Tonight an interview with the cult band Slapp Happy. Anthony Moore and Peter Blegvad took the time to have a very funny talk. The interview was done at Les Ateleirs Claus, the day before their concert.
Photo @ Laurent Orseau / Recording concert @ Christophe Albertijn
Playlist:
Slapp Happy : A Little Something (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 1 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Michelangelo (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 2 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Mr. Rainbow (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Slapp Happy : King Of Straw (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 3 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Gonna Straight (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Slapp Happy : Silent The Voice (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 4 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Casablanca Moon (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Slapp Happy : Slow Moons Rose (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 5 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : The Unborn Byron (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Slapp Happy : Improvisation (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 6 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Let's Travel Light (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Slapp Happy : Heading For Kyoto (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 7 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Dawn (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Anthony Moore & Peter Blegvad - interview part 8 (Slapp Happy - at Les Ateliers Claus - 2017-11-17)
Slapp Happy : Charlie 'N Charlie (live Les Ateliers Claus- 2017-11-18)
Slapp Happy / Henry Cow : Some Questions About Hats (Desperate Straight)
Anthony Moore's musical career began when he met Peter Blegvad, while both were students at St Christopher School, Letchworth. They played in various bands, including Slapp Happy and the Dum-Dums.
In 1971 Moore moved to Hamburg, Germany and worked in Hamburg's experimental music scene, recording two minimalist albums for Polydor Germany. In 1972 Blegvad visited Moore in Hamburg and, along with Moore's girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Dagmar Krause, Moore (guitar, keyboards), Blegvad (guitar) and Krause (vocals) formed the avant-pop trio, Slapp Happy. Moore and Blegvad composed the band's music.
Slapp Happy recorded two albums for Polydor Germany with krautrock group Faust as their backing band. Polydor released the first, Sort Of in 1972, but rejected the second, Casablanca Moon. This rejection prompted Slapp Happy to relocate to London where they signed up with Virgin Records and re-recorded Casablanca Moon, released in 1974 by Virgin as Slapp Happy. (The original Casablanca Moon was later released byRecommended Records as Acnalbasac Noom in 1980.) In 1974 Slapp Happy merged briefly with avant-rock group Henry Cow, recording two albums in 1975, Desperate Straights and In Praise of Learning. However soon after recording the second album, first Moore, then Blegvad left the amalgamation on account of incompatibilities with the group. Blegvad remarked that the "chords and the time signatures were too complicated." But Krause elected to remain with Henry Cow and that spelt the end of Slapp Happy.
Moore and Blegvad parted company at this point, but participated in brief Slapp Happy reunions in 1982, 1997, 2000 and 2016–2017. Moore, Blegvad and Krause also collaborated in 1991 on the specially commissioned opera 'Camera', which was made by the production company