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Shampoo
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The Saint Etienne connection: Signed to Icerink Records run by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. Released two singles in 1993 and went onto sign with Food Records. Bob and Pete helped write a significant amount of the bands third album Absolute Shampoo

Shampoo were Carolyn Askew and Jacqueline Blake. These are the Saint Etienne related items that they released:

Notes: Carrie and Jackie were huge fans of Manic Street Preachers back in the early days and ran a Manic Street Preacher zine. Our guess is that Carrie and Jackie may have run into the Bob and Pete through this avenue given that Manic Street Preachers were also on Heavenly Records. After Shampoo left Ice Rink Records they signed with Food and released their debut CD We Are Shampoo in 1994, Girl Power in 1995, and Absolute Shampoo on their own label in 2000. Carrie's sister Jane was in the Icerink Records outfit Oval.

Where are they now in 2019: Carrie married into the Wiggs family and Q magazine had a follow-up two page article on the group in 2019 found below.

Saint Etienne's Pete Wiggs' Shampoo Memories in 2024: My memories of the early days of Shampoo are somewhat hazy as they are of everything else from that period, but hopefully I am not too unreliable a narrator...

When I first met Carrie and Jacqui they were basically a band waiting to happen, even if they didn't know it; They had the look, the attitude and a love of all things punk and pop but no songs yet.

The stars must have been aligned or something as my Saint Etienne bandmate Bob Stanley and Denim's Lawrence had been talking of writing for a girl group, something different to the typical tame and slick mainstream fare

And hey presto 2 singles are released on our Icerink label, setting the ball rolling. The stars realign again as Manic's manager Martin Hall takes the helm and songwriter Con gets on board and now they are the fully fledged hit making, stadium rocking behemoth that you know and love

After several hit albums and many transglobal jaunts Carrie and Jacqui land back on earth and Bob and I have a chance to work with them again - this time with our longtime collaborator Ian Catt. The sessions result in the album Absolute Shampoo which for whatever reason gets a very limited release (I blame the millennium bug), so I'm very pleased that these recordings are finally getting an airing thanks to this lovingly put together compilation. As I recall someone once saying "Viva La Megababes".

News Items and Promo Materials (Icerink Era)

Melody Maker Jan 2, 1993
Into The Future: The Makers Picks for 93
Author - Simon Price
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
NME May 8, 1993
Concert Review - Newport TJ's
Author - Stuart Bailie
Photographer - Martyn Goodacre
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Concert Review
Melody Maker May 15 & 22, 1993 (ULU)
NME May 22, 1993 (ULU)
Melody Maker Jun 12, 1993 (Garage)
NME Jun 12, 1993 (Garage)
Concert Ad - University Of London Union (Cancelled)
Concert Ad - The Garage (Rearranged Date)
Author - Metropolis Music
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Concert Ad
Melody Maker May 22, 1993
Blister And Bruises
Chart - Maker Hit List (2)
Author - Melody Maker
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
Melody Maker May 22, 1993
Blister And Bruises
Review - Singles (Single Of The Week)
Author - Dave Simpson
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Review
NME May 22, 1993
Blister And Bruises
Review - Singles
Author - Stuart Bailie
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Review
Smash Hits May 26-Jun 8, 1993
Blister And Bruises
Review - Singles
Author - Tony Cross
Courtesy of Smash Hits Remembered 		Review
Smash Hits May 26-Jun 8, 1993
What Are Shampoo Like
Courtesy of Smash Hits Remembered 		Article
NME May 29, 1993
On-Lather Louts
Author - Steven Wells
Photographer - Martyn Goodacre
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Melody Maker Jun 5, 1993
Indie Region To Region (Chart)
Blisters And Bruises 7 Inch (5)
Author - Rock A Boom, Leicester
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
Melody Maker Jun 5-12, 1993
Melody Maker Jul 3
Top 20 Independant Singles
Blisters And Bruises (Weeks 3, Highest Position 8)
17,8,Re-entry 16
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
NME Jun 5-26, 1993
Indie 45s
Blisters And Bruises (Weeks 4, Highest Position 18)
22,18,29,21
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
Jun 10, 1993
Flyer Courtesy of Shampoo 		Article
Melody Maker Jun 19, 1993
Advance
Angelic Upstarts
Author - Simon Price
Photographer - Stephen Sweet
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Melody Maker Jun 26, 1993
Concert Review - Ulu, London
Pooh Sham
Author - Ian Watson
Photographer - Piers Allardyce
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
NME Jul 10, 1993
Concert Review - London Highbury Garage
Bling Dang Buzz Punk Lives
Author - John Harris
Photographer - Roger Sargent
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
NME & Melody Maker Jul 31, 1993
Concert Ad - Venue London
Shampoo & Out Of My Hair
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
NME Aug 14, 1993
Concert Ad - The Garage London
Shampoo & The Pooh Sticks & Bowlfish
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
NME & Melody Maker Aug 21, 1993
Festival Ad - Melody Maker Stage Reading
Sunday
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Melody Maker Aug 28, 1993
Concert Review - The Garage London
Shampoo & The Pooh Sticks & Bowlfish
Author - David Hemingway
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Smash Hits Sep 1-14, 1993
Bouffant Headbutt
Review - Singles
Author - Gavin Reeve
Courtesy of Smash Hits Remembered 		Review
Melody Maker Sep 4, 1993
Concert Review - Melody Maker Stage Reading
Sunday
Author - Everett True
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Melody Maker Sep 4, 1993
Bouffant Headbutt
Review - Singles (Single Of The Week 2)
Author - Simon Price
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Review
Melody Maker Sep 4, 1993
Bouffant Headbutt
Chart - Maker Hit List (4)
Author - Melody Maker
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
Melody Maker Sep 18-25, 1993
Top 20 Independant Singles
Bouffant Headbutt (Weeks 2, Highest Position 13)
13,20
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
NME Sep 18-Oct 2, 1993
Indie 45s
Bouffant Headbutt (Weeks 3, Highest Position 12)
12,22,27
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Chart
Melody Maker Oct 9, 1993
Side By Peroxide
Author - Paul Lester
Photographer - Tim Paton
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Melody Maker Nov 27, 1993
Studio Eye
Author - Melody Maker
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Melody Maker Dbl Issue
Dec 25, 1993 & Jan 1, 1994
1993 Review Of (3 Items)
Quotes of The Year (1 Item)
Author - Melody Maker
Courtesy of NothingElseOn 		Article
Q Magazine Sep 2019
Author - Niall Doherty
 Article
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