Frustrated with spells in various Glasgow punk bands … Read Full Bio ↴Lou Hickey
Frustrated with spells in various Glasgow punk bands as the ‘token cute chick’ singing other people’s music, and with a wealth of experience promoting grass-roots level gigs at Glasgow’s 13th Note and Nice & Sleazy, Lou Hickey applied a go-it-alone DIY ethic to a background of classical training, a university degree in music, and singing with jazz and swing bands. The result of these two very different worlds colliding was the self-written, self-engineered and self-produced album ‘New Shoes’.
This debut combines the influence of her jazz background with the indie attitude of a 22-year-old punk fan resulting in a collection of “bitter-sweet piano driven songs with a dramatic edge” (The List) with subtle jazz influences which are combined with lyrics full of wit and attitude that pull no punches in chronicling the failings of friends and the darker side of relationships.
Since these songs were recorded, Lou Hickey has been playing live as a solo artist, as a duo with cellist Susan Appelbe and with a full band. and her live shows, which showcase her unaffected personality and dark velvet voice, have included Glasgow’s King Tut’s, Art School, Carling Academy, Barfly, Tron Theatre and George Square and Edinburgh’s Jam House. The burlesque revival phenomenon, ‘Club Noir’, one of the largest events of its kind in Europe with audiences of up to 2000, has featured Lou Hickey as their headline musical guest on three occasions, thus keeping such illustrious company as the Puppini Sisters. Lou Hickey has also supported the legendary Suzanne Vega at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket, as well as further support slots with artists such as Clem Snide and Martha Wainwright. Lou has also appeared at Glasgow’s Musicworks convention, and the Glasgow International Jazz Festival.
Her songs are played over 100 times every day on the influential MySpace website and airplay has included Talk 107, Central FM, Forth FM and Q96 radio and Lou recently appeared live in session on BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘The Jazz House’ programme.
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“Lou Hickey sounds like a female Nick Cave, creating sepia-toned vignettes of restless lives. The Glasgow singer/ songwriter is at one moment touchingly sad and broken, the next ballsy and angry. Think of a grown up Lilly Allen. A Lie is a laid-back and jazzy torch song, while the piano led Does It Get Easier? is a superb break-up song mixing smoky jazz with rock rhythms and wail of a violin. It also boasts the lyrics "I can watch the dust settle on our love". Now that’s poetry.”
Daily Record
“Lou Hickey (3 stars) - glows with minimal piano and cello”
The List
“Bittersweet piano-driven songs with a dramatic edge”
The List
“Acclaimed singer/songwriter”
Evening Times
“Her melodies ooze atmosphere and whisky-filled
melancholy - simply can’t be missed.”
smallfish-online.net
“Raw intimacy, alluring vocals and warm musical sounds
paint a picture of love’s highs and lows.”
havemousewillclick.com
“The production is superb and it sounds as though the Kronos Quartet have been roped in for backing. Her sweet vocals and sumptuous melody hark of a bygone era. In fact for just a moment I imagined myself as a spy in wartime Paris sitting in a café listening”
crookedrain.co.uk
www.louhickey.com
www.myspace.com/louhickey
Contact: Managemet - davidlaing_academy@yahoo.co.uk
Zombie Love
Lou Hickey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not your friend
You set these rules down, let's not pretend
We're a little scattered oh we're a little scared
We're perfect masters of our own despair
Oh what's the rush
To be in love?
It's the wedding at the high school dance
In the pocket pants take a chance
I'm a little tired of faux romance
I'll just go home
I'm not looking for a love-struck scene
Bowl me over and take the lead
I want a love that's quietly everything
It's all so bitter
It's all so sweet
Cause we're a little lost in artsy poetry
It can be so simple but it's always way to loud
The beating drum of zombie love will always drown us out
Oh what's the use
In wishing love?
I'll give it up
It's the wedding at the high school dance
In the pocket pants take a chance
I'm a little tired of faux romance
I'll just go home
I'm not looking for a love-struck scene
Bowl me over and take the lead
I want a love that's quietly everything
Oh what's the use
In wishing love?
I'll give it up
It's the wedding at the high school dance
In the pocket pants take a chance
I'm a little tired of faux romance
I'll just go home
I'm not looking for a love-struck scene
Bowl me over and take the lead
I want a love that's quietly everything
It's the wedding at the high school dance
In the pocket pants take a chance
I'm a little tired of faux romance
I'll just go home
I'm not looking for a love-struck scene
Bowl me over and take the lead
I want a love that's quietly everything
In Lou Hickey's song "Zombie Love," the singer is reluctant to engage in the typical romantic rituals that society often expects. She refuses to play by the rules of love and friendship that have been set down for her. The singer and her partner are "a little scattered oh we're a little scared," and are "perfect masters of our own despair." She is tired of the "faux romance" and "love-struck scene" that often accompany relationships, and instead desires a love that is "quietly everything."
The repeated refrain of "It's the wedding at the high school dance, in the pocket pants take a chance" emphasizes the idea that the typical scenarios of romance and love are contrived and only perpetuate an idea of love that doesn't fit everyone's realities. The mention of "zombie love" suggests that this kind of love is mindless and rote, an idea that is oppressive to the singer.
Overall, Lou Hickey's "Zombie Love" is a critique of societal expectations surrounding relationships and a call for something more authentic and meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not your love
I am not your significant other or romantic partner.
I'm not your friend
I am not your close companion or confidant.
You set these rules down, let's not pretend
You established these guidelines for our relationship, so let's not act otherwise.
We're a little scattered oh we're a little scared
We are feeling disorganized and insecure.
We're perfect masters of our own despair
We have complete control over our own feelings of hopelessness.
Oh what's the rush
To be in love?
I'll never know
I do not understand the hurry to fall in love and do not have that desire myself.
It's the wedding at the high school dance
In the pocket pants take a chance
I'm a little tired of faux romance
I'll just go home
I'm not looking for a love-struck scene
Bowl me over and take the lead
I want a love that's quietly everything
I am disinterested in the superficial and exaggerated gestures of young love, preferring a quietly fulfilling relationship where we can be ourselves and complement each other.
It can be so simple but it's always way too loud
Love can be straightforward, but it is often too noisy and distracting in reality.
The beating drum of zombie love will always drown us out
The monotonous and unfeeling rhythm of insincere love will always overpower and overwhelm us.
Oh what's the use
In wishing love?
I'll give it up
What's the point of hoping for love if it is just a fleeting and unsatisfying experience? I will give up on that ideal.
Contributed by Camilla K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.