'Ten Little Girls'? Imagine the music at Siouxsie Sioux's funeral. This track has that atmosphere, it's got 'London Calling' backing yelps, a rap from a latter day Rasputin named after a calculator, JC 001, and the guitars, well, here's CURVE member Dean to explain.

article: JAMES BROWN
pic: DEREK RIDGERS

"Nasty noises reflect my tempers. On the single there's a hard, compressed loop pulling through the distortion and another one that's straight, they're both really edgy."

Dean and his partner Toni have been involved musically for eight years. In that time they've been published by Dave Stewart's Anxious company, have junked two hands, a solo career, and spent two years in litigation. "We hated each other," remembers Toni. "We used to be in a band together called State of Play and then that split and we spent the next two years sending lawyers letters to each other.

"We came through that and realised we still liked each other, so we went back to Anxious and said we were going to work together again and they said "Oh no" but then they gave us total support."

If Tony James took Annie Lennox out for a drink, about 15 brandies, then they went back to a hole in the ground and, like jammed, man, they still wouldn't be as good as this.

In the obligatory pub in Camden Dean, wearing a striking red Chipie corduroy shirt decorated with tropical fish, eats a cheese sandwich and telIs me bad politics, wars, devastation and upheaval really piss him off.

Toni is quick to point out she likes food and alcohol, Jesus And Mary Chain, Leonard Cohen, The Banshees, Cocteaus, and her favourite album is The Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds'. Dean is from Kentish Town, Toni is from Sunderland and is never going back. Apart from on tour.

"'Ten Little Girls' came straight from our basement," explains Toni perfectly. Dean adds "When Toni was playing the white label to the record company she was physically shaking." "Goose bumps."

Where did JVC Calculator come into it, Toni?

"I was experimenting with that bit of the song and started talking but it just sounded like crap Pixies so we got a rapper, JC 001, he'd just signed to Anxious so we asked him. He made it up as he want along. I told him the song was about the arrogance of youth and he went into it. He was great, looks like both the Devil and Jesus.

Toni and Dean talk some more about abstract lyrics, Happy Mondays, working with their engineer Steve Osborne, "because we love what he does with rhythms,". And then we get on to the message...

Toni: "People like Dylan and Leonard Cohen or Lennon are very eloquent at communicating a message, but I think everybody should get a message in their music, even if it's only to themselves."

"The first single I bought was 'Telephone Man' by Meri Wilson," she continues. "My father worked on boats so we spent my early years all over Europe so I heard nothing but my mum's Stones, Beatles and Doors records. Then it was all Banshees."

Dean: "I think my first record was 'Paint it Black', The Beatles and The Stones, then into James Brown and R&B. I just remember thinking The Stones sounded dark, evil."

If you fancy being lashed by something equally thrilling, chilling, smiling with evil intent, make sure you get 'Ten Little Girls' on the 'Blindfold EP' by Curve. This song is brilliant, it'll be around for some time.

(nicked from 'New Musical Express', 9 March 1991)