KatieJane Garside facts for kids

Katie Jane Garside (born July 8, 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, and artist. She is known for her unique music style. Her songs mix different types of rock, and her voice can go from soft whispers to powerful screams.

Katie had a childhood where her family moved around a lot in England. This was because her dad was in the British Army. She spent many of her teenage years sailing the world on a yacht with her family. When she was a teenager, a music producer named Glyn Johns discovered her. She worked with his son, Ethan, on music for about a year.

Later, Katie became famous as the lead singer of the rock band Daisy Chainsaw. She started this band in 1989 in London with guitarist Crispin Gray. After leaving Daisy Chainsaw in 1993, Katie took a break from music. She returned in 1999 to form another rock band called Queenadreena with Crispin Gray. They released four albums between 2000 and 2008. In both bands, Katie was praised for her unique vocals and energetic live shows.

In 2007, Katie released her own solo album, Lullabies in a Glass Wilderness. That same year, she worked with composer Hector Zazou on an album called Corps Electriques. She also started a new acoustic music project called Ruby Throat with her partner, American guitarist Chris Whittingham. Ruby Throat released their first album, The Ventriloquist, in late 2007. Katie also had an art show in Birmingham called Darling, they've found the body. Ruby Throat released more albums, Out of a Black Cloud Came a Bird (2009) and O' Doubt O' Stars (2012). During this time, Katie, Chris, and their children lived on a yacht and sailed around the world.

Ruby Throat released their fourth album, Baby Darling Taporo, in 2017. Katie and Chris then started a new music project called Liar, Flower. They released the album Geiger Counter in April 2020.

Early Life and Discovering Music

Katie Jane Garside was born on July 8, 1968, in Buckrose, England. She was the first of two daughters. Her family moved often because her dad was in the British Army. He also played music in bands in London. When Katie was 11, her dad took the family to live on a 9.8-metre (32 ft) yacht. They sailed the world for four years.

While living on the sea, Katie and her younger sister, Melanie, listened to many cassette tapes. Their grandfather gave them these tapes, which were mostly soundtracks from musical films like West Side Story. To pass the time, they would act out scenes from the soundtracks with ragdolls. Katie also listened to albums by Led Zeppelin. She said this music helped her imagine stories.

After returning to England, Katie's dad went abroad to earn money. Katie's sister, Melanie, went to a boarding school. One day, Melanie played a tape of Katie singing along to "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. A music producer named Glyn Johns was visiting the school and heard the tape. He was impressed by Katie's singing.

Johns contacted Katie and asked her to join his son, Ethan, who was starting to make music. Katie had been offered a scholarship to art school, but she chose to work with Ethan instead. She spent about a year writing and recording music with him in his father's studio. Katie later said they were "learning all of the time." After this, she moved to London and worked different jobs while trying to become a singer.

Musical Journey

Starting with Daisy Chainsaw (1989-1995)

Katie Jane Garside performing live with Daisy Chainsaw in London, 1990.

Katie Garside formed Daisy Chainsaw in 1989. She answered a newspaper ad placed by guitarist Crispin Gray. Bassist Richard Adams and drummer Vince Johnson joined the band. The group quickly became known for their wild live shows. Katie's look was described as a "Gothic street urchin" with dead flowers in her hair. A journalist once wrote that Katie's performances were very intense.

The band toured the United Kingdom with Hole and Mudhoney. This was to promote their album before it was released. British newspapers compared Katie to Hole's singer, Courtney Love. Love reportedly said Katie was one of the "first true riot grrls" in 1991. She also admitted to being inspired by Katie's style. However, Katie never said she was part of the riot grrl movement.

Daisy Chainsaw released their only full album, Eleventeen, in 1992. Katie left the band in 1993. The album included "Love Your Money," which was their most popular song. They performed this song on the British TV show The Word in 1992. "Love Your Money" reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1992.

After leaving Daisy Chainsaw, Katie disappeared from the public eye. She went to live quietly in the Lake District. She later said she was going through a difficult time. She lived in a historic place called Rigg Beck, known for artists. Katie felt that if she had not left the band, it would have been too much for her. She said she needed to write her own songs to truly express herself.

While living in the Lake District, Katie started writing her own music. She also worked with the band Test Department in 1995 on their album Totality.

Forming Queenadreena (1997-2007)

Garside performing with Queenadreena, 2005

Katie Garside did not plan to return to music until the late 1990s. She came back to London and was contacted by former guitarist Crisipin Gray. In 1999, they formed Queenadreena. They released four studio albums over the next ten years: Taxidermy (2000), Drink Me (2002), The Butcher and the Butterfly (2005), and Djin. For a short time between 1999 and 2002, Katie lived in Wales.

In 2003, Katie sang on the song "Last Leaf Upon the Tree" for the group Minus. After recording Live at the ICA, which was a live performance by Queenadreena in 2005, the band released two more albums. These were Ride a Cockhorse, a collection of unreleased songs, and Djin, their last album before they stopped playing together around 2009.

Katie's solo work from this time includes home recordings called Lalleshwari/Lullabies in a Glasswilderness, released in 2006. She also made short films to go with this music.

Ruby Throat and Liar, Flower (2008-Present)

In 2007, Katie formed the music duo Ruby Throat with Chris Whittingham. Chris is an American guitarist from Hawaii. Katie met him while he was playing music on a train platform in London Underground. Katie said meeting Chris felt like a "cosmic intervention" that helped her music.

The duo released their first album, The Ventriloquist, in November 2007. Unlike Queenadreena's loud rock style, Ruby Throat's music is softer and more focused on vocals and acoustic guitar. The album was well-received. Critics compared it to the music of PJ Harvey and Mazzy Star.

The next year, Corps Electriques, an album Katie made with French composer Hector Zazou, was released. Ruby Throat then released Tour EP in 2009, which had handmade artwork. Their second full album, Out of a Black Cloud Came a Bird, followed in 2009. Ruby Throat toured internationally during this time.

In 2012, they released their third album, O' Doubt O' Stars. This album came with a special book of art and Katie's handwritten lyrics. In April of that year, the band announced they were recording new music. In 2014, a new song, "Secret Fires," was released on a compilation album.

In November 2016, Katie announced a book of 34 poems called A whispering frayed edge, released in 2017. In November 2017, Ruby Throat released their fourth album, Baby Darling Taporo. Katie gave an interview in 2018 where she shared that she and Chris still lived on their boat, Iona, with their children. They had recently finished a long sailing trip around the world.

In April 2020, Katie and Chris released a new album, Geiger Counter. This was under their new music project called Liar, Flower.

Other Creative Works

Visual Art

Katie Garside had a mixed media art show in Birmingham in 2007. It was called Darling, they've found the body. The show featured photographs, films, and other visual art pieces.

Writing and Graphic Novels

In 2005, Katie worked with comics artist Daniel Schaffer on a graphic novel called Indigo Vertigo. It was published in August 2007. Schaffer said Katie's words in the graphic novel were "hypnotic" and had deep meanings.

In 2017, a book about Katie's career was released. It was called Under a Floorboard World: The Career of Katie Jane Garside. This book explored her music and art. It also included a new interview with Katie. The same year, she released A whispering frayed edge, a collection of her poems.

Artistic Style

Vocals and Lyrical Themes

Critics have often noted Katie Garside's unique voice. It can change from "childlike whispers" to strong, loud singing. This was especially true in her work with Queenadreena. One review said it was "surprising that such a loud noise can come from such a small person." Katie said that sometimes the urge to sing powerfully is so strong, she just has to do it.

While Katie's music with Daisy Chainsaw and Queenadreena was loud and rock-influenced, her work with Ruby Throat is calmer. A review in PopMatters said that Katie's soft, almost childlike voice is the main part of Ruby Throat's first album. Gentle acoustic guitars set the stage for her voice. Even with serious song themes, this music is compared to artists like Mazzy Star and the Cocteau Twins.

Influences

Early in her career, Katie Garside did not talk much about her musical inspirations. However, in a 1992 interview, she said she liked Carly Simon. In a 2020 interview, she shared that one of her first musical inspirations was Petula Clark's "Downtown." She also admired the work of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. She has also said she admires Courtney Love. Katie toured with Love's band, Hole, when she was in Daisy Chainsaw. Katie called Love "a force of nature" and said she was "in awe of her."

In a 2020 interview, Katie Garside mentioned Nico's The Marble Index (1968) as a very important influence on her work.

Live Performances

Throughout her career, Katie Garside has been known for her energetic and theatrical live shows. In 1999, the Evening Standard described her as having an "eerie voice and piercing eyes." When she was in Daisy Chainsaw, she would do unusual things on stage.

Katie has said that she feels things very strongly. The feeling of being on stage, exposed and on the edge, "just flicked a switch" in her. She felt that if she let go, she could access a "big 'let[ting] go.'" In her early career, Katie's stage presence was noted for her messy look, with torn clothes. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote in 1992 that Katie's intense energy gave a sense of great fragility.

Personal Life

In 2011, Katie Garside had a daughter named Leilani with her partner and music collaborator, Chris Whittingham. Chris also has a son from a previous relationship. As of 2012, the couple lived on a ketch boat named Iona with their two children. The boat was damaged in a storm in St Mawes, Cornwall, in June 2012. They made repairs and soon left England, planning to sail around the world.

Discography

signifies extended play

Daisy Chainsaw

• LoveSickPleasure (1991)
• Pink Flower (1992)
• Eleventeen (1992)

Queenadreena

• Taxidermy (2000)
• Drink Me (2002)
• The Butcher and the Butterfly (2005)
• Live at the ICA (2005)
• Ride a Cock Horse (2007)
• Djin (2008)

Solo

• Lalleshwari/Lullabies in a Glasswilderness (2005)
• Lalleshwari/Lullabies in a Glass Wilderness (2006)
• Corps Electriques (2007) (Collaboration with Hector Zazou)

Ruby Throat

• The Ventriloquist (2007)
• Tour EP (2009)
• Out of a Black Cloud Came a Bird (2009)
• O' Doubt O' Stars (2012)
• The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project: Axels & Sockets (Various artists compilation featuring Ruby Throat's cover of Secret Fires by The Gun Club)
• Baby Darling Taporo (2017)
• Stone Dress (2018)

Liar, Flower

• Geiger Counter (2020)

Collaborations

• Creaming Jesus – Dead Time (1991)
• Creaming Jesus – Guilt By Association (1992)
• Frostbite – The Second Coming (1993)
• The Sacred Sawdust Ring – The Greatest Show Of Truth (1994)
• Test Dept – Totality 1 (1995)
• Test Dept – Totality (1995)
• Test Dept – Totality 1 & 2: The Mixes (1997)
• Mínus – Halldór Laxness (2004)
• Ghostigital – In Cod We Trust (2006)
• Stories From The Moon – Stories From The Moon (2006)
• Jeff Zentner – The Dying Days Of Summer (2009)