Artist description A unique jazz and soul flavoured pop band with left-field lyrics from Northern England. Crafted songs, occasional bursts of guitar and sax virtuosity and one of the best singers in the business. "The Questionnaires are a cut above the rest" Squib, Besonic reviewer Album Arctic Circles available from: www.the questionnaires.com (mail order) www.cdstreet.com ($ credit card) www.burbs.co.uk (Ł credit card)

Music Style Soul/jazz flavoured alternative left-field pop.

Musical Influences Too numerous to mention. Everything from Blue Note jazz through soul, funk and arthouse bands such as Talking Heads to quality pop such as Alison Moyet and Coldplay.

Similar Artists Steely Dan, Gill Scott-Heron, Alison Moyet, Peter Gabriel

Artist History After a brief burst of life in 1988, when their first few live gigs and demo sent an electric shock through the Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) music scene, the Questionnaires simply disappeared. They passed through the city like some extreme change in the weather, and the ink had barely dried on the superlative-laden reviews in the music press when they evaporated back into the atmosphere, leaving hardly a trace. What was that? Where did it come from, and where did it go? To cut a long story short, in 1988 Jane Wade went off to Scotland on a long theatre tour and Steve Hall enrolled at Northumbria University to forge a career in social sciences. Also, the backing band didn't quite gel, so the project was postponed. During their brief life The Questionnaires ranged across the emotional spectrum with an ease that few bands can muster. Songs of genuine originality with a political edge, subtle yet mood-wrenching instrumentalism, lyrics that cut slices out of the substance of the world, restrained yet effervescent guitar and saxophone virtuosity, and that voice - OH, THAT VOICE! Hyperbolic language fails here, because, as one music journalist put it, The Questionnaires were simply '.... unique, in a class of their own'. Jane Wade's voice and Steve Hall's guitar playing have both been described as 'stunning' in the music press, and both carry huge local and regional reputations for their abilities. However, in this venture they do not seek technical accolades. In fact the guitar features quite sparsely and Jane exercises her quite remarkable range and power only when the music demands. Here they simply want to express a few shared feelings long held about politics, relationships and the human condition. Above all, they just want to play a few good tunes for you to listen to. Jane Wade aka Holman has been involved in music and theatre for many years. Bands include The Posh Monkeys and Jazawaki. Then a move into theatre, performing and working as musical director at Live Theatre and Northern Stage in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK). One woman shows about Alma Cogan and Lotte Lenya followed. These days radio plays, film, tv, teaching and motherhood have taken centre stage, but making music has always been Jane's first love and she returns with a vengeance to reaffirm her roots and passions. Steve's playing has driven some of the finest bands to come from the North East in the past 25 years. Hilton Valentine's Roxoff in the 1970s, The Short Blues Line and The Resistance in the 1980s, the D7s in the 1990s, and - the greatest original RnB soul band the North East of England has ever produced - The Eastside Torpedoes, who shared the stage during their career with such luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, B.B. King and Ray Charles. However, in this venture Jane has moved away from punk and Steve from blues and soul to make a unique sound. With this sort of experience behind them, The Questionnaires are incapable of producing anything short of sheer class. Try them and hear for yourselves.

Group Members The Questionnaires consist of singer Jane Wade and multi-instrumentalist Steve Hall, aided by some superb guest musicians.

Albums Debut album Arctic Circles out now!

Press Reviews Eat this while it's hot! by Squib Rating: 10 The Questionnaires I haven’t reviewed a band in a long time, not through lack of want, but more through lack of time! Anyway, enough apologies… The Questionnaires are a good place to start. A British band from the north of England, their influences are at times both obvious and subtle. From the first track, you can tell that they are a band with a high pedigree, the musicianship is excellent, the songs in general are well-crafted and well thought through. They call their song “I’m Not Strong Enough” the flagship song from their album, Arctic Circles. It’s a haunting song, skilfully composed, but I found myself waiting for the build and hook which, arrived a little late on for me. That aside, when it arrived it blasted through its message in clear, unmistakable tones. A clever song, but not in my opinion the strongest by any means. “Ghosts In Your Eyes” on the other hand is a catchy little pop tune with a lot of ‘oomph’! I could hear the ghosts in this song well after it had finished playing, which for me is the sign of a great tune. The high point for me in this song was the middle 8/Bridge, where the pure un-influenced voice of the vocalist rings out. It’s a slick production that must have taken an age to put together, but the end result was worth it. “Madmen Do The Business” is a Jazz/Funk fusion, which is both interesting and pleasing to the ear. Now, most people who have had a review from me on this site know that I’m a lyric man first and foremost. This song has some interesting social/political sabre ratting in it, disguised around an almost Style Council vibe. Weller-esq but that works for me! Oh, and the end of the song does live up to their own advertisement of it. I really enjoyed ‘Forty Years Of Peace’ there’s good anti-war stuff here, done without the ‘steel raining down/another baby dead’ type lyrics that you might find elsewhere. It’s very topical, very true to itself and if you listen to nothing else from them, listen to this one and vote it up the charts. Trust me – play it! Overall, The Questionnaires are both good musicians and gifted songsmiths. I have two slight criticisms though; the vocalist’s voice at times sounds very much like Annie Lennox, (I think the style of harmonies on ‘Ghosts’ highlights this) and that girl from the Beautiful South whose name escapes me for the moment. Not a bad thing in itself, it’s just that when her natural voice comes through, it more than measures up to those of her chosen influences. I would like to hear her be herself a little more, I think it would be worth it. The second is a very minor point; I think some of the songs would benefit from being dragged kicking and screaming from the 80’s/90’s. They’re certainly strong enough and if they’ve been producing them themselves, it might be an idea to hand the final production over to someone else to give it that ‘modern’ feel. Arghh – hand the production over, what a leap of faith for any recording artist! That said, you should definitely give them a listen, especially to the songs listed above. The Questionnaires are a cut above the rest and if they’re playing in my neck of the woods, I’d make time to see them live, and THAT my friends, is the most important feeling any band should leave you with. Phooarr!

Location Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear - United Kingdom

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