Robots in Disguise

Robots in Disguise are an English Electropunk band composed of Dee Plume (vocals and guitar), Sue Denim (vocals and bass) and a changing line-up of backing musicians. The group, formed in 2000, have released four studio albums and are currently based in Berlin and London.

History

Formation and early years (2000)

Plume (Delia Gaitskell) and Denim (Suzanne Powell) met and formed the band when they were both students at the University of Liverpool. Robots in Disguise then recorded and released an extended play entitled Mix Up Words and Sounds through Splinter, produced by Chris Corner.

Robots in Disguise and Get RID! (2001–2005)

The band's eponymous début studio album was released through Recall in 2001, produced by Chris Corner. Robots in Disguise featured the single "Boys". The cover for Boys featured a mimic of Roxy Music's Country Life. Robots in Disguise's second studio album, Get RID! was released in 2005 through Recall and Ben Prime, produced by Chris Corner. It featured the singles "Turn It Up" and "The DJ's Got a Gun". The album cover showed simply the girls wearing tight jeans saying "Robot" on them.

We're in the Music Biz (2006–2008)

The band's third studio album, We're in the Music Biz, was released through President in 2008, and was again produced by Chris Corner. It featured the singles "The Sex Has Made Me Stupid" and "The Tears".

Wake Up! and Happiness v Sadness (2009–present)

The band were recording the fourth studio album in London, but ran out of money to complete it near the end of 2009. They ended up relying on pledges of fans to financially support the project, and releasing the single "Wake Up" on 3 May 2010.

"Wake up" was inspired and helped by Barry M cosmetics, which also financed a music video-cum-ad featuring "Robot Blue" lipstick and costuming. With 138% of their pledger goal met by fans, the first single "Chains" was released 27 June and the studio album was released ten years after their first studio album on 11 July 2011.

The Mighty Boosh

Dee and Sue appeared several times in the British Television series The Mighty Boosh, as various characters such as electro band members and Goth girls. Robots In Disguise have been touring with The Mighty Boosh Live for their 2008–09 tour, performing in the after-shows. They also appeared at The Mighty Boosh festival, Saturday 5 July 2008 at The Hop Farm Country Park in Kent, England. This is partially due to Plume dating Boosh member Noel Fielding at the time. They have since split, ending their relationship in 2010.

Outside of Music

Sue is a model for London based jewellery company Tatty Devine. This led on to a collaboration between Robots In Disguise and Tatty Devine for their tour merchandise. The Tatty Devine accessories are inspired by the art-work for the single Tears. There is an eye with a tear dripping from it, rings that look like tears as well as a name necklace that says ‘Robots’ (this particular piece is used for the fan-club). In 2010 Tatty Devine made an exclusive Lipstick necklace to coincide with the blue lipstick made by make-up brand Barry M for Robots.

Discography:

Robots in Disguise (2001)
Get RID! (2005)
We're in the Music Biz (2008)
Happiness V Sadness (2011)

Robots in Disguise provides examples of the following tropes:

Getting Crap Past the Radar: The album cover for We're in the Music Biz is innocent-looking, with the girls wearing shirts and ties, but in fact they're topless and the "clothes" are simply body paint.
Punny Name: In case it's not obvious, "Sue Denim"/"pseudonym" and "Dee Plume"/"nom de plume".