Dolly Mixture, the Cambridge post-punk trio, formed at school and mixed self-penned songs like 'Will He Kiss Me Tonight?' with 60s girl group covers. In the late 1970s, they won approval from John Peel and NME, with the latter noting their cartoonish energy akin to the Ramones.
The band wore polka dot minidresses, stripy tights and Dr Martens, an aesthetic matching their confectionery name. They opened for acts including the Jam, Madness and the Undertones, were once supported by U2, and appeared on Top of the Pops in 1982 singing backing vocals on Captain Sensible's chart-topping 'Happy Talk'. That was their career peak; two years later, with guitarist Rachel Bor expecting a baby, Dolly Mixture disbanded.
Now singer and bassist Debsey Wykes has written a book about this thrilling, chaotic period. It is a coming-of-age tale built around her diaries, detailing the band's inception and their attempts to progress in an industry that regarded all-girl bands with suspicion. Teenage Daydream captures the optimism of adolescence that led them to try their luck as musicians long before mastering their instruments.
Wykes articulates a touching camaraderie as they faced hostile audiences. Supporting the Jam, she recalls 'spending most of our set sailing valiantly on in front of a sea of parka-clad lads showing us the finger'. The scuzzy living conditions are vividly drawn, including holing up at their manager's Soho flat where using the toilet required an umbrella against the overhead cistern.
The book is steeped in the hopefulness and dourness of the early 80s, evoking what it was to be young, on the dole and chasing dreams under Thatcherism. Dolly Mixture endured financial hardship and outrageous sexism, often stonewalled by male executives irritated by young women with opinions. They self-released an LP after failing to get label support. The band's influence endures: they inspired riot grrrl in the early 90s, and Saint Etienne drafted Wykes as a backing singer.
The final chapter sees Wykes visiting her old bandmates in Brighton in 2024 to reflect on what they achieved. Dolly Mixture may have failed to chart with their own songs, but they had a wild adventure and stayed friends.
