June Miles-Kingston

June Miles-Kingston is a British singer and drummer, best known for her work with various successful bands and singers in the 1980s. She was a founding member of the post-punk group The Mo-dettes, which lasted from 1979 to 1982, and later became a session drummer and backing vocalist for a variety of British post-punk, new wave, and pop artists.

June Miles-Kingston
GenresPunk rock, new wave, ska
Occupation(s)Vocals, drummer
Years active1979–present
Associated actsMo-dettes
The Fun Boy Three
Everything but the Girl
The Communards

Career

Miles-Kingston was an art student who studied at the National Film School. She helped Julien Temple make the Sex Pistols' film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. In 1979 she then moved in to squat with Kate Korris of the Slits and Joe Strummer of the Clash and bought a drum kit from Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols for £40.

Within a few months, Miles-Kingston and Korris had formed the Mo-dettes[1] with two friends, Jane Crockford and Ramona Carlier. The Mo-dettes toured for four years, supporting two-tone ska bands such as Madness and The Specials before breaking up in 1982.

Miles-Kingston went on to play drums with Everything but the Girl, the Fun Boy Three (her backing vocals being evident in "Our Lips Are Sealed"), and The Communards.[2] She also played drums for Feargal Sharkey on his hits "A Good Heart" and "You Little Thief". In 1984 she released a solo single, "Say You", and sang the theme to the Channel 4 six-part comedy series They Came from Somewhere Else. In 1986 she contributed backing vocals to two tracks ("Eiledon" and "Remembrance Day") on the Big Country album The Seer. She also contributed backing vocals to songs on Microdisney's The Clock Comes Down the Stairs (1985), as well as their 39 Minutes (1987) and also prominently on The Lover Speaks' self-titled debut album, which included "No More I Love You's" (1986), later covered by Annie Lennox on her 1995 album Medusa. In 1989 she covered "Comment te dire adieu?" with Jimmy Somerville, and the song reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart.

Miles-Kingston went on to study fine art at St. Martin's and filmmaking at the University of Sussex. Her film Dear Miss Bassey was awarded a prize at the London 'Shorts' Film Festival. She continues to make music and films, and is currently writing about her musical experiences.

References
  1. Adams, Greg. "The Story So Far". Allmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  2. "The Communards: Red". Allmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
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