Danielle Gardner (born 23 September 1958), known professionally as Danielle Dax, is an English rock musician, music producer, and artist most active from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s.

Early life

She was born Danielle Gardner, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Dax's first performance on stage in London was when she was a child. She sang in Benjamin Britten's opera, Noye's Fludde (Noah's Flood), at the Royal Albert Hall. Preceding this, the first time Dax appeared on stage was at the age of three as an orange Jelly Baby on the Southend bandstand. After a short modelling career (she won the "Miss Evening Echo" competition in 1976), she turned to music.

Career

Dax made her popular music debut in 1979, within three weeks of joining the group Amii Toytal and the Croixroads (a pseudonym for Lemon Kittens)

In 1989, Dax appeared on the Channel 4 show Star Test.

In 1990, she released her one major-label studio album, Blast the Human Flower, produced by Stephen Street, except for the tracks "Bayou" and "Daisy", which they produced together. She had previously contributed lyrics, vocals and artwork for the group's 2009 album Temporal Bends.

On 4 November 2022, a new single was released by Danielle Dax titled "Invictus Arduis". The single was released on transparent vinyl by the independent label Heaven's Lathe. One hundred copies were printed and sold out within two minutes. The project was made with her longtime collaborator David Knight, and featured experimental instrumentation by Dax and Knight and a singing and spoken word by Dax. Lyrics from the previously released songs "Cutting The Last Sheaf", "Born To Be Bad" and "Whistling For His Love" have been used for the project. This is the first newly released material in 27 years, since the release of the Timber Tongue EP in 1995.

Discography

with Lemon Kittens

  • Spoonfed & Writhing (cover art only)
  • We Buy a Hammer for Daddy (multi-instrumentalist, vocals)
  • Cake Beast (three track 12" EP)
  • (...those that bite the hand that feeds them sooner or later must meet...) The Big Dentist (multi-instrumentalist, vocals)

Solo

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:20em;"| Album details

! scope="col" colspan="1" style="width:5em;"| UK Indie Chart Peak

|-

! scope="row" | Pop-Eyes

|

  • Released: 22 April 1983
  • Label: The Initial Recording Company

| —

|-

! scope="row" | Jesus Egg That Wept

|

  • Released: October 1984
  • Label: Awesome

| 10

|-

! scope="row" | Inky Bloaters

|

  • Released: 1 April 1987
  • Label: Awesome

| 9

|-

! scope="row" | Blast the Human Flower

|

  • Released: November 1990
  • Label: Sire Records

| —

|-

| colspan="3" style="font-size:9pt" | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or that the album was not released on that market.

|}

EPs

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1"| Album details

! scope="col" colspan="1" style="width:5em;"| UK Indie Chart Peak

! scope="col" colspan="1" style="width:5em;"| US<br/>Dance Club<br/>

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:12em;"| Album

|-

! scope="row"| "Yummer Yummer Man"

| 1985

| 7

| —

| —

|rowspan="3"| Inky Bloaters

|-

! scope="row"| "Where the Flies Are"

| 1986

| 14

| —

| —

|-

! scope="row"| "Big Hollow Man"

| 1987

| 4

| —

| —

|-

! scope="row"| "Cat-House"

| 1988

| 3

| 19

| 27

| rowspan="2"| Dark Adapted Eye

|-

! scope="row"| "White Knuckle Ride"

| 1989

| 5

| —

| —

|-

! scope="row"| "Tomorrow Never Knows"

| rowspan="2"| 1990

| —

| 5

| —

| rowspan="2"| Blast the Human Flower

|-

! scope="row"| "Big Blue '82'"

| —

| —

| —

|-

| colspan="6" style="font-size:9pt" | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or that the single was not released on that market.

|}

Promotional singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:15em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:1em;"| Year

! scope="col" colspan="1" style="width:8em;"| Country

! scope="col" rowspan="1" style="width:12em;"| Album

|-

! scope="row"| "Inky Bloaters"

| 1987

| Japan

| Inky Bloaters

|-

! scope="row"| "Cat-House" / "Big Hollow Man"

| 1988

| United States

| rowspan="2"| Dark Adapted Eye

|-

! scope="row"| "Whistling for His Love"

| 1989

| United States

|-

|}

Cover versions

  • In 1989, the Finnish model and artist Kata Kärkkäinen recorded a version of the single "Cat House" for her Your Love album.
  • The Damned also included "Cat House" occasionally in their live repertoire.

Notes

References

  • Official MySpace page
  • Axel by Nigel Wingrove on IMDB