Soho (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Jacqueline Cuff, Pauline Cuff, Tim London (Timothy Brinkhurst) |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Soho was a British trio formed by identical twin sisters Jacqueline (Jacqui) Cuff and Pauline Cuff, alongside producer Tim London (Timothy Brinkhurst). Throughout their existence, the lineup also featured members such as Liam Gillick, Eds Chesters, Leigh Gorman, and Barry Smith. When performing under the name Groovalax, Bob and Henry Morris were part of the group.
Career
Jacqueline and Pauline Cuff were born in 1962 in Wolverhampton, England, while Timothy Brinkhurst was born in 1960. During the early 1980s, the sisters, then training as student nurses, performed in St Albans before connecting with Brinkhurst. Initially, the ensemble performed under the names Tim London's Orgasm and later Tim London and the Soho Sisters.
The group is primarily recognized for their single "Hippychick," written by Brinkhurst but credited to Johnny Marr. This track achieved significant success, entering the US Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 in December 1990 and reaching the UK Top 10 in 1991. It incorporated a sample from The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" layered over a rhythm reminiscent of Soul II Soul. Additionally, "Hippychick" climbed to number two on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single was released under Warner's ATCO label through licensing from David Mimran's Tam Tam/Savage Records in the UK.
Prior to "Hippychick," Soho produced three albums for Virgin's Hedd Records label but only Noise was released. Subsequently, they released two albums through Savage/ATCO: Goddess and Thug, with the latter available exclusively in the US. In 1991, Soho teamed up with Adamski on "Born To Be Alive," which reached number 51 on the UK charts.
Following the closure of Savage Records, Soho signed with Magnet/Warners in 1994. They had independently financed two albums: Oosh (an anagram of Soho) and Yard, both of which remained unreleased until Yard became available digitally in 2008.
Throughout the 1990s, Soho contributed a rendition of The Icicle Works' "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" for the soundtrack of the film Scream. Their song "Nuthin' on my Mind" was featured in John Hughes' 1991 movie Career Opportunities. The track "Hippychick" also appeared on the 1990 compilation album titled Happy Daze.
In 1992, Soho attracted media attention with "Claire's Kitchen" from their album Thug, which alluded to an alleged affair involving then-Prime Minister John Major.
In the early 2000s, Brinkhurst moved to Edinburgh where he managed and co-produced five albums for the band Young Fathers.
In 2017, Brinkhurst reunited with Jacqui and Pauline Cuff along with vocalist Law Holt to form the electronic group Iklan. Their debut release, Album Number 1, came out on the Soulpunk label in 2020.
Albums
- Noise (1989)
- Goddess (1990) (AUS No. 102)
- Thug (1992)
- Baby Baby Baby Baby (1993)
- Yard (1994)
- Another London (1995)
- Soho – Soho (1996)
- Family BC (1999)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | NED | NZ | US | US Alter | US Dance | |||
| "Piece of You" | 1988 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Noise |
| "You Won't Hold Me Down" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Message from My Baby" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Boy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Goddess | |
| "Hippychick" | 1990 | 67 | 21 | 62 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 2 | |
| "Freaky" (US only) | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | |
| "Hippychick" (UK re-release) | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Love Generation" | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Out of My Mind" | — | 156 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Ride" | 1992 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Thug |
| "Radio Soul Groove" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Stupid" | 1996 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Soho Soho |
| A dash ("—") indicates singles that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||