Formed in Birmingham (England) in 1979, The Au Pairs matched driving, guitar-led rock to lyrics (mostly by Woods) that dissected the politics of sexual relationships.
Their first single, You, came out on their own 021 label in September 1979. Their second, It’s Obvious, was released by Human Records and topped the indie charts.
Human Records also issued their debut album, Playing With A Different Sex, in May 1981.
The group achieved fame of a kind when the BBC banned their song Come Again after realising it referred to orgasm (the song was actually a satirical dig at the patronising sexual manners of the so-called ‘new man’).
A third single, Inconvenience, added trumpet and brought out the soulful side of Woods’ punk-Joplin vocals, but it did not achieve the breakthrough to chart success. A second album, Sense and Sensuality, also failed to impress.
Late in 1982 the group added synthesizer player Tina Wawrzynowicz to the line-up, but the following year the band called it a day.
Lesley Woods studied law after the band and was called to the bar when she was 32. She went on to become a successful barrister.
Lesley Woods
Guitar, vocals Paul Ford
Guitar, vocals Jane Munro
Bass Pete Hammond
Drums Tina Wawrzynowicz
Synthesizer
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