Cindy Sharp (born 1961 in Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland) is a Scottish singer, musician and producer. She has led several music projects since 1976, the most significant and long-standing being Cindytalk. Sharp has gained a reputation for an unflinchingly experimental approach to music and ideas.
Sharp started a punk band called The Freeze with David Clancy and Keith Grant whilst attending Linlithgow Academy in 1976. Grangemouth based drummer George Falconer played with the band during 1977. Most notable gig during this period was a support slot for Dunfermline band The Skids. The set consisted of originals and covers of The Ramones and Brian Eno. At this time, "The Freeze" didn't fit in at all with the vogue "punk look and attitude" of the time, having an angry sound but more an affinity with bands such as Television and Talking Heads. Clancy used several effects pedals on the guitar to add depth, volume and interest to his sound. On occasion, Sharp would use a knife on the guitar whilst Clancy played, creating a challenging but glorious noise. At the early stages, The Freeze were showing an interest in sound beyond the mainstream of punk or rock. Falconer left to join Falkirk band "The Deft Jerks". By 1977 and after linking up with drummer Graeme Radin, the band started gigging around Scotland (managed by Alastair Allison,their English teacher at Linlithgow Academy, who also contributed lyrics in the early years); they often played support to many of the main punk and new wave bands of the day. Two self-financed 7 inches were released on the A1 label (Alastair Allison), 1979's In Colour EP followed by 1980's "Celebration/Crossover" single. Noticed by John Peel, they were to record two sessions at Maida Vale for his show.
Cindytalk was formed in 1982 by Cindy Sharp (vocals) and David Clancy (guitar, keyboards) from the ashes of Edinburgh-based punk/new wave band The Freeze. After re-locating to London in 1982, Cindytalk began to work towards their debut album Camouflage Heart, with a darker and more fractured sound that drew much from post-punk and early European industrial music. In 1983 Sharp and Clancy were joined by John Byrne who proved to be a crucial component in Cindytalk's deliberately disintegrating sound.
The album Camouflage Heart appeared to some critical acclaim in the UK music press. Shortly after Camouflage Heart David Clancy left the band and was replaced by brother/sister team Alex and Debbie Wright. The colossal In This World was recorded over the next three years: two albums of the same name released simultaneously, featuring cover art by Kathy Patterson. The first of the albums, a broken and noisy affair, the second, an album of creaky ambience featuring Sharp's improvised piano experiments. In This World also featured an uncredited collaboration with feminist punk writer Kathy Acker (Janey's Love).
In 1983, Sharp sang with fellow Scots Cocteau Twins on one of their John Peel sessions and at selected live gigs, where she met 4AD executive Ivo Watts-Russell. This led to her being invited to participate as one of the featured singers with 4AD collective This Mortal Coil on its first album.
Cindytalk released a series of group albums and singles in the 80s and 90s. An electronic side-project, Bambule, was started in 1994 by Sharp and Simon Carmichael.
In 2002, Sharp started to write abstract electronic music using a laptop, and since 2004 has split her time between Japan and the UK, working on various projects. This has included Cindytalk performing live (solo or group), and a number of (mostly solo) recordings. Vienna based record label Editions Mego, which is known for releasing cutting edge electronic music, released a series of Cindytalk albums focused on Sharp's primitive noise-poetry. No longer perceived only as a singer, this has repositioned Sharp and Cindytalk within the musical establishment.
