From Nursery To Misery

From Nursery to Misery were a peculiar lo-fi synth pop group from Essex, England who consisted of identical twin sisters Tina and Gina Fear and keyboard player Lee Stevens. The trio grew up on the same street, and began making music together around 1987, when all three were teenagers. Their music was curious and childlike, with the Fear sisters' naïve, untrained vocals singing and speaking over Stevens' inventive backing tracks. Equally charming and unsettling, their music eluded easy comparison. The group disbanded in 1991; during this time, they only played four gigs and released two homemade cassette albums, distributed by the band itself as part of the Mail Art scene. They also shared a split tape with Nostalgie Eternelle and appeared on well over a dozen cassette compilations. Even though the group ceased activity, the Fear sisters had a deep spiritual bond with each other, and remained inseparable. Director Matthew Reed visited the sisters' home and filmed a short documentary about them in 2015, providing a bit of insight into their world. Dark Entries released Pixies in the Woods in 2017, compiling songs from the group's cassette releases and compilation appearances, in addition to previously unreleased tracks. ~ Paul Simpson