"warum sind sie eigentlich alle so anders?" & "zombie-werewolf feudin' blues" were written for amazing graves (burnout films, 2004)
(victor was a rockabilly werewolf, boitel was a dandy zombie & to quote "piglet pop", the lesbo pig song anna wrote about the video shoot, humousexual played on a gravestone)
27/09/08 | uk | newcastle | star and shadow | slamptrospective w/ milky wimpshake + red monkey + corey orbison + rachel k + bilge pump + chaps + hotpants romance + st james infirmary + sad shields + les cox sportif
29/07/04 | uk | london | needles | stitch-stitch tour/ homocrime w/ lesbo pig + i know i have no collar + fr���¡n���§ois + sleeping states + isso*keh
28/07/04 | uk | bristol | the here shop | stitch-stitch tour w/ lesbo pig + i know i have no collar + fr���¡n���§ois + my two toms + headfall
this show had to be moved at very short notice from the scout hut to the here shop:
having seen a poster in a shop window, the local scout leader cancelled the booking
on the grounds that the scouts couldn't be associated with bands called humousexual
& lesbo pig! fortunately the bristol kids also subscribe to the motto 'be prepared' ...
05/06/04 | nl | amsterdam | pakhuis afrika | queeruption
this show happened not only without any dogs or yuppie scum, but also without humousexual,
most other performers on the bill or much of an audience, because a large number of queerupters
were arrested on an antifa demo in den haag that day. the flyer's included for posterity, though.
humousexual plays pretty indie pop. they have quiet songs with handclaps and whistling that range in topic from the innocuous to political -- all of it pretty hilarious. i mean, the name of the [album] is tahini beach party and it features such song titles as "give me humous or give me death", "sex lib d-beat" and "supermarket humous vs smoked tofu spread". anyway, it's cute, pro-queer, pro-vegan eats, and pro-laughs. oh, and they get bonus points for the following lyrics: "girls, grow moustaches and eat molasses/ boys, wear bikinis and eat tahini"
(ariel awesome | maximumrocknroll #283 | dec 2006)
tahini beach party is the latest release by humousexual. no, that's no typo, that's their name - really! if you've never heard of them, don't worry, they're part of a new wave of queer music that couldn't be further away from the discos and meat markets of the scene, so it's unlikely you will have gurned to them after necking six e's.
even though humousexual, also known as victor and boitel, aren't the kind of act that usually get invited to do pa's at superclubs or turns on the queer cabaret circuit, their music is charming and infectious (in a good way) and once you've heard them you're unlikely to forget the experience.
tahini beach party is a collection of 16 songs that the pair have released themselves through the ultra-independent label irrk, a non-profit label run by a group of friends. following a do it yourself punk ethic, irrk state: "we are united in our love for making music however we can; expressing our hearts and souls as best we can, with whatever instruments and training (or lack of) that we have. we release these records so that others can hear them and we in turn can hear others, in the hope that we are part of some kind of community of like-minded folk."
bearing this in mind, humousexual are like an indie band with added queer political consciousness, all mixed up with a lo-fi beat.
upon listening to their music you'll find that their comedy name is deceptive. although songs such as �¯�¿�½humous vs humanities�¯�¿�½ are kind of funny and odd, the bulk of the songs on tahini beach party are thoughtful, even deep.
one quirky love song about cycling gives way to another about a love of black music and the way that its history is hidden in modern gay dance club culture. "batty street" is a song about queeruption, which is an occasional alternative gathering of queer people that's been happening around the world since 1998. other songs mix up languages and there's even a bit of polari thrown in. mind you, having said that there's also "supermarket humous vs smoked tofu spread" in which we learn that germany is a good place to live if you like tofu.
humousexual like to mix up their emotions as much as they mix up their musical styles. tahini beach party is much more experimental than past releases, incorporating noise, electronic beats and other lo-fi innovations alongside the more familiar two-boys-with-a-tape-recorder effect. some of the experimentation is more successful than others but, as victor and boitel explain: "yeah, we like our grub vegan but this song is just a bit of messin' about, innit?"
you probably won't find humousexual in the virgin megastore, and even if they were there you might not know which section they'd be stacked in: lo-fi pop? queer music? punk? never mind, tahini beach party is a lovely cd, worth some space in anyone's collection. it's music with great heart, music with a message.
lesbo pig and humousexual are two little bands that have just released a joint record together. yes, a record, do you remember them? lesbo pig/humousexual is a seven-inch ep, with four songs on each side spilt between the two groups. it's one of the best things that you'll hear all year.
lesbo pig's side of the record is quiet and understated. their music is sweetly sung but not saccharin, it�¯�¿�½s inventive, amusing and very lo-fi. some tracks were recorded in their living room in the spirit of doing it yourself. other tracks were recorded at an art event entitled a political feeling ... which took place in london earlier this year. included are songs written for and about two of the band's friends. helen, an anti-war protestor, writer and author of the fantastic this is! zine, and charlotte, who is involved with the underground queer scene in london and who "has always dreamed of being the first person to pilot revolutionary methods of baby making using two ladies, splicing x-chromosomes in the dead of night."
humousexual are a pair of pals who sing songs about friendship, love, boredom, and other everyday things. they use guitars, keyboards and very little else. to say that their style is unflashy is the understatement of the century, it's completely laid back, lacking in ego, pomp or pretentiousness. what i like about their songs is the quiet humanity in them; this is a version of queer life that i can relate to, made by people who are disenfranchised by the whole muscle-mary-on-e generation. it's emotionally literate, friendly, upbeat and, well, i can't think of a better word than "charming" to describe it.
the best song by far on their side of the record is "yumus", a strikingly catchy homage to humous (yes, that gloopy chick pea dip / spread that lives in every queer fridge) that includes a useful recipe for the stuff. delightful.
lesbo pig/humousexual is a record with great heart. it's unlikely to go charging up the charts, and you probably won't hear it whilst gurning your face off in a club this summer. but out there somewhere, queer men and women are making records together, writing and performing songs that are tender and real. you should really check it out.
