THE TIGER LILLIES: The Gutter and the Stars
The forefathers of Brechtian Punk Cabaret, The Tiger Lillies, were founded in 1989 and 21 years later their sound remains one of the most unique and original things one could come across. The Tiger Lillies stood out immediately for their distinct sound and style and worked their way up from London pubs to the Piccadilly Theatre and buskers’ benches to the Sydney Opera House. Soon they were touring the world giving concerts and participating in various art and theatre projects. Among the many highlights in their career was the Olivier Award they won for the cult hit musical ‘Shockheaded Peter’ and the Grammy nomination for their album ‘The Gorey End’.
The Tiger Lillies were founded by Martyn Jaques who spent most of his twenties in a flat above a brothel in London‘s Soho, peeping through his window at the buzz of Soho’s lowlife. It took Jaques a good ten years to turn that strange world into art, while training as a singer and songwriter. In 1989 he got his first accordion and The Tiger Lillies were formed shortly after.
The world of The Tiger Lillies is dark, peculiar and varied, with moments of deep sadness, cruel black humour and immense beauty. Their music is a mixture of pre-war Berlin cabaret, anarchic opera and gypsy music, echoing the voices of Bertolt Brecht and Jacques Brel. The Tiger Lillies shock, amuse and entertain in a postmodern vaudeville way, with their inimitable in-yer-face shows, where no limit should be taken for granted.