Heavenly

Since 1989 · United Kingdom

Heavenly formed in Oxford in 1989 out of the end of Talulah Gosh: Amelia Fletcher, Peter Momtchiloff, Rob Pursey and Mathew Fletcher, soon joined by Cathy Rogers on keyboards and vocals. Their story

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Behind them, left to right: Bikini Kill, Bratmobile.

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The Decline and Fall of Heavenly (1994)

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The Decline and Fall of Heavenly is the record where riot grrrl's lessons show. "Sperm Meets Egg, So What?" says it in the title alone, Amelia Fletcher's writing moved a long way from crushes into anger and argument. The guitars are louder and scrappier than on their earlier albums, while Fletcher and Cathy Rogers still trade sweet harmonies on top. It proved twee could be tough without giving up its tunes.

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Heavenly

The Decline and Fall of Heavenly · 1994

Heavenly formed in Oxford in 1989 out of the end of Talulah Gosh: Amelia Fletcher, Peter Momtchiloff, Rob Pursey and Mathew Fletcher, soon joined by Cathy Rogers on keyboards and vocals. They kept the guitar pop, released it on Sarah Records in Britain and K Records in America, and the American label took them on tour to Olympia just as riot grrrl was starting.

Meeting Bratmobile and Bikini Kill changed them. Fletcher began writing about sexism and anger head on, and from 1993 the band got noisier and harder while staying sweet on top. Mathew Fletcher's death in 1996 ended the group; the others carried on in Marine Research and Tender Trap.