RudeGRL + CC: ‘Dream Big Live Large Play Hard’ – Debut album follows praise and plays

For genre-hopping, rule-breaking, queer and multi-hyphenate trio RudeGRL+CC, 2023 is a time to ‘Dream Big Live Large Play Hard’. That’s the name of the album which drops on 6 October via Universal from Jenna Dickens (RudeGRL), Chris Constantinou (CC) and Bunni Morretto. They have already gained some serious heavy-weight support from BBC 6Music, with Iggy Pop (“They’ve got a good thing going on… good simple and effective musical ideas, you don’t hear that as often as you should””) and Amy Lamé playing their songs ‘Like Wow’ and ‘Killer 16’. It will be preceded by the double A-side single ‘Goody Two Shoes’ / ‘I’m Good’ on 1 September 2023.

Jenna Dickens, alias Rude Grl, has a platinum music provenance. She has provided guest vocals for the Basement Jaxx and has released critically acclaimed material under her own name and as Rude Grl.  Chris Constantinou, CC, is a musical legend, having been a pivotal member of Adam Ant‘s band, songwriting partner to Lou Reed and Sinead O’Connor, and headed up notorious punk bands such as The Mutants and The Wolfmen.  Bunni Morretto is a renowned performance artist, whom The Guardian described as a ‘Twerk of Art’. Striptease Artist of the Year, and the first black finalist of Miss Burlesque UK, Bunni provides her own strong visual element for the band.
 
‘Dream Big Live Large Play Hard’ is a 12-track collection, written entirely in four 3-hour jam sessions, exploring a union of rapid-fire rap, fuzz bass, industrial beats, twang guitars, and atmospheric post-punk, celebrating grime and the 80s. ‘Dream Big Live Large Play Hard’ reads as RudeGRL+CC’s manifesto for the troubled times we find ourselves in. Its upbeat, and motivational and was partly inspired by Jenna binge-watching NBA matches. The material carries an overwhelmingly positive message with titles such as ‘We Came To Win’, ‘Unstoppable’, and ‘No Holding Me Back Now’.
 
Kicking off proceedings is the separate, non-album double A-side single on the Cleopatra label, featuring a superstar-studded cover of Adam Ant’s number one worldwide hit ‘Goody Two Shoes’. Boasting drummer Bob Wiczling who played on the original US single and LP versions, it also features the horn section of The Specials, Hal Lindes of Dire Straits, and Preston Heyman (Massive Attack, Kate Bush). On the flipside is an original number entitled ‘I’m Good’ that has been remixed into a guaranteed summer classic by Nick Hodgson (Kaiser Chiefs) which is destined for massive exposure in clubs from London to Ibiza to Ayia Napa and beyond! Iggy Pop and Amy Lamé have already played this mix too.
 
And there is more to come, with another album completed and ready to go. Additionally, final touches are being made to a third album, inspired by British Guyanan writer Edgar Mittelholzer. Marking a true departure for the band, this is being produced with filmmaker Simon Aeppli, and aims to tell Edgar’s story. He ended his life by self-immolation, believed to be an act of protest after years of suffering racial abuse.
 
So it’s time to cast off any doubts about what the future holds. Take a deep breath, fix your eyes on the horizon, and join RudeGRL+CC as they ‘Dream Big Live Large Play Hard’