The Mo-dettes were a multinational all-female post-punk band, formed in 1979 by guitarist Kate Korris, an original member of the Slits and brief member of the Raincoats, and bassist Jane Crockford, a former member of Bank of Dresden, having met on the set of 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle' while working as production assistants. The line-up was completed with the addition of Swiss-born vocalist Ramona Carlier and June Miles-Kingston on drums, and they quickly recorded their first single, 'White Mice'/'Masochistic Opposite', which was self-released on their own Mode label, and distributed by Rough Trade. 'White Mice' remains the group's best-known song, and it champions sexual autonomy, although the band members were critical of partisan feminist politics. Following plays on the John Peel show on Radio 1, he soon offered them a session spot in January 1980, broadcasting versions of 'Norman (He's No Rebel)', 'Dark Park Creeping' (later released as a single), 'Kray Twins' and 'Bitter Truth', and with these being well-received, further sessions followed on 26 August 1980 and 11 July 1981. The band signed to Decca Records subsidiary Deram and released one album, 'The Story So Far', in November 1980, consisting chiefly of pop-punk originals, as well as covers of the Rolling Stones' 'Paint It Black' and Édith Piaf's 'Milord', and with the girls' likenesses rendered in candy-coloured Manga-style cartoons on the cover.
It received poor reviews, largely centred on the production, described in one quarter as "weak and uninspired", and the band themselves conceded that it was much less than they'd hoped for. The sped-up, charmless version of 'White Mice', retitled 'White Mouse Disco', that they were forced to include by the record company didn't help matters, but it's an artifact of its time, and the quality of the songs shines through the mediocre production. Also in 1981, billed as Bomberettes, they provided backing vocals on the track 'Fighter Pilot' on John Cale's album 'Honi Soit'. After just missing the UK Top 40 with the single release of 'Paint It Black', their final record was 'Tonight', released in June 1981, and giving them a minor hit. For this single, Decca had asked the band to alter their sound to "traditional saccharine girl pop", leading to some tension in the group, but they gave in, even to the point of lounging on a mountain of plush velour for the single's cover.
By this time they considered the single and accompanying photo-shoot nothing more than a joke, and so when, two months later, Decca wanted to hear a fuller sound, the group reluctantly asked guitarist Melissa Ritter to join. She played her first show as a Mo-dette just four days after joining the band, but the tensions soon re-appeared, and with Carlier leaving in February 1982, and Crockford stepping in as a temporary vocalist before Sue Slack joined the line-up, the writing was on the wall. By November of that year The Mo-Dettes had disbanded, leaving behind a legacy of inventive, unorthodox pop-punk. Crockford married Daniel Woodgate of the ska band Madness in 1980, with the marriage lasting for 15 years, while Miles-Kingston returned to the studio where she played drums and sang backing vocals on Fun Boy Three's 'Our Lips Are Sealed', and later she joined The Communards. However, she is now best known for being a go-to session drummer, with her work as a session musician showcasing her versatility. The Mo-Dettes had an extremely short recording career of just three years, but with their Peel Sessions, non-album b-sides, and some tracks taped for Radio 1 DJ Richard Skinner, (one of them an early version of the flip of their 'Tonight' single), there is enough rare material for one more album by the band to sit next to 'The Story So Far'.
Track listing
01 L'Intro (John Peel session 1981)
02 White Mice (single 1979)
03 Bitta Truth (b-side of 'Paint It Black' 1980)
04 Twist And Shout (b-side of 'Paint It Black' 1980)
05 Two Can Play (b-side of 'Dark Park Creeping' 1980)
06 Raindrops And Roses (My Favourite Things) (John Peel session 1980)
07 Vicious Circle (Richard Skinner session 1981)
08 The Waltz (Richard Skinner session 1981)
09 Nasty Children (John Peel session 1981)
10 White Rabbit (John Peel session 1981)
11 Yellow Smile (John Peel session 1981)
12 Tonight (single 1981)
13 Waltz In Blue Minor (b-side of 'Tonight')
