Du Blonde

Du Blonde
Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny performing at the Deaf Institute, Manchester, 2012
Background information
Born	c. 1990 (age 26–27) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Genres	Pop-folk,wonky pop, psychedelic pop,freak folk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Labels	Mute, Static Caravan

Beth Jeans Houghton (a.k.a. Du Blonde) is a Newcastle upon Tyne-born multi-disciplinary artist, singer, songwriter and musician. Her influences range from psychedelic rock, punk, blues, 1960s garage rock and soul. She works as an artist under her birth name, Beth Jeans Houghton, working with photography, illustration, animation, video and sculpture. She performs music under the name Du Blonde

Beth Jeans Houghton was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. Houghton started writing songs in her teens. At sixteen she left school and bought herself a , which she taught herself to play.

Houghton first appeared in front of an audience in 2006; her debut release, titled EP (a limited-edition 7-inch), was on Bird Records in 2008. She signed then with Static Caravan Recordings, which released the single "Golden"/"Nightswimmer", produced by Adem, and her second EP, Hot Toast, Vol. 1 (produced by Mike Lindsay of the band Tunng), both of which earned acclaim from the UK press. Houghton signed in early 2011 with Mute Records, releasing her debut long-player, 'Yours truly, cellophane nose' in early 2012. The album was recorded with Ben Hillier whose previous production credits include Blur, Depeche Mode and Elbow.

The album Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose by Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny was released on 6 February 2012 and reached number 83 in the UK Albums Chart.

Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny toured the UK and Europe extensively during 2011 and 2012, appearing at multiple festivals including Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Latitude and Bestival. In April 2012, the band performed on Later... with Jools Holland alongside Paul Weller and Willis Earl Beal.