Bio

Blackhart and Strangelove is based around the husband and wife duo of Mark Dixon (multi-instrumentalist and songwriter) from Fremantle and Laura Wendling (vocalist) from the USA.

Originally started as a recording project in 2007, the result was an EP entitled “Don’t Set Yourself On Fire”. Although most of the instruments are played by Mark, some notable musicians also lent their considerable talents to these sessions, including Martin Casey (the Bad Seeds), Ben Franz (the Waifs), and Angus Diggs (Mia Dyson, Jeff Lang).

In 2008 the song “She Wasn’t Sorry” was licensed to the “Cue Fashion Winter ‘08 Campaign” and a video featuring Vogue covergirl Megan Collinson from New York was shot for broadcast in Australia.

Although the EP received some critical acclaim (you can read some abbreviated reviews below), they were never entirely happy with the finished product and early this year, after remixing and remastering by Pete Grandison the CD was ready for formal release.

Blackhart and Strangelove are performing around Southwest Western Australia as a duo, and as a band.

Reviews:

"Blackhart and Strangelove have this eerie bewitching quality about them...sometimes vaguely menacing, but with enough frills and fishnet, horns and piano to beckon you to come closer... "Don't Set Yourself On Fire" is a delightful hint of what should be a fascinating, and hopefully longterm artistic endeavor." - Carrie Alison, Sentimentalist Magazine

"The storytelling musical tales that this duo offer are gripping and fantastic... I full-heartedly reccomend this band as one to watch and embrace." - T. Matheina, Unsigned the Magazine

"...there is almost a real warning alarm about the invading guitar (Kill Your Love)... So lounge music with attitude? Artistic expression with message? ...could be one of this years few 'something sacred' our there, assuming of course it gets the attention it deserves." - Steven Hurst, Glasswerks UK

"(Anyone But Me)...piano and sparse guitar punctuates a tale of dark self-discovery. It's the sort of song that the late great Johnny Cash could have happily covered." -- Three Monkeys Online