British alternative rock band (e. 2015)
Hands Off Gretel is a rock band, affiliated to the UK Punk scene, formed 2015 in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The current line-up is Lauren Tate (guitar, vocals), Sean Bon (guitar) Sam Hobbins (drums) and Becky Baldwin (bass)[1] The band have achieved press coverage in the Basingstoke Gazette,[2] music magazine Vive Le Rock[3] and website Louder Than War.[4] Their music often explores the themes of loneliness, guilt, and girlhood.
Tate has performed as a solo artist, both predating and since the band's formation and also performs RnB/Hip Hop under the alias Delilah Bon.[5]
History
The band was formed in 2015, Tate already having released an album as a solo artist. A preview for a Southampton concert in the Basingstoke Gazette reported "Hands Off Gretel's frontwoman Lauren Tate has made it her mission to ensure that strong young women have a voice in today's music industry."[2] Tate is also credited for the band's videos, album artwork, and designing of the band's merchandise.
In 2016, they released their debut album Burn The Beauty Queen, which received praise from Ged Babey in Louder Than War: "a massive achievement and over-ambitious album which marks the start of a career that could well see them becoming as big as Nirvana, Marilyn Manson or Miley Cyrus over time….. given the breaks, and skillful management."[4]
Their performance at The Great British Alternative Festival at Butlins in Skegness was reviewed by Vive Le Rock. Reviewer Paula Frost commented on how Tate "entered with yet another iconic look, this time dressed in gold with lines drawn across her face [...] She knows how to get the audience snapping away."[3]
A second album I Want The World was released on 29 March 2019. Vive Le Rock's Paula Frost awarded the album 8/10, commenting "It's not often you get a band who can emit intimidation and cuteness all at once."[6] Later that year, Tate released a new solo album, Songs for Sad Girls.[7]
