Blackhart and Strangelove

Originally from Sydney, Tessa Black moved to Fremantle in May 2005, to form a duo with musician and producer Mark Dixon. They spent about a year playing around the local scene under their own names, until in 2006 they took the pseudonyms - “Tessa Blackhart” and “Johnny Strangelove“, and the name “Blackhart and Strangelove” was born.

Mark who is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, was already well respected on the local music scene, and together with Tessa’s beautifully expressive voice, and amazing vocal range, they felt they had a unique style and sound. With this in mind they started writing songs, some of which tackle quite complex personal issues with quirkiness and a dash of “tongue in cheek” melodrama.

Early last year, after writing the best part of an album’s worth of songs, they went into the studio and produced eight tracks, four of which make up their first release, an EP entitled “Don’t Set Yourself On Fire”. Although most of the instruments are played by “the Johnny Strangelove Orchestra”, some notable musicians also played on these sessions, including Martin Casey (the Bad Seeds), Ben Franz (the Waifs), Angus Diggs (Mia Dyson), and Mel Robinson.

They have now relocated to Sydney and are working on promoting their EP through live appearances.