Back in 1997 I was still producing, Abuse fanzine. This meant a lot of new music would arrive at the Abuse PO Box number; unfortunately, the majority of these tapes were not very good.

The day the first VyVyan demo arrived was one of those special days though. As I played the tape, the four songs on it were an instant breath of fresh air-wonderfully na?ve, maybe simple musically but brilliant observation in the lyrics and more pop, than say punk. Still, one of the best and instantly thrilling demo tapes that I have ever heard.

VyVyan it turned out were all teenage girls, still at schools and were based in Croydon.

In August 1997, the night before the sudden death of Princess Diana. VyVyan played their first ever gig in Lincoln in a social club. They were ace. They thought they were awful. They were fourth on the bill. They were the best band of the night. I was smiling all night.

They went onto release four singles and an album for the ultra cool American Sympathy for the Record Industry (the label that gave birth to the White Stripes) They appeared on national TV, recorded a session for Radio One, played the Reading Festival in 1998, their music was played all over the world, they toured America for five weeks during early 2000, they were featured in everything from Just 17 to Maximum Rock n Roll, and had fans in every corner of the world.

If it was not for these four teenage girls we would not be doing what we are doing today. Some of the best times have been spent with VyVyan. Great records and sometimes awesome live. VyVyan will always have a special place in our hearts.

Record Reviews

Do Me A Favour, Single of the Week Kerrang!
MOUTHING OFF like the bad girls in the back row of the classroom, Vyvyan bound on like a British version of riotous girly mob The Donnas, armed with little more than just a handful of make-up and three cords. Think of a teenage Debbie Harry fronting veteran punks The Undertones. Quirky and fun.
NICK: ?That was good. A four. They?ve got some Blondie going on there. They?re a bit ?cute?, but they?ve made a good song.?
Boba: ?Kinda like The Go-Go?s. It was okay.?
NICK: ?It?s probably worse when someone says something?s okay. Definitely a four.?
Nick Royle and Boba Fett from the Hellacopters, with help from Simon Young.

DO ME A FAVOUR
?HEY!? ?Yeah!? Punk! Pop! Just enough tunefulness to find the inner ear of any remaining milkmen and just enough kick to make them smash their milk bottles against your door and run off to join a revolutionary terrorist organisation. There?s a cover of ?I Want That Man? on the B-side as well. Which, admittedly, will only make you warm to the Deborah Harry Version. 5/6
Trevor Baker - Melody Maker

Going Out
If there was a special prize for most incompetent, shambling record of the week, then Vyvyan would surely have it. Not only do they play like they?ve got all their fingers taped together and produce a truly excruciatingly awful version of Toni Basil?s ?Mickey?, but you can actually hear them turning off the tape recorder at the end of this seven-inch dive into the depth of indie pop ignominy. Almost as a direct result, ?Going Out? is a gloriously inept burst of oestrogen-fuelled anti-harmonies and feckless punk pop ranting. Vyvyan have the tunes in abundance, sure, but while they might lack the slinky licks to make them sound as great as they might, they?ve got enough of that ?don?t give a ****? punk attitood to have a bash at it anyway. Think the Slits, The Raincoats, The Period Pains and keep a watchful eye out for Vyvyan. They could be as big as Kenickie one day. Now imagine that.
Jim Wirth - NME

Mood Swings E.P
FOUR girls with guts who were going before the arrival of Bratpop and will probably still be in their teens when it goes away again. From what I remember, their first EP ha a terrific song about Graham Coxon on it, called ?Shy Boy?. If anything, this one?s even fuzzier and more eager than their debut. First track ?All I Do? is like an all-girl Shop Assistants with new batteries. It rocks. It sounds like they?re about to fall over all the time, but it rocks.
Melody Maker

Teenage Wannabe
? Teenage energy, witty lyrics, catchy melodies and D.I.Y enthusiasm all held together by punk rock abandon.
R*E*P*E*A*T II

Live Reviews

Number eight in the 10 top things from The DR Martens Stage, Reading 1998. An all-girl quartet who have trouble making their guitars work, though when they manage it songs like ?Hate You? [I.N.V.U] and ?I were You? fizz brightly then disappear as quickly as they had arrived. Shangri-La?s in spirit. Punk-pop in practice.
Piers Martin - New Musical Express

Vyvyan are an ice-cold can of Fanta, shock like a tambourine in your face ?til it?s fit to explode and then sprayed all over your best skinny-fit T-shirt like a sweet, sticky sneeze? trouble is, after the initial breath-snatching fizz, the rest of the drink soon turns flat. A hot blast of hormones fogs the air like laughing as the usual suffocating reserve is being stomped to death down the front by a grinning gang of a hundred pogoing adolescents. The sneering putdown of standout song ?Teenage Wannabe? is wasted on some of this crowd. Unless, of course, they?re spiting in my direction. Cheers, girls.
Sean Price - King?s College London with Bis.