Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Bobbie Dazzle is hell-bent on bringing the fun, the colour, and the freedom back to rock ‘n’ roll. The brainchild of singer/songwriter and flautist Siân Greenaway – aka Bobbie Dazzle – who has reinvented herself to take the listeners back in time to quintessential 1970s Glam and Progressive Rock. With Bobbie Dazzle’s debut album ‘Fandabidozi’ gaining acclaim from punters and critics alike, it’s been a hectic time for Siân. A jam-packed few months await, beginning with an appearance at the renowned Desertfest in London, and two shows with rock royalty Alice Cooper. Siân joined us for a chat about everything going on in the world of Bobbie Dazzle. Be warned, though, it does contain mention of Scottish 1970s and 80s children’s TV stars The Krankies.
Would it be fair to say that the last year or so has been a bit of a whirlwind for you?
Yes, I would say so. It has gone crazier than I ever could have imagined or dreamed of. But I’m having fun, so I’m not going to complain even if it’s probably one of the most stressful times that I’ve ever experienced! [laughs]
Being so involved with everything daily, it must be satisfying that everything good regarding Bobbie Dazzle is down to your hard work. But the flipside of that is that you have to look after everything yourself: social media, album artwork, interviews, bookings, etc.
It is kind of getting to the point where I am going to have to relinquish some of the control and allow people to help me, which is a little bit scary because this [Bobbie Dazzle] has been my baby. So I have been reluctant to let anyone give their opinion because it has been the way it has been, because it is like so me. But as you grow, I think that you need help, and you take it where you can, as there is only so much that you can do on your own.
Can you be too close to a project? Do you find yourself having to take a step back for a break, and then revisit it later on?
Well, that would be the healthy thing to do! But that’s not something that I am good at. I love this so much that it consumes my all day, every day, but I also do it because I want to, and if it ever got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying it, then I would stop and take a break. If you are at the point where you are having to juggle everything, and as long as you think that it’s worthwhile and you want to do it, then just do it.
Most people will know you from your time with doom metal/stoner rock outfit Alunah; two genres not renowned for playing happy, cheerful music, or including some flute. Did you feel restricted by what you could do musically within the realms of these genres?
The thing about doom is that it has this crossover with 1970s rock music, so when I was in Alunah, I managed to mesh those two things together. But when it comes to glam rock…I’m still living in the 70s, so I’ve not changed decades, I’ve just changed genres!
With regards to the flute, was that something that you were strong-armed into at school?
Yes! I was forced to play it at school, and I absolutely hated it. It was very strict and was like “You have to play it this way,” and “ you can only play classical pieces.” So I didn’t really know the freedom that the flute can have, but as you get older, you discover different music, and I discovered Thijs van Leer from Focus and heard the song ‘Hocus Pocus’ and saw the live version where he looked insane playing the flute, and I loved that. And then Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull standing on one leg and making all these weird noises with his flute. So I saw how fun the flute could be, and it made me want to pick it up as an adult.
It is strange, because the flute and a heavy, electric guitar are two instruments that you wouldn’t normally put together, especially in metal, but I think that you can play anything, and when it is weird, for some reason I think that the novelty of it makes people say “Fuck, yeah!” [laughs]
How much of a gap was there between leaving Alunah and resurfacing as Bobbie Dazzle?
I did them simultaneously, to be honest. I was still in Alunah for a good year at least, while I was doing Bobbie. I wanted to create Bobbie because it felt like something was missing creatively for me. Also, I was going through a hard time in my life, and doom metal is very serious. I was having to perform in a serious way, and I thought, I’m just going to express myself differently and see how it makes me feel. And then I realised that I was truly stepping into who I really am onstage, and although I had made this pseudonym and this rock star character, I realised that it was so freeing for me, and it was actually me, especially because I decided to do something away from being in a band. When you are in a band, you have to compromise, and everyone has to be happy…and I was told that I wasn’t allowed to do a lot of stuff. Whereas, with Bobbie, if I want to stick flute on all of the songs, then I’m going to stick flute on all of the songs. If I want to have an organ, weird synth sounds, and different people coming to sing, then I can, and the freedom to do that was such a fun way to make an album.
You are signed to Rise Above Records, a well-respected grassroots label founded by ex-Napalm Death vocalist Lee Dorrian. Looking at their artist roster, Bobbie Dazzle does tend to stick out. Where does the connection with Lee and Rise Above Records come from?
I didn’t know Lee beforehand, so I reached out to him because I knew the label, again, being in the doom scene, I was living in that world. I mean, there isn’t really a glam rock scene in the UK, and no specific glam rock labels. But, I had seen the band Guida, who are like this trash-punk-glam Italian band, and they are signed to Lee, so I thought similar vein. I reached out to Lee, and he already knew who I was because of Alunah. He heard a demo and immediately said, “Let’s work together”, and it went from there.
It must be quite satisfying that every time you post on your social media that you have another batch of vinyl or another batch of CDs, they sell out very quickly.
Yes, it has been a bizarre experience because I’ve never had it where…in my previous band, I never experienced having to repress anything. It’s hard to sell vinyl, and I think with Rise Above, there is that loyal fanbase who really are vinyl collectors. So there is that, as well as taking things on tour, where fans have responded well to the album. Having the CD sell out as well has been pretty crazy! But thank you to everyone who has purchased the album!
A lot of people would have encountered Bobbie Dazzle for the first time when Classic Rock magazine featured you last year, and then followed the link to find the album sold out…
It was strange, I remember having to search through different sites to just find anywhere that had some stock! I was on Rough Trade, HMV, and nothing was anywhere, and it kept saying “Back in stock soon”, so that was crazy!
Is glam rock the perfect genre at this time to offset the dumpster fire that is life in 2025?
Everyone needs a bit of joy in their life, and for me personally, glam rock is that kind of music that has this innocence about it, and it’s not to be taken too seriously. It’s lighthearted, and you can have fun with it…and people need that. It’s such a shame that there is not a bigger market for it because when I play my shows, people stand there smiling, and are dancing and having fun, because, yes, the world is a miserable place, so let’s cheer up in any way that we can! [laughs] When I hear glam rock songs start up, it’s like my body fills with happiness. It’s a weird, nostalgic feeling; it makes you feel like a child again and brings a tear to your eye in a happy way…and I don’t experience that with any other genre.
We’ve been speaking for 20 minutes now, and we haven’t yet discussed the album’s title, ‘Fandabidozi’. How the hell do you explain The Krankies to someone for the first time? Not only the husband and wife aspect, or the fact that she dresses up as a diminutive schoolboy, but also that they were swingers!
I didn’t actually discover the part about being swingers until within the last year! That’s information I wish I didn’t know!
I’ve found out that a lot of people don’t know how to pronounce fandabidozi, and barely anyone knows what it means! I was quite naive to that because I thought that it was a bloody brilliant name and everyone would understand it! Even when they don’t quite understand it, they still get it in a way, especially when I explain what it means; it means the same thing as bobby-dazzler, which is why I put them hand-in-hand. Both are UK-based, so they made sense to me. I was just trying to think of a word that described the album, and that’s what came to me! [laughs]
Anyone of a certain age in Scotland knows all about The Krankies!
I haven’t played a gig in Scotland yet, and I can’t wait to go onstage and say, “My debut album is out now, and it’s called ‘Fandabidozi’!” I want to hear the reaction because I know in Scotland it will be completely different from anywhere else!
On the subject of the album, ‘Lightning Fantasy’ is a stunning uptempo way to open the album. Was it always going to open it?
Yes, it was always going to be the opening track, but it had nothing to do with how it sounded, but because of who wrote the lyrics. The lyrics are by my late father, and after my sister passed away, I inherited some of her things, and some of those were our father’s things. I found sheets of lyrics from different songs, and within them was ‘Lightning Fantasy’. My dad was a huge glam rock fan – a massive Alice Cooper fan! – and I thought that I had to use the lyrics, as it was like a sign from him. So, ‘Lightning Fantasy’ is a collaboration between my dad and me.
You will, of course, open for Alice Cooper later this year. How did that come about? And what was your reaction once it was confirmed?
I had a phone call one day from the promoters [AEG], the CEO called me and said, “Do you want to support Alice Cooper?” And I thought, “Is this a joke…who is this?!”. It was crazy. I had been discovered in a magazine, and they checked out my stuff and liked it. So they put me together with Alice, and it still doesn’t seem real! It is still strange for me to have released my debut album a few months ago, and now I’m supporting Alice Cooper in an arena, and two different shows. It is insane, but honestly, it is a dream.
Bobbie Dazzle and Alice Cooper is a fantastic match-up. What do you think is the role of a good support act?
Don’t cause any problems. Be humble, because you might be on your way up, but you are not there yet, and that’s easier if you are a fan of who you are supporting. People also forget that this is a job, so you have to be professional; it’s not just a laugh. It’s also the people that you are supporting’s bread and butter, too. So if you want to have a good reputation, then be professional and be respectful.
So no open-topped drinks onstage, and no eating the headliner’s rider…
I have experienced both of those things, and it’s not fun! [laughs]
You have Alice Cooper in the Summer, followed by a support slot in London with Lita Ford, and then out in September for a few shows with Luke Morley of Thunder. And then there are the festivals: Desertfest, Bel AOR Rocks in Belfast, Call of the Wild Festival in Lincoln, and Maid of Stone Festival in Maidstone. What is it about Bobbie Dazzle that slots in seamlessly with all these varied bills?
I think with Bobbie, she’s a girl for everyone. She’s a girls-girl. She’s a girl for the guys. Glam rock is very accessible. If you like heavy metal, then you can appreciate parts of glam rock. If you don’t like heavy metal, then glam rock is not too heavy, so you will enjoy it. It just slots in. Children like it. The older generation likes it because they grew up with it. So I think that it is easy for me to play with these different genres and for it to still work. I could play on a bill with The Scissor Sisters and would fit in. And then go and support Alice Cooper, and it would still work. I could also play with a much heavier band. It’s just accessible.
What’s next for Bobbie Dazzle? New music?
Yes, I’ve just finished recording a single which will be released as a 7” vinyl. The B-side is an ABBA cover…but I’m not going to say what song it is…and this will probably be out early summer. In June, I’m back in the studio to record my second album, which will hopefully be released at the end of this year. I will be announcing a headline UK tour for the same time, and obviously throughout the summer, shitloads of festivals and gigs! I’m not stopping!
Connect with Bobbie Dazzle, HERE.
Interview – Dave
