhum at 1:35 PM on April 1, 2015


Born Dec 1980 and Sep 1983, so they would have indeed been teens at Reading 2000. Way more self-composure and guts then I could have managed at that age.
posted by tavella at 1:37 PM on April 1, 2015


The NME has a review of Daphne and Celeste's comeback - but I really wish I could find Steven Wells' revew from just after Reading - this is the only thing I could find
posted by BigCalm at 1:40 PM on April 1, 2015


I'm curious why they ended up sitting on the song for four years? The article doesn't say, or if it did I missed it.
posted by tavella at 1:41 PM on April 1, 2015


THAT'S ALL RIGHT
THAT'S OK
YOU'RE GOING TO PUMP OUR GAS SOME DAY
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:42 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


(Ah, sorry - I'm of an age for whom Reading was the yearly metal jamboree, and I didn't notice that it had changed policy until later. Being lazy in the brain, here. And yes, Steven Wells called it, I think, way back then.)
posted by Grangousier at 1:43 PM on April 1, 2015


And yes, Steven Wells called it, I think, way back then.

And if you note, he's talking about after Leeds on the Saturday. Their Reading performance was on the Sunday. Even the Guardian gets it wrong. I'm going to my grave shaking my fist and shouting, "We bottled them first!"
posted by Thing at 1:48 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]


This song is waaay less PC Music than I would have expected from the earlier releases.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:20 PM on April 1, 2015




I loved its VHS quality. I loved its squiggly lines.
The beat went with the lyrics right well.
I demand more.
posted by QueerAngel28 at 4:42 PM on April 1, 2015


OK, the first comment on the "You And I Alone" YT link appears to be from the official account of drag queen Willam Belli. As in, a breakout star from RPDR is commenting on a video for a song produced by Max Tundra, aaaaargh, worlds colliding, my head asplode
posted by en forme de poire at 7:37 PM on April 1, 2015


I remember the good old days of Reading Festival, when Sunday night basically resulted in most of the campsite lighting poles and security towers on the ground, and the portaloos on fire or overturned with people inside them.

Happy days.
posted by MattWPBS at 11:42 PM on April 1, 2015


Reading festival, 2000, and on the main stage one of the most punk-rock performances in living memory is taking place. But it’s not Rage Against the Machine, or Slipknot, or any of the other supposedly “punk” acts on the bill. It’s the pop duo Daphne and Celeste

Are they using the modern, American version of punk, when naming these "punk" bands?

Fun fact? I saw a number plate recently: SLIPKNT.
Which implies there is a SLIPKNOT around.
posted by Mezentian at 4:32 AM on April 2, 2015


Are they using the modern, American version of punk, when naming these "punk" bands?

Not really, it's "punk" in the sense that it's iconoclastic - the challenging of the status quo.
posted by BigCalm at 7:15 AM on April 2, 2015


Those are my top 2 baby names. I'm... I'm not sure what to make of that....
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:09 AM on April 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


Cool story. Cool song.
posted by kyrademon at 11:14 AM on April 2, 2015


Man, those women were punk as fuck.
I am in awe.
posted by Floydd at 12:33 PM on April 2, 2015


Yeah. While I hate those songs from their teen years, they were awesome on stage at the festival. And the new single is brilliant.
posted by mbrubeck at 8:14 PM on April 2, 2015


I love how nonplussed Ben Jacobs is in the video.

Director: "Ben, we'd like you in the video."
Ben: "OK. What will I be doing?"
Director: "Play your instruments like you normally do."
Ben: "Sure, like this?"
Director: "Don't you usually dress up a bit? Maybe wear a weird mask? Pretend to really rawk out? Even look moderately happy?"
Ben: "Nope, this is how I do my thing."
Director: "Hmm, we don't have time to re-shoot, we'll use it as is."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:46 AM on April 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


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