n their everyday the Spice Girls. But lives, they have been Mediæval Bæbes was a Ifashion models and art group born of artistic inspiration, photographers, novelists and comedy not marketing acumen, and it was writers, physical therapists, Irish step dancers, formed by Blake, not by a record company and nursery school teachers. Several of them have or management team. Blake was classically trained fronted rock bands. But put them in outlandish costumes fit for fairy at the Purcell School, Britain’s oldest specialist school for gifted young princesses, give them a Middle English lyric or a traditional Scots musicians, and was a successful rock bandleader and singer before ballad to sing, and they become creatures of another time, nothing less creating the Bæbes in 1996. Furthermore, the individual band members than a bevy of Mediæval Bæbes. Backed by an arsenal of folk and do a lot of textual and musical work on each song, adapting the lyrics medieval instruments including hurdy-gurdy, dulcimer, cittern, fiddle, and often writing and arranging the music themselves. Blake points out and recorder, they play with sounds that live on the borders of early that it’s a misconception that they perform mostly medieval music. In music, European folk, and pop. In October 2006, the Bæbes played fact, the bulk of what they perform is medieval poetry of various sorts, several concerts at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, where Bæbes set to entirely original music written by band members. founder and musical director Katharine Blake and singer/recorder The seeds of Mediæval Bæbes were sown in two projects Blake had player Maple Bee explained the history and music of this most unusual been involved in long before the band’s formation. One was a band girl group. called Synfonie, which performed music of Hildegard von Bingen. The first thing they did was set the record straight. Mediæval The other was Miranda Sex Garden, a goth-rock outfit that began as a Bæbes are often accused of being a flash-over-substance act created trio of women singing Elizabethan madrigals. According to rock ’n’roll by record company executives with an eye toward making lots of legend, the members of Miranda Sex Garden were out busking in Porto- money, along the lines of Boyzone or the Bæbes’ original labelmates, bello Road, singing madrigals, when they were spotted by Barry

32 April/May ’07 #129 Adamson of the Bad Seeds. Adamson invited Furthermore, being in the band was comments secondhand; no one chastised her them to perform on a soundtrack he was initially about socializing, not performing or to her face. But by a couple of years later, composing for the 1991 film Delusion. On the recording. Had it been otherwise, Blake might prominent musicians were ridiculing them strength of that performance, they got a record have made some different choices. “No one openly. Opera singer Sir Thomas Allen, for deal, and recorded the first Miranda Sex had ever sung professionally, apart from me,” example, suggested that the Bæbes were Garden album, Madra [Mute Records]. This she recounted, “and some of them had never dumbing down classical music. Alluding to a work strongly foreshadows Mediæval Bæbes, sung at all, apart from in the bath! We didn’t well-known lingerie designer, he wrote in consisting simply of Blake, Kelly McCusker, think it was the kind of project that would get Britain’s Independent, “there are these and Jocelyn West singing Elizabethan art songs a record deal. It was literally just a recreational Gregorian Babes going round in cheap Janet in unaccompanied harmony. Some prominent thing at the beginning.” Reger knock-offs. It’s pathetic.” The band critics loved it, with the Evening Standard With its recreational focus and a large members didn’t take Allen’s criticism to heart; commenting, “the tabernacle in which we sit is social scene to draw from, the lineup of they didn’t much care what the classical music transformed by sheer dint of harmony and Mediæval Bæbes quickly got out of hand; world thought. “It’s really about the sense of poise into another place, where the sky lies before long there were 12 singers in the group. fun and the sense of romanticism, it’s not like a canopy of blue velvet and the brightest Performing was unwieldy — but they found, about scholarly brow-furrowing and chin- stars are Miranda Sex Garden.” oddly enough, that there was a market for it. scratching,” Blake told NPR’s John Neilsen in Miranda Sex Garden evolved quickly Their first real gig was in a graveyard, for 2002. “We’re not trying to achieve authen- away from Renaissance material, becoming proper medieval atmosphere, and the audi- ticity. We’re taking elements of the past and more or less a goth or darkwave act that flirted, ence was mostly friends. But soon the buzz throwing them into our crazy pot of mixed-up as many such acts do, with medieval imagery. was growing about the girls in slinky dresses romantic nonsense and turning it into this But Blake’s appetite had been whetted for singing medieval songs. “We did that for a fabulous show. Taking what we want from the early music, and it wasn’t long before a few months and then thought, ‘Oh, we are past, and making it new.” friendly conversation sparked a fateful idea. In getting quite good at it, aren’t we?’” said Whatever their virtues as singers, no one spring 1996, Blake met respected medieval Blake. “So we thought we would start writing can accuse Medieval Bæbes of being untal- and folk musician Dorothy Carter in Berlin. our own material by setting medieval texts to ented. The current lineup of the Bæbes, for Carter, who at about 60 years of age was new music.” example, includes Blake, a rock singer and singing and playing hurdy-gurdy, hammered About a year after the band’s formation, music promoter who is also a former stripper; dulcimer, and other unusual stringed instru- they landed a record deal with Virgin (also the Emily Ovenden, who has written a novel ments, told Blake to follow her love of Spice Girls’ company). The record they (The Ice Room) and is the manager of Abney medieval songs and form a group, if only for produced, Salva Nos, was not a far cry from Public Hall in North London; Claire Rabbitt, fun. This inspired Blake to put together a Miranda Sex Garden’s debut: just 12 singers, a medal-winning Irish dancer and law student; vocal group with a circle of her friends, with very spare accompaniment, performing a Audrey Evans, a qualified child psychologist inviting Carter along as the band’s principal selection of traditional songs and settings of and a nursery school teacher; Cylindra instrumentalist and wise woman. medieval texts. It was somewhat rudimentary, Sapphire, a qualified physical therapist; and The invitation to join the group was, and but also basic and primal…downright Bee, a successful solo recording artist and still is, primarily a social one, Blake and Bee medieval, in fact. To everyone’s surprise, it psychology graduate student. Perhaps the most explained. “Katharine generally finds people shot to number two on the U.K.’s classical impressive is Marie Findley, a model and from the same areas of life, our social scene of music chart, and was the only classical album comedy writer, whose sketch for the TV show London, and music is sort of central to that in 1997 to go silver in Britain. Suddenly, the “Smack the Pony” came in at number 22 in socializing process,” Bee offered. Baebes were famous. Channel 4’s survey of the Fifty Greatest Comedy “No one’s come out of nowhere,” Blake It wasn’t long before the Spice Girls Sketches — significantly ahead of any selections agreed. “Everyone’s been a friend, or a friend comparisons began, with the purist fringe of from such classics as “Beyond the Fringe” and of a friend. There’s never been an audition the classical music world wagging fingers. In “Not the Nine O’Clock News.” Previous lineups with strangers.” the beginning, Blake only heard about such of Bæbes have been equally impressive. Steve Winick

Dirty Linen 33 Why, then, the constant allegations that original Mediæval Bæbe, was also a talented Katharine Blake they are bimbos? Part of the reason was, costume designer, and used the Bæbes as her certainly, the rudimentary nature of that first models. Asch had been very taken with album; from the perspective of a classical medieval designs in her teens, and had musician expecting a medieval vocal compiled a large tome of medieval-inspired ensemble like Anonymous 4, it would prob- designs she had never had occasion to use. ably be disappointing. Indeed, the Mediæval Finding herself in a medieval band, she Bæbes are not classical musicians, and if suddenly had the opportunity of a lifetime. judged by strict classical standards they do Also a designer of stage costumes for other not come off well. But there were other factors bands and of regular clothing, Van Asch at work, too. Virgin Records had become the eventually founded her own designer label. world’s expert at marketing beautiful young She left the band after having a baby in 2005, women as “sex with a side of music,” and the but the Bæbes continue to dress up, and their label employed the full force of that expertise clothing continues to draw comments from to the Bæbes. As original band member Ruth critics and fans. Galloway pointed out to The Montreal Mirror Yes, the Bæbes have critics, but they also in 2002, “the record company decided to go do have fans. Quite a diverse group of fans, pretty full-on for that [sex] angle, so maybe actually. Many of the group’s concerts are in that’s been a bit of a Faustian pact. It got us cathedrals, castles, and other high-end venues, noticed initially, but the downside is that you and they attract a fairly affluent, middle-aged don’t get taken terribly seriously.” And, let’s crowd. But they also have many teens and face it: Naming the band after a line from Bill twenty-somethings. (No doubt some of these and Ted’s Excellent Adventure couldn’t have fans want to sleep with them, and the rest want helped with the literati, either. to be them.) There are large online communi- Recorded in only six days at CTS studios in The band members may also have ties, such as “Bæbe Nation” and “Maidens of London, Worldes Blysse was released in contributed to the purists’reactions themselves, Pris,” that seem to be made up mostly of young October 1998, and again exceeded expecta- by developing an early and sustained interest Bæbe wannabes. And then there are the goths. tions. It debuted at number one on the classical in stage costumes. This was, after all, the aspect “I think some of them are sort of leftover charts, toppling the mightiest classical act of of their act that Sir Thomas Allen commented Miranda Sex Garden fans,” Blake speculated. the era, the Three Tenors. Furthermore, it on. Not only do they appear in concert in “But goths are very romantic, so they like garnered some good press notices, with the matching robes, they have done photo shoots medieval stuff, don’t they?” Independent commenting “it makes...the in what could be mistaken for elaborate “It’s also where we sort of hark from,” Bee hairs stand up shiveringly on your neck.” lingerie, and also in outlandish dresses, hair- added. “The London music scene that we all Worldes Blysse was also the group’s American styles, and makeup, in some cases more come out of is pretty much based around debut, and again the press was encouraging. science fiction than medieval. “Everyone in the alternative rock.” Carlene Bauer of CMJ, for example, called it band, like most girls when they were little, After this diverse fan base made Salva Nos “seriously bewitching.” At the time, Blake liked dressing up as fairy princesses, getting such a commercial succes, Virgin was eager to called it “a big step forwards in terms of out their curtains and making a little fairy veil,” have another Mediæval Bæbes album in stores rhythm,” and explained, “Trevor Sharpe and Blake explained. “Even though we’re in our by Christmas — traditionally, the time of year Hans Persson were brought in to add an 30s, we’re still dressing up as fairy princesses!” when people buy choral albums. They rushed exciting new drum and percussion sound.” This young-at-heart love of fancy dress was the Bæbes into the studio to produce their next After the whirlwind recording and promo- fueled by the fact that Rachel Van Asch, an disc, which turned out to be a good decision. tion of Worldes Blysse, the Bæbes cemented

Marie Findley Maple Bee Audrey Evans photos: Steve Winick

34 April/May ’07 #129 Cylindra Sapphire Emily Ovenden and Claire Rabbitt photos: Steve Winick

their working methods for developing songs. oriented projects. But Cale’s vision for the beautiful settings. There’s a real sense of The first two albums were quite simple, but album differed from the Bæbes’; he added history in those places, and you get to feel a when preparing for the third, the Bæbes were electric guitars, drum loops, samples, and part of that, which is really special. With my finding things more complex, both vocally and ambient electronics. Before leaving the group, guitar or my electric band, there’s no way. instrumentally. “People had got better,” Blake Van Asch spoke frankly about the album with And those opportunities are really precious, explained, “so you could write more complex Oriflamme: Journal of Neo-Medievalism and I think.” stuff to suit everyone’s ever-growing, sophis- Popular Medievalism. “There are elements It hasn’t always been the beautiful settings ticated talents!” Blake and Bee explained how present that we would never have [allowed] if that stick out in band members’ minds; Blake they create songs for the Bæbes. Usually, it had been down to our final say,” she said. “I can also tell horror stories about playing in a selecting a text comes first. Asked if she visits think eclectic combinations can work on an venue that had been used as a haunted house libraries to search in old books, Blake laughed. album, but in this case the production was too in which the backstage area was full of fake “I just buy them, actually. So I’ll have the sporadic and patchy. Some of his collaborative corpses and decomposing latex flesh. Some luxury of looking through them while drinking ideas worked really well, but others just didn’t venues combine elements of both: One of large amounts of red wine!” Other Bæbes also sit right with the overall feel of the Mediæval Blake’s favorites is Berkeley Castle, where the find poetry, which ranges from medieval Bæbes. It definitely taught us a few things — annual medieval festival called Joust is held. English, French, Latin, Spanish, German, what works and what doesn’t — and the next “It’s the oldest inhabited castle in the U.K.,” Provençal, and Italian, to 18th-century Scots, album will be all the better for it.” she enthused. “The Berkeleys still live there. Cornish, and Manx. The band members then Nevertheless, Undrentide was a break- It’s the place where A Midsummer Night’s compose music for the texts that need it. through of sorts. It is a far more varied album Dream was first staged. It’s where Edward II “The compositions are mainly original than either of their previous works, and got a red-hot poker shoved up his arse for the material, but with a medieval flavor,” Blake contains many beautiful songs, from a maca- crime of being homosexual, so it’s rich with clarified. Blake notates it in staff notation, and ronic drinking song, to settings of Chaucer historical color!” the band members arrange and learn it. and Boccaccio, to an English folksong as The Mediæval Bæbes have struck a good “Everyone in the band has different abili- reinterpreted for the 1970s version of the film balance between gigging and having their own ties in music theory,” Bee said. Although a lot The Wicker Man. It also contains “Aria,” a lives. They do not tour heavily, preferring to of the singers couldn’t read notation when they collaboration between Mediæval Bæbes and play about five or six concerts in December, joined the group, they were all becoming quite the group Delerium; the track also appeared on their busiest month, and generally fewer at adept by the time of our interview. Delerium’s album Poem. And if Cale’s toning other times of the year. This leaves them some All of these skills were put to use on the down the vocal reverb and jolting the music time to work on material, to plan recordings, Bæbes’ third CD, Undrentide. This was an with electricity didn’t suit the Bæbes’ taste, it and to work on other projects. unusual album for the Bæbes, largely due to the might just have won some new fans who Since Undrentide, there have been two involvement of producer John Cale. Blake was needed to be eased into medieval music. Mediæval Bæbes studio albums, The Rose and reluctant to talk about the experience of It was while touring to support Worldes Mirabilis. These, Blake said, were her favorites Undrentide, or at least seemed to change the Blysse and Undrentide that the Bæbes began to of all the work she’s done. (There are also a live subject. She did point out that they recorded it realize some of the advantages of being in a CD and live DVD, released in late 2006, and residentially (in other words, they lived in classical group. “Being on stage with the available at the band’s website.) The Rose the studio complex while it was recorded), Bæbes is just completely different from contains “Slay Me Suddenly,” the most aston- and that “that can be a bit unhealthy. I like a anything else I’ve ever done,” Bee mused. ishing and sensual love lyric attributed to bit of real life mixed in when I’m recording.” “You get a real opportunity to sing in places Chaucer; a passage from Dante’s Inferno; and Blake and the other Bæbes admire Cale a great that most bands would never get the chance “Dringo Bell,” an English fabliau about a man deal, both for his early work with the Velvet to play, like in Hampton Court Palace, in Leeds tricked into kissing his lover’s behind, known Underground, and for later, more classically Castle, in cathedrals….in all these beautiful, to medievalists as “Old Hogyn’s Adventure.”

Dirty Linen 35 Blake’s favorite song on which the the usual creative The Rose, she said, is “The process was reversed: Sour Grove,” an extract from Bee had written a melody, a medieval Welsh poem and visited Blake at by Gwerful Mechain, home so they could extolling the virtues of comb through the the female genitalia. many books of “For years it’s medieval verse to ã #BÚ3 
44  been banned from find a text that fit anthologies of it. But Mirabilis Welsh poetry also has the ëJŸî¨ because it’s too highest propor- salacious,” she tion of material said. “But at the in the folk idiom .JÐÐî same time it’s very of any of the 4"
Ú un-self-conscious, Mediæval 7
734Ú very un-sleazy. It’s Bæbes albums, a very beautiful including several poem, and I really ballads about ã love it because the fairies. “Tam Lin… Ó lyrical content is the words I found in fantastic!” The Rose the back of a book by also features “L’Amour Brian Froud,” Blake de Moi,” a medieval French recalled. “I love scary folksong, arranged, sung and fairy stuff; it’s got that sort played by Dorothy Carter, who of sinister appeal. I love the originally inspired the formation of dark quality of fairy tales. I love the the Mediæval Bæbes, and who had acted last line about turning him to stone.” The Ú
¨Ú since the beginning as the group’s supporting album also features a version of that best- ˜¨Ó»˜ÐvlÚ instrumentalist. Carter does a wonderful job known of English fairy ballads, “Scarbor- vëv¨˜¨Ú with the song, and it’s lovely that they asked ough Fayre,” and a Manx fairy ballad called ¬ƒÚÓ¬¨iÚ her to lead it, as it turned out to be her swan “Lhiannan Shee,” set to music by Bæbe Ó»¬žv¨— song. About a year after The Rose was Cylindra Sapphire, which Blake cites as her ì¬ÐlÚJ¨lÚ released, Carter passed away of a stroke, favorite song. ܕvJÜÐviÚ which required some reorganization and Mirabilis includes two songs from 18th- A ˜¨bŸål˜¨Ú some soul-searching from the band. On century Scotland, one by Robert Burns and A X¬¨åÓÚÐv•vJÐÓJŸÚ tours, Carter had played one by James Hogg. This ƒ¬¬ÜJviژ¨ÜvÐë˜vìÚJ¨lÚ strings and recorders, move away from truly £¬ÐvÚ×ôÚ"#ÀiÚ3 Ú "4 while other musicians medieval songs may be ÊvÐÚÓ¬¨ÓÚìvJëvÚܕvÚ»¬Ÿ˜Ü˜bJŸÚ added percussion. To Discography part of a continuing trend ì˜Ü•ÚܕvژЬ¨˜biÚܕvڃå¨Úì˜Ü•ÚܕvÚ replace her in the for the band; according to ÓåXŸ˜£viÚXåÜÚJŸìJîÓÚì˜Ü•Ú performing outfit, the Mediæval Bæbes Live Blake and Bee, there are JÜܘÜålv|ËÚ.#;#Ú4 Bæbes chose multi- self-released (2006) two songs written for the ÈÅåJŸŸîڃ娨îÚJ¨lÚ instrumentalist Becky next album, neither of l˜ÓÜåÐX˜¨|ÚÜJžvÓÚåÓژ¨Ü¬Ú Austin-Brown. In addi- Mediæval Bæbes Live DVD which is really medieval. å¨b•JÐÜvlÚìJÜvÐÓÀÈÚ Ú3
% tion, the Bæbes tour with self-released (2006) One has “sort of an Eliza- Frank Moon on cittern Mirabilis bethan feel” and the other and guitar and Vince Nettwerk (2005) is a hearty pirate song. Johnson on drums. “We’re not really obsessed Mistletoe & Wine Mirabilis, the latest Nettwerk (2003) with being authentic,” studio album from the Blake reiterated. “Nothing Mediæval Bæbes, uses a The Rose has to be medieval, neces- ÓvbåÐvÚ¬¨Ÿ˜¨vÚ¬ÐÚܬŸŸ—ƒÐvvÚ³—{×חˆÞô—‹ã{{ whole stable of musicians Nettwerk (2002) sarily. And I think more to replace Carter. It also Undrentide and more we’ve been takes the production BMG Classics (2000) drawn to doing stuff that’s aspects to another level of in understandable, quite sophistication. “It’s indul- The Best of the Mediæval Bæbes modern English. For gent, slick, rich,” Blake EMI (1999) example, if it’s in Scottish said. Mirabilis contains a Worldes Blysse dialect, it sounds very old fair number of medieval Virgin (1998) and romantic.” She lyrics set to music, laughed. “Anything that including the heart- Salva Nos has that romantic old feel Virgin (1997) breaking and cryptic is good enough for me!” middle English lyric “All for the Love of One,” on