Not going quietly into the Twilight

Jeepster Magazine November 2019

Not going quietly into the Twilight’

By Alice Burton

Gerri Ashton and Hester Grant aka Harmonium have been part of the music industry for almost thirty five years. They had their first hit with the legendary ‘Complex’ in 1985, enjoying three number one singles, issuing eleven acclaimed albums and enjoying numerous sell out tours. Their ethereal electronica has proved influential over three decades and remains fresh and astounding .

In an era dominated by male electro duos such as Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys, Harmonium were unusual in being female (although they have nothing but praise for their male peers). Ashton became known both for her ironically smooth vocals that were influenced by the likes of Dusty Springfield and French 60’s singers like Francoise Hardy and her playful androgyny. Grant’s synthesiser tracks were every bit as innovative as her male peers. They became known for songs exploring the loneliness of urban life, the transitory nature of modern love and feminism. Their 1989 single ‘Parlour games’ was recently voted one of the top five songs of the last thirty years here at Jeepster magazine

Harmonium have recently released their twelfth studio ‘Twilight stories’ (which garnered five stars here) which discussed issues around aging (Ashton had a hip replacement eighteen points ago just before the album was completed) and social media. Ashton is known for her wry and occasionally sharp pronouncements on twitter whereas Grant is legendary for her deliberately low key public profile. But in honour of the album’s release Ashton and Grant are meeting me today at their North London studio

In person Ashton is more shy than her extrovert stage persona suggests but still charming and welcoming. Wearing a Paul Smith trouser suit she still retains her Audrey Hebpurnesque looks at 60. Grant, wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and baseball cap, is affable and keen to discuss the thinking behind the duo’s music.

Grant was studying music and Ashton French when they met in London in 1981. They would form Harmonium in 1983, signing to the independent Parlet label the following year, who they remain with to this day. Ashton’s love of literature is evident in their song lyrics. Who else would get a hit song about Hildegarde of Bingen and write songs about Christine de Pizan and Colette? Harmonium also have referenced poets Adrienne Rich and Audre Lorde.

Grant is a classically trained pianist who played jazz clubs as a teenager to pay her way through college. There is a strong influence of Jazz to the pair’s music, bringing textures that were absent in their peers. Grant met Ashton when she was asked to accompany her performing some Julie London songs. In honour of how they met they released a cover of ‘Cry me a river’ in 1993.

Ashton and Grant are noted for their androgynous imagery and not conforming to the standard image of femininity. ‘We were hardly alone in that in the early 1980s, if anything it was almost de rigeur’ says Ashton ‘You saw women like Annie Lennox, Siouxsie Sioux and our dear friend Alison Moyet on Top of the Pops and just feel like you could go for it. In some ways it feels like we have gone backward’ she sighs.

The pair are famously private about their personal lives. Ashton has never denied her sexuality and discussed it in the press on a couple of occasions and they have long been icons for the LGBT (particularly lesbian) community. However was only in 2012 that the pair confirmed they have been a couple since 1983. Ashton discussed aspects of their life together in her acclaimed 2014 autobiography ‘Born under a different star’ (a Sunday Times best seller which was acclaimed for its wit and insight into the music industry). The song ‘Golden flame’ on Harmonium’s 2002 ‘Carnival’ album is widely interpreted as being about their relationship. They genuinely seem happy together and they exchange several affectionate looks during our interview

I want to ask them about what it is like to work with your life partner but don’t feel entirely comfortable raising the question. When I do and they both seem more than happy to discuss. ‘Well if anything for me it makes things easier as you understand the other person and know how to read their mood and what they want to achieve ’ says Grant ‘You have an ability to be in synch with them’

‘Mind you it means I can’t get away from her!’ laughs Ashton

While the pair may have a happy relationship, they record the complexities of the love lives of their friends and peers in their music. Songs such as ‘Morning in Paris’ tell wry tales of infidelity and broken relationships. Grants synthesiser parts meld with Ashton’s vocals to bring a considerable amount of emotion and sweetness to these story songs.

But Harmonium have also explored issues such as domestic violence in the song ‘Drifting cloud’ and sexual harassment in ‘Coffee for one’. They have discretely played benefits for and donated to various women’s and LGBT rights charities over the years.

As previously mentioned one of the themes of ‘Twilight stories’ is social media and particularly the trolling that prominent women have to deal with. One song in particular ‘Mute button’ deals with how Ashton had to deal with a number of trolls on twitter after her #metoo revelations. ‘Well it was hardly a pleasant period ‘ she notes ‘But I knew that there were other women who were getting worse abuse. The point of the song is that trolls want attention and to think they get to you. Better to not give them that power. You have to put things in perspective’.

In 2016, with the rise of the #metoo movement, Ashton revealed she had been groped by a prominent figure in the music industry and subjected to sexual harassment by another prominent figure. It had not been the first occasion she has made comments about the treatment of women in the music industry (she covered the topic extensively in her autobiography) but it was the first time she revealed the extent of what she had been subjected to.

’Well, I didn’t want to be seen as jumping on a bandwagon but felt it was important for the sake of young women coming up in the industry ‘ Ashton says. ‘It hopefully will make a difference, but there are no easy answers’.

’We have managed to get to a point where we are able to speak about these issues and not impact on how we get treated’ adds Grant ‘I mean they can’t exactly undo our record sales and earned royalities at this point!’

So do the duo think it is easier for women in the music industry today?

‘Well we are seeing more women making inroads to management and the more senior roles in the industry’ Grant says. She also makes the point women need to be in roles such as producers and engineers and involved with all aspects of the industry ‘I mean, we were lucky to have a lot of very creative female friends we could work with, it was a completely conscious decision.’

The pair are well known for working with other female creatives. They have worked with stylist Cara Rey for fifteen years (she created their looks for their last five albums and helped design their recent live shows) and acclaimed director Anna Greene has been responsible for several of their iconic videos (Grant met Greene through a mutual friend).

I ask the pair ‘So what is it like to be iconic female artists and role models?’

’Hard to say! We keep thinking about our influences. You know we were as influenced by people like Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Judee Sill as we were by acts like Kraftwerk and the Human League. We also want to acknowledge that people like Labelle, Patrice Rushen and Alice Coltrane also informed our music’ says Grant. ‘There should be as many different ways of being a woman artist as a male artist’

Grant has a successful and respected career as a producer, notably helping the band Viola with their last album. Ashton has released two well received albums of her own compositions which pay tribute to the torch songs she loves. However they always feel happiest when working together ‘It is just a very natural and intuitive relationship and we realise that we bring out the best in each other’ says Ashton.

The other theme of ‘Twilight songs’ is ageing. Ashton is 60 and Grant 61. Ashton makes a joke about her recent hip replacement. However both show no signs of slowing down ‘Well I suppose we are at an age where others are thinking of retirement!’ Grant jokes ‘I suppose we will keep going as long as we feel we have something to offer and aren’t getting completely out of touch which is a risk with two old fogies like us!’.

It looks like it is not the twilight of Harmonium’s career quite yet.