NYC goth pop-alternative duo Frenchy and the Punk offer “Cities In Dust” single & video
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(Photo by Samantha Stephenson) NYC-based goth pop-alternative duo Frenchy and the Punk present their cover version of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ classic “Cities In Dust”, set for release on October 18, the 38th anniversary of the original release by this game-changing post-punk outfit. You can already pre-order it here on Bandcamp.
But we can already offer you the official video for this new single. The single comes with the B-side track “Monsters”.
Frenchy and the Punk is vocalist, percussionist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, who co-founded Outpatients and Deep Wound (with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis and Lou Barlow).
This release follows the duo’s seventh album “Zen Ghost”, written and recorded during the pandemic and released in October 2022. During these same recording sessions, they decided to record the Banshees’ cover seeing it was well-received during live shows.
Helland recalls first discovering Siouxsie in the mid-80s upon walking into his favorite record store – Main Street Records in Northampton, MA, noting “It was one of those things I’ll never forget. Seeing a poster of Siouxsie with her teased black hair and the song blasting throughout the store, it was mind blowing. I feel like I hadn’t really been exposed to female musicians in the punk or goth realm until then. She was instantly cool to me.”
While also a fan, Stephenson’s deep dive into the Banshees’ sound came much later. “I was aware of Siouxsie and the Banshees, but mostly for her stunning look. I loved her image. She seemed to exude fierceness and confidence but I wasn’t all that familiar with the band’s sound. It’s really because our fans constantly mentioned her name that got me falling down the Banshees’ rabbit hole some years ago,” says Stephenson.
About Frenchy and the Punk
Helland and Stephenson met in NYC in 1998, when Stephenson jumped on stage to accompany Helland during his solo guitar performance. The two decided to form a musical duo and began to tour.
With numerous recordings under their belt over the years, they’ve performed with Dead Can Dance’s Peter Ulrich and Dresden Dolls’ Brian Viglione, and opened for Thomas Dolby, Dinosaur Jr., The World Inferno Friendship Society, Rasputina, Cruxshadows, Hurray For The Riff Raff and The Young Dubliners.
After a full year of touring throughout the USA and Europe in support of “Zen Ghost”, Frenchy and the Punk are now back in New York, writing material for a new album they plan to release in 2024.
Tour dates:
- Oct. 21 Eastampton, Nj – Autumn Lands Festival
- Nov. 4 Pittsburgh, Pa – Witches’ Ball
- Dec 2-3 West Palm Beach, Fl – Steampunk Adventurers Weekend
- Jan. 13 Colts Neck, Nj – Big Top Circus Ball
- Feb 16-18 Gettysburg, Pa – Mythicon
- Apr. 6 Galveston, Tx – Galveston Steampunk Festival
- Apr 19-21 San Meteo, Ca – Clockwork Alchemy
- Apr 27-28 Holly Springs, Nc – Festival Of Legends
- May 18 Milton, Pa – World Of Fae Ball
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