Lauren Laverne

Infobox person
name = Lauren Laverne

---

image_size = 200px
caption = Lauren Laverne in 2007
birth_name = Lauren Cecilia Gofton
birth_date = birth date and age|1978|04|28
birth_place = Sunderland, England, UK
death_date =
death_place =
other_names =
known_for = Television Presenting and Music
occupation = Disc Jockey and Television Presenter
nationality = British

Lauren Laverne (born Lauren Cecilia Gofton on 28 April 1978 in Sunderland, United Kingdom) is a disc jockey, television presenter and former singer.

Early years

Her father Leslie Gofton, is a retired university lecturer. [http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/eveningchronicle/features/tm_objectid=16483659&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=taking-it-all-in-her-stride-name_page.html Taking it all in her stride - ChronicleLive ] ]

Lauren was born and brought up in Sunderland and first attended St. Mary's R.C. Primary School in 1982, where she befriended fellow Kenickie guitarist Marie du Santiago, and then St. Anthony's R.C. Girls School between 1989 and 1994, where the pair first met Emmy-Kate Montrose. Laverne then went on to study English Literature, Social History and Sociology at City of Sunderland College from 1994 to 1996.

Music

During these two years Lauren, Marie and Emmy-Kate formed a teen punk band called Kenickie with Lauren's brother Pete. Their popularity grew and Lauren continually had to alternate between studying for A-levels and touring with the band. Despite this strain, Laverne won a place at nearby Durham University to study Medieval History, but her entry was deferred in order to concentrate on the band in 1996-7. The band's rapid rise to prominence in 1997 coincided with a relocation from Sunderland to London, as the thrice-weekly commute was proving too costly and tiring, which meant she never took up the place. In all, Kenickie achieved four top 40 hits and a top ten album and became darlings of the British music press, due to their refreshing style and outspoken views.

The relocation to London proved to be the band's ultimate downfall as it ruined the dynamic built up by being based in Sunderland. In 2005, Lauren's passion for her home city resulted in her becoming an ambassador promoting and raising awareness of Sunderland.

Post-Kenickie career

Laverne became just as famous for her funny and acerbic interview style, making her a popular contestant on comedy panel shows such as "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" and "Have I Got News For You" and memorably referring to contemporaneous girl-pop outfit the Spice Girls as "Tory scum" [cite news
last = Hyde
first = Marina
title =This week
work =The Guardian
publisher =Guardian Unlimited
date = 2004-05-29
url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1227333,00.html
quote = In the history of British celebs wading into politics, then, there have been minimal bright moments. Xfm DJ Lauren Laverne (then in rival band Kenickie) dismissing the Spice Girls as "Tory scum", for instance...
accessdate =2007-03-03 ] .

In 2000 she brought out a solo EP, "Take These Flowers Away", contributed a version of "In The Bleak Midwinter" to Xfm London's "It's A Cool Cool Christmas" album, played at the Reading Festival and made the top 20 for the only time in her singing career as vocalist on "Don't Falter" by Mint Royale. She was also working on a solo album at this time, but this was permanently put on hold by the collapse of Deceptive Records.

Her only subsequent musical appearance of note came in providing guest vocals on The Divine Comedy's 2004 single "Come Home Billy Bird".

Television

Laverne's first television presenting job was Play UK's series "The Alphabet Show", with Chris Addison, made while Kenickie were still together. She has since presented "Planet Pop" and "Loves Like A Dog" for Channel 4, "Fanorama" for E4, Party in the Park with Melanie Brown and "Pop" for Five and "Orange Playlist" for ITV, as well as reporting for , leading the house band on "Johnny Vaughan Tonight" and appearing as an expert in a music special of BBC One's "Test the Nation". In recent years she has been seen as one of BBC2's main presenters for their coverage of the Glastonbury Festival and the host of ITV2's coverage of events such as the British Comedy Awards and the BRIT Awards.

She also presented a documentary for Sky One at the rise of popularity of the US hit TV Show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", called "Buffy: Television With Bite". This was done because the show was returning for its sixth season in 2001.

In 2004 she was a regular guest on the quiz show "HeadJam". Also she could be seen briefly in the movie "Shaun of the Dead", where she was one of the zombies (More obvious in the bonus content)

In 2005 she became host of ITV's Saturday morning music show "", along with Myleene Klass and Johnny P, starting on September 17 with a programme featuring Lauren interviewing Sir Paul McCartney. The show finished in April 2006.

in April 2006 she appeared as guest host of "Never Mind The Buzzcocks".

In August 2006, Laverne presented Channel 4's coverage of the V Festival.

In March 2007, Laverne presented the NME Awards live from the Hammersmith Palais.

In July 2007, Laverne appeared on the satirical comedy show "Mock the Week", and on "Have I Got News for You" on 14 December of the same year. She appeared on "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" on 10 January 2008, this time as a guest.

In March 2008, Laverne appeared on the "Lily Allen and Friends" show with fellow Sunderland musicians The Futureheads.

Since 2006, she has been a regular presenter with the weekly BBC arts magazine programme "The Culture Show", alongside Mark Kermode. She can currently be seen presenting the second series of the late-night Channel 4 music show "Transmission with T-Mobile" opposite Steve Jones every Friday.

In September 2008, Laverne appeared on the satirical comedy show "Mock the Week".

Radio

Having previously sat in for BBC Radio 1's Steve Lamacq, Lauren joined Xfm London in 2002, co-hosting a Saturday morning show with Mark Webster, while occasionally standing in for various DJs on BBC 6 Music, including Phill Jupitus' breakfast show where one morning she interviewed her own brother Pete (who records under the name J Xaverre) Lauren took over XFM's drivetime slot from Zoe Ball at the start of 2004, winning "Best Newcomer" at the "Commercial Radio Awards" in 2004 [cite news
title =DJ Fox honoured at radio awards
work =BBC News
publisher =bbc.co.uk
date = 2004-06-24
url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3840523.stm
quote = Others honoured at the Commercial Radio Awards included XFM's Lauren Laverne for best newcomer.
accessdate =2007-03-03 ] . She became host of the XFM breakfast show on 31 October 2005 after Christian O'Connell moved to Virgin Radio, but left suddenly in April 2007 to pursue her television interests. However, Laverne has recently guest presented on BBC Radio 2. She stood in for Russell Brand on Saturday 9 February 2008 whilst he was taking a break. From Thursday 8th May 2008 until further notice Lauren is presenting the Breakfast Show on BBC 6 Music whilst Shaun Keaveny is off on paternity leave, and has presented her own show on the station on Saturdays 4-6pm from June 7, 2008. [cite web|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/05_may/20/6music.shtml|title= BBC 6 Music}]

She has also been a panelist on Radio 4's Just a Minute.

Personal life

Laverne dated music journalist Taylor Parkes while in the band Kenickie and later Malcolm Middleton, from the band Arab Strap. She married television producer and DJ Graeme Fisher in County Durham [ [http://www.findmypast.com England and Wales Marriages 1984-2005] ] in August 2005, and the couple live in Muswell Hill, London. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20070506/ai_n19061338 LAUREN Laverne | Sunday Mirror | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ] They had their first child, a boy named Fergus James, in October 2007. [ [http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=50584&in_page_id=7&in_a_source= No festival fun for pregnant Lauren | Metro.co.uk ] ] She is a vegetarian. [ [http://www.peta2.com/outthere/o-sexyveg08_winners.asp The 2008 World's Sexiest Vegetarians Are… // Out There // peta2 ] ]

Discography

See also Kenickie discography.

Solo Singles

*Take These Flowers Away EP
# "I Fell Out Of A Tree"
# "Good Morning Sunshine"
# "To Have A Home"
# "Some Kind Of Other Presence"
# "If You Phone (Netmix)" (internet only bonus track)

Other Solo Releases

* "Don't Falter" (vocals on Mint Royale's single)
* "In The Bleak Midwinter" (on "It's A Cool Cool Christmas" compilation)
* "Come Home Billy Bird" (vocals on The Divine Comedy's song)

Misc Solo Songs

Other solo songs performed on radio sessions include:

* "Don't Falter (acoustic)"
* "Mexico"
* "Thank You"
* "Ian"
* "Open"

References

External links

* [http://www.laurenlaverne.co.uk/ Unofficial site]
**Last updated with news August 2005.
* [http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=3857 Profile] at "Xfm London
* [http://www.kenickie.com/main.shtml Kenickie site]
**apparently mothballed in April 2001.
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,1380888,00.html "Q&A"]
**Questionnaire style interview from "The Guardian".
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4170916,00.html "Lauren Laverne, Spitz, London"]
**Review of post-Kenickie solo performance in "The Guardian", April 16, 2001.
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2036342,00.html "Blonde ambition" interview from "The Guardian", March 18, 2007]