Leading UK music journalist Mick Mercer proclaimed the band his discovery of 2007 (with both albums sitting in his subsequent annual top ten lists), Blaine L. Reininger of genre-transcending legends Tuxedomoon collaborated on their second album, Don Letts spun tracks on BBC6, and Brett Anderson (Suede) asked CWNN to open for him at the launch of his album ‘Slow Attack’.
Having provided the music for two blacker than black comedies at the Edinburgh Festival (‘Moz and the Meal’ and ‘Bored Stiff’), it’s fitting that Cult With No Name then turned their attention to cinema for their first DVD release, ‘Lightwerx: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari’. Cult With No Name’s compulsive and compelling soundtrack extends their ability to instantly create evocative moods over 51 breathtaking minutes, on a journey that takes in mystical ambience, nerve-shredding distortion, popular and unpopular song, electronica, and vast, futurist soundscapes.
In the fall of 2010, CWNN returned with their 4th studio album, ‘Adrenalin’. From the haunting piano-led croon of ‘This time (or any other)’, to the grandiose choral washes of ‘Make a list!’, to the thundering faux-discaux of ‘The All Dead Burlesque Show’, ‘Adrenalin’ is simply a breathtakingly original song cycle. Building on their considerable achievements to date, and deftly hinting at everyone from Scott Walker to Sparks to Tuxedomoon (sometimes across a single song), CWNN have presented an album that’s as much of interest for its lyrical wordplay as its musical dexterity.
'Above as Below', Cult With No Name's fifth album, was released in January 2012. For the first time, it saw the band collaborate with a number of outside artists. Kelli Ali (ex-Sneaker Pimps) contributed extensively, including co-writing the song 'Shake Hands with the Devil'. Other contributors included Bruce Geduldig and Luc van Lieshout of Tuxedomoon, ex-Stranglers and Peter Gabriel guitarist John Ellis and Meg Maryatt of 17 Pygmies. The cover art and packaging for the album was designed by David Bowie and Damien Hirst collaborator Jonathan Barnbrook and manufactured using a letterpress. Dance music icon Mark Moore (S'Express) described the album as possessing 'such warmth, such style, such bliss'.
2012 also saw CWNN contribute the opening track to a remix album from the legendary German band S.Y.P.H., which features ex-Captain Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas and Rambo Amadeus, amongst others. In early 2013, Kelli Ali released her fifth solo album 'Band of Angels', which saw the band co-write and perform on two songs including the epic 'Eternity'. The band's sixth album, 'Another Landing', was released in April 2014 on the band's own CWNN Music label. The album again saw the band collaborate with Tuxedomoon members Blaine L. Reininger, Bruce Geduldig and Luc van Lieshout, Kelli Ali and John Ellis, as well as Japanese electronica artist Coppe'.
CWNN's music has been compared to Roxy Music, Tuxedomoon, the Pet Shop Boys, Colin Newman, The Nits, David Sylvian, early Elton John and Scott Walker, amongst others. They have supported the likes of ex-ZTT artist Anne Pigalle, Lene Lovich, Anne Clark and Client. The band were nominated for the UK's Exposure Music Awards in 2011.
::www.cultwithnoname.com::
A Pound of Penny Gaffs
Cult With No Name Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come and see us lose
Let's see what we can offer now, I know
Then quietly disapprove
These flaws are for your pleasure
Applause please for the people we should thank
Now stop, hand us your money
Come and see our failures
Come say how much you like
Let's see who's out of favour now, I know
But we'll stay friends for life
These flaws, so hard to measure
Applaud us for the strength to pull it off
Now stop and pay our rider
A pound of Penny Gaffs
A pound of Penny Gaffs
Now stop hand us your money
A pound of Penny Gaffs
The lyrics to Cult With No Name's song "A Pound of Penny Gaffs" explore the theme of performance and the idea of presenting oneself to an audience. The lyrics depict the performers, who are portrayed as flawed and unsuccessful, inviting the audience to witness their failures as a form of entertainment. They acknowledge their shortcomings, inviting the audience to join them in celebrating their inadequacies. The song seems to suggest that this is a kind of catharsis for both the performers and audience, highlighting the potential for communal release in coming together to appreciate a shared experience, even if that experience is one of witnessed failure.
The song seems to have a critical edge, however, as the lyrics also describe the performers requesting money from the audience, revealing their ultimate aim: financial gain. The lyrics suggest that the performers' willingness to publicly display their flaws and failures is perhaps not motivated purely by a desire to share an experience, but rather is a calculated attempt to get as much money out of their audience as possible. The repeated line "A pound of Penny Gaffs" serves to reinforce this idea, emphasizing the commercial nature of the performers' venture.
Overall, "A Pound of Penny Gaffs" seems to be a commentary on the nature of performance and the idea of the "spectacle." The lyrics suggest that audiences are often drawn to the spectacle of failure as much as success, and that performers can sometimes exploit this desire for their own ends.
Line by Line Meaning
Come and see us flounder
Join us to witness our struggles and failures
Come and see us lose
Observe us as we fail and stumble
Let's see what we can offer now, I know
Let's see what entertainment we can provide for you
Then quietly disapprove
Silently criticize and judge us
These flaws are for your pleasure
We purposely present our imperfections for your entertainment
Applause please for the people we should thank
Please acknowledge and applaud the individuals who made this possible for us
Now stop, hand us your money
It's time to pay for the show
A pound of Penny Gaffs
A small sum of money for a cheap and crude entertainment
Come and see our failures
Come and witness our shortcomings and inadequacies
Come say how much you like
Feel free to express your opinion about our performance
Let's see who's out of favour now, I know
Let's see who is no longer in popularity or favor among the audience
But we'll stay friends for life
Despite our flaws and failures, we still want to maintain a good relationship with our audience
These flaws, so hard to measure
Our weaknesses are difficult to quantify
Applaud us for the strength to pull it off
Applaud us for having the courage and determination to go through with the performance despite our flaws
Now stop and pay our rider
Please pay the fee for our performance
A pound of Penny Gaffs
A small fee for a cheap and low-quality entertainment
Contributed by Kayla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.