Underground UK garage rock impressario Billy Childish put Thee Headcoatees together back in 1991, long before the term “UK garage” took on a completely different meaning. The project was a sort of DIY-punk approximation of the old svengali girl-group model. Childish conceived Thee Headcoatees to be an all-woman complement to his own band Thee Headcoats, but the exuberant cool of their records became its own thing. The band broke up in 1999, and leader Holly Golightly went on to an esteemed solo career, including “It’s True That We Love One Another,” the silly duet at the end of the White Stripes’ Elephant. Now, out of nowhere, Thee Headcoatees are back.
Thee Headcoats came back first, and I completely missed that. In 2023, Billy Childish reunited Thee Headcoats, and they released Irregularis (The Great Hiatus), their first album since 2000. On Friday, Thee Headcoatees returned to the fold with Man-Trap, their first album since 1999’s Here Comes Cessation. Thee Headcoats backed the group up on Man-Trap, and Childish once again produced. The resulting record stands as a testament to the timeless romance of immediate, low-budget rock ‘n’ roll. Man-Trap has covers of classics by bands like the Ramones and the Rolling Stones, as well as a bunch of new originals. Listen below.
Man-Trap is out now on Damaged Goods.
