A short set from Zuzu to start the week off. Recorded in December 2016 for BBC Radio’s Introducing series.
Zuzu (her real name) has been creating a stir around UK Indie circles in recent years. Her debut album, Queensway Tunnel, which came out in 2021 has gotten considerable press acclaim.
Marcy Donelson of Allmusic wrote this bio in 2021 by way of an introduction:
Zuzu’s hook-centric indie rock assimilates the noisy spirit, tunefulness, and swagger of the Brit-pop and Merseybeat of her hometown of Liverpool, England. After releasing her debut single, “Get Off,” in 2016, her first EP, Made on Earth by Humans, arrived via Virgin EMI in 2018.
A self-professed fan of many hometown musical heroes, not the least of which being the Beatles, Zuzu Stranack wrote her first song at the age of seven but didn’t start applying herself to music seriously until she was 14. By 18, she had signed a publishing deal. She eventually moved from Liverpool to London to put a band together and start booking gigs. Without yet disclosing her full name or background, she appeared as Zuzu at the FestEvol emerging-artists festival in August of 2015 and secured a support slot for Courtney Barnett at the O2 Academy later that year.
The indie label Hand in Hive released her spiky debut single, “Get Off,” in mid-2016. She followed it in early 2017 with the fuzzier “What You Want.” With Kurran Karbal on board as her guitarist and producer, Zuzu continued to tour and play festivals with an otherwise fluctuating backing band. In early 2018, Zuzu signed with Virgin EMI Records, which released her debut EP, Made on Earth by Humans, that June.
Needless to say, COVID and the lockdown put a speedbump in things, as they did for many artists. But in Zuzu’s case, it was only a minor inconvenience and she’s been back in high gear since then.
Sadly, her set is only 13 minutes – but you get an idea of her talent (and her thick Liverpool accent is no deterrent ) and hopefully there is more on the way.
But in the meantime. . .
