They were based in London but individually originated from different parts of the UK, including Southend, Newcastle and Bedford. Before Ipso Facto, Rosalie and Samantha played in the Southend band Theoretical Girl and Victoria played in Havana Guns. Samantha is daughter of legendary guitarist Hilton Valentine from The Animals.
Ipso Facto appeared on the ‘BBC Introducing Stage’ at the Reading Festival 2008, and supported The Last Shadow Puppets on their 2008 tour. They supported legendary post-punk band Magazine on their 2009 reunion tour.
Ipso Facto split up in 2009 and the members have gone separate ways. Rosalie Cunningham is continuing to write and record music and has formed a new band called Purson. Samantha Valentine has joined the band Romance and Victoria Smith has been working on her own music and collaborating with various other artists.
2) An esoteric gothic band from the UK in the 1980s. Ipso Facto formed in 1982 and gigged mainly around Sheffield and the North. They were a fairly short lived affair circulating through line-up changes around frontman Eb and releasing 'Noir Doir', 'Mannequin' ,'Give It To Her' and Glass Tigers/ Apostle of Sleeze on their own Zodiak Records label
Eb - Words
Vivienne - Guitar
David Kane - Bass
J Fenn - Drums
Steven Masters - Sax
Refining the post-punk melodrama of the Ants and the Banshees, IF reach back to Ziggy for a streak of glamour and to The Doors for a whiff of theatre. They pout, they strut and – with the sublime 'Glass Tigers' – they prove to have the sheer charisma that turns mere onlookers into devotees.
Smoke and Mirrors
Ipso Facto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These words burnt to ashes to bury all that has been done.
Illiterate animals reciting history lie.
Twisting our tongues til these words lose all meaning and die.
I spy with my little eye,
A doorway so strange.
Curious and curiouser.
Dark draws me in.
Fear promts realisation - I'm locked in this body
And I can't see the light anymore.
All smoke and mirrors down here where they speak with tied tongues.
These words burnt to ashes to bury all that has been done.
Illiterate animals reciting history lie.
Twisting our tongues til these words lose all meaning and die.
Trapped in here by the guards
With hollows for eyes.
Repulsion and attraction rip me
Into these halves.
Dark draws me in.
Fear promts realisation - I'm locked in this body
And I can't see the light anymore.
All smoke and mirrors down here where they speak with tied tongues.
These words burnt to ashes to bury all that has been done.
Illiterate animals reciting history lie.
Twisting our tongues til these words lose all meaning and die.
The lyrics in "Smoke and Mirrors" by Ipso Facto are a commentary on the deceptive nature of language and the dangers of blindly following a distorted historical narrative. The singer portrays the lower levels of society as a place of deception and lies, where the words spoken by those in power are meant to manipulate and control the masses. The use of the metaphor "smoke and mirrors" emphasizes the illusionary nature of the lower depths of society, where nothing is as it seems.
The lines, "Illiterate animals reciting history lie. Twisting our tongues til these words lose all meaning and die" speak to the danger of blindly accepting information from authoritative sources without critical thought. The "illiterate animals" are representative of those in power who use their position to spread falsehoods about the past, thus distorting the present. The manipulation of language through "twisting our tongues" is the means by which this misinformation is spread and ultimately, the truth is lost in a sea of lies.
The second half of the song describes a personal struggle with the dark and the fear that comes with feeling trapped within one's own body. The imagery of being locked in and unable to see the light anymore speaks to a sense of hopelessness and despair. The guards with hollows for eyes further emphasize this feeling of being trapped and watched over by those who are unfeeling and uncaring.
Overall, "Smoke and Mirrors" is a powerful commentary on the deceptive nature of language and the danger of blindly accepting a distorted historical narrative. It's a call to remain vigilant and to always question those in power, rather than blindly accepting their words.
Line by Line Meaning
All smoke and mirrors down here where they speak with tied tongues.
The people here are deceitful in nature and use various tactics to keep the truth from revealing itself.
These words burnt to ashes to bury all that has been done.
Deceptive people here use words that are meaningless and false, resulting in burying the past events in the past.
Illiterate animals reciting history lie.
Ignorant beings are repeating false historical events in order to deceive and spread false information.
Twisting our tongues til these words lose all meaning and die.
Words are being manipulated and misused so much that they lose all their relevance and truthfulness and become just mere sounds.
I spy with my little eye,
A doorway so strange.
Curious and curiouser.
A force to derange.
Discovering something new can at times be very puzzling, and it can significantly disrupt one's state of mind.
Dark draws me in.
Fear promts realization - I'm locked in this body
And I can't see the light anymore.
Darkness is a powerful force that can hold and disable one's senses, creating a profound sense of fear within them, resulting in a feeling of being trapped.
Trapped in here by the guards
With hollows for eyes.
Repulsion and attraction rip me
Into these halves.
Being entrapped by those who lack empathy and feelings creates a sense of repulsion and attraction simultaneously, resulting in a feeling of being torn apart.
Contributed by Reagan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Gilorrori
Excellent Song! :)
@radikalibre
Incredible cold & beauty.
@kinosmehucki1555
Does anyone know from which album this track is?
@TeaPotParty
Looks like a hair product ad.
@chrishenniker5944
I wouldn't kick these girls out bed, especially when I have a soft spot for the Louise Brooks look.