It was May 1981: Birmingham, band Au Pairs released one of the great underrated post-punk albums, their debut ‘Playing With A Different Sex’, on indie label Human Records; dealing largely with sexual politics (mixing humour & righteous anger), it contained their stage fave “Come Again” (a song about faked orgasms), a cover of David Bowie’s “Repetition”, a re-recorded version of their single “It’s Obvious” & “Armagh” (touching on allegations of rape & torture of Irish women imprisoned in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland); it received a five-star review in British music weekly ‘Sounds’…
Heavyweight vinyl is always that much more satisfying to hold, so hats off to Au Pairs and their team for issuing their classic first album in this sought-after format. Musically, Au Pairs were at their most overtly post-punk here, with funky rhythms and scratchy Gang Of Four-esque guitar stylings. ‘We’re So Cool’ sounds like the best that moments of Hanover underground group 39 Clocks; ‘Repetition’ sounds like it could have influenced Goat Girl’s first moves as a band signed to Rough Trade; while ‘Come Again’ is up there with anything by The Slits, and ‘Love Song’ is reminiscent of Entertainment!-era Gang Of Four.
The most striking cut here, however, is ‘Headache For Michelle’, which sits beautifully in the middle of the album and offers a bit of respite from the generally high-octane rhythms. It’s a dreamy cut, seemingly about drugs and government overreach. The following stinging, bitter lines, delivered with so much heart, bring this epic number from a cracking album to a beautiful close: “They are closing down – communications / They’re taking control – of our situations.”
The Fat Angel Sings 