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New Blood for John Pugh
Former !!! member founds dance-mix-friendly Free Blood
Free Blood (Photo: Jason Frank Rothenberg)
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It was when John Pugh stepped out from behind the drums and picked up a microphone that the songs of !!! evolved. Of course singer Nic Offer had us with his one-of-a-kind dance moves, but Pugh’s rhythmic, high-pitched vocals added a new dynamic. Known for making shows feel like a house party with its infectious beats, !!! songs can go on for upwards of seven and sometimes even eleven minutes. Their live performance always induces a booty-shaking, head-nodding trance. Yet after 12 years, Pugh has left the group and joined forces with friend and fashion designer Madeline Davy to form Free Blood.
Sharing singing duties, Pugh and Davy play off each other and often harmonize sultry dialogue. The chorus of “The Royal Family” puts dance beats to the chorus of “Why Don’t We Do It?” But it’s really pop music, minus the boy band. Definitely moving away from the long jams and a large group (!!! is officially seven members), Free Blood creates clever music from disco beats, electronica and pop.
Check out the video, which is simple yet provocative. While Davy struts around in front of an elegantly papered wall, Pugh emotes in the desert, until the strobe light hits, the façade drops and the pair dirty dance in an artsy, Brooklyn way.