Louise Wener

Louise Jane Wener (born 30 July 1966, Gants Hill, London, England)[1] is an English writer, singer, songwriter and guitarist of the band Sleeper.

Louise Wener
at the Great Escape Festival in 2023 (by Paul Hudson)
at the Great Escape Festival in 2023 (by Paul Hudson)
Background information
Birth nameLouise Jane Wener
Born (1966-07-30) 30 July 1966
OriginGants Hill, London, England
GenresIndie rock, Britpop
Occupation(s)Singer, writer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active
  • 1993–1998, 2017–present (music)
  • 1998–present (writing)

Life

Wener is the younger daughter of Donald Wener, an Inland Revenue tax inspector from East Ham who had served in the RAF, and Audrey (née Dixon), a bank clerk and former nurse. Wener attended Manchester University where she met Jon Stewart which led to the formation of Sleeper.[2] Her elder sister was the writer Sue Margolis. Their brother, Geoff, managed Sleeper after attending Cambridge University.[3][4]

Sleeper recorded three full-length albums prior to splitting: Smart, The It Girl, and Pleased to Meet You. After the band split up in 1998, Wener began a writing career,[5] and has written four novels: Goodnight Steve McQueen, The Big Blind (also known as The Perfect Play), The Half Life of Stars, and Worldwide Adventures In Love. Her autobiography, Different for Girls: My True-life Adventures in Pop (also known as Just For One Day: Adventures in Britpop), was published in June 2010. Wener co-wrote a BBC Radio 4 drama series, Queens of Noise, with Roy Boulter of The Farm. It ran for two five-programme series in the 10.45am Woman's Hour drama slot, focusing on the rise of a fictional indie band, Velveteens.[6]

In addition to writing herself, Wener has taught novel-writing. With her partner, Sleeper drummer Andy Maclure, she formed another band, Huge Advance, although they only played in and around their residential suburb of Crouch End.[7] By 2011, she and Maclure had married and moved to Brighton, where Maclure teaches at a music college.[8] They have a son and a daughter. Wener has written an article about motherhood for The Guardian.[9]

Sleeper reformed in 2017 to play in four British cities in July and August as part of the Star Shaped Festival.[10] They went on to headline an eleven-date tour in 2018.[11] The band have since recorded two new albums, The Modern Age,[12][13] released in March 2019, and This Time Tomorrow, released in December 2020.

In 2021, Wener teamed up with the Greater Manchester indie band The Lottery Winners to record "Bad Things", an R&B-laced indie-pop track from the Leigh band's eight-track EP Start Again (with "Bad Things" being credited to The Lottery Winners feat. Sleeper, rather than featuring Louise Wener).[14][15][16]

Bibliography
  • Goodnight Steve McQueen. Flame. 1 August 2002. ISBN 0-340-82029-2.
  • The Big Blind. Flame. 2003. ISBN 0340-82031-4.
  • The Perfect Play: A Novel. HarperCollins Publishers 05 October 2005/ ISBN 978-0-06-058548-8.
  • Different for Girls. Ebury Press. 20 June 2010. ISBN 978-0-09-193651-8.
  • Just for One Day: Adventures in Britpop. Random House. 31 July 2012. ISBN 978-1-44-640792-9.

References
  1. Different for Girls, Wener, Louise; Ebury Press 2010, p.6. ISBN 9780091936518
  2. Stratton, Jon (15 April 2016). Britpop and the English Music Tradition. Routledge. ISBN 9781317171225.
  3. Vincent Graff. "Sue Margolis obituary | Books". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  4. "Obituary: Sue Margolis - The Jewish Chronicle". 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  5. Wener, Louise (6 July 2002). "My life as a pop star". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  6. "15 Minute Drama". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  7. "Britpop stars: Where are they now?". Virgin Media. 2009. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  8. Jones, Alice (2 July 2011). "Beyond Britpop: Whatever happened to the class of '95?". The Independent.
  9. Wener, Louise (5 April 2006). "What's wrong with being a mother?". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  10. "Sleeper To Play First Gig In 19 Years At Star Shaped Festival 2017". Radio X. 15 February 2017.
  11. "Sleeper kick off national tour in Liverpool next spring". Getintothis. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  12. Murray, Robin (5 December 2018). "Sleeper Share New Single 'Look At You Now'". Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  13. Trendell, Andrew (1 May 2018). "Sleeper are back with a UK tour and their first new album in 21 years". NME. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. "Modern Age Music Song of the Day: The Lottery Winners - Bad Things (Feat. Sleeper)". 22 February 2021.
  15. "NEW MUSIC ALERT: The Lottery Winners release new single featuring Sleeper". 18 February 2021.
  16. "See: The Lottery Winners feat. Louise Wener – 'Bad Things': A sweet pop drop with sadness in its heart". 18 February 2021.
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