Au Pairs

When the Au Pairs came on the scene in they early 1980s, they turned Thatcher's England on its collective ear with their sinewy post-punk and politically-charged lyrics. With staunch feminist Lesley Woods at the helm, the Au Pairs touched on all kinds of politics -- sexual politics (both hetero and homo), socio-politics and politics-politics -- with an uncompromising edge and an uncanny ability to make it all sound very sexy. Certainly this held true for the band's 1981 debut, Playing With A Different Sex, which painted the Au Pairs as one of the most exciting and excitable bands who, along with the Gang of Four and the Mekons, helped forge the sound of the early '80s. But by the time the band released their follow-up album, Sense and Sensuality, a year later, the group had started to shy away from a world political stage to concentrate more on relationships. This disappointed many of their fans and critics and while the Au Pairs showed tremendous strides in their musicianship and willingness to experiment, their sophomore album is generally regarded as less impressive than its predecessor. After a lackluster response for 1983's Live In Berlin album, the Au Pairs quietly disbanded.