Bedford singer reforms 80s girl band and signs record deal 36 years after splitting

A 1980s girl band has reformed and signed a new record deal 36 years since splitting - after a DJ stumbled upon one of their old singles in a second-hand shop.

Zenana formed in 1983 with members Anita Gabrielle Tedder, now 69, Penny Griffiths, 56 and Ruth Elder, 63 as an electro-pop group.

Group leader Anita – who now lives in Bedford – was 28 when the band launched with fellow members Ruth, 22, and Penny who was just 15.

They performed in clubs across the county and at the Hippodrome in London before releasing a single called 'Witches' in 1986.

Despite the women having "the best time ever" in the band, the single 'Witches' never charted and they parted ways amicably. It wasn't until 36 years later that the band experienced a career resurgence after the record was found in a second-hand shop.

Anita and her partner Steph were celebrating their 41st anniversary together on May 8 2022 when the trio did an impromptu performance of the track for family and friends. The next day, Anita received a message on Facebook from Kiernan Abbott, a Bristol-based DJ who had discovered the 1986 record in a second-hand shop.

Anita, who became a psychotherapist after the group's initial disbandment said: "It was magical - it's already ironic that the song is called Witches. But what are the chances of someone getting in touch thirty years later after the record came out and the day after we’d sung it together for the first time in decades?"

The song, which draws inspiration from the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, has since become popular with the clubbing scene, prompting the band to consider a re-release.

Anita said: "Zenana and Kiernan found the song was developing a cult following. It had been played in LA, Paris, New York and Amsterdam in the clubs out there so we found a quarter inch tape and sent it away to be digitised. We also took the plunge to get three other tracks digitised and then we remastered them all for a limited edition EP release.

"You can buy them from £20 from us - we'll even sign it for you - but we're seeing that online they're being sold for ridiculous amounts quadruple that price."

Zenana began in the early 1980s when Anita and her brother Mike Tedder, now 75, began to record songs for a youth theatre. Mike had invested in some early home recording equipment in his front room and experimented with a synthesiser. Anita and Mike worked on songs together with Anita drawing on Joni Mitchell as her biggest inspiration.

Soon the idea of a girl group came to fruition with Anita joining forces with Penny and Ruth in 1983.

Anita explained: "We wanted a band that was quite entertaining but also presented a powerful image for women where you could actually hear the lyrics. The name Zenana is Persian for “of the women” and the name and characters we portrayed in the band were important.

"We went to fabulous parties in London and we’d perform at big clubs even a fair few gay and lesbian clubs in London. It was the time of AIDS crisis and it was really celebratory with our song 'The Touch of a Woman' particularly resonating in lesbian clubs

"However, when we released the single 'Witches' in 1986 it quite honestly just died. We soldiered on for about two years afterwards but it wasn't easy for us as we’d lost the joy in it."

Anita would go on to become a psychotherapist and has been with her partner Steph for 43 years, living in Bedford - although she continued to dabble in music.

Both Penny and Ruth would also never lose their connection with performing and singing. Penny became lecturer in event management at Coventry University and performed as part of the 'Sisters of Mursley and Doggone'. Ruth moved to Leighton Buzzard in Beds and continued to sing in local bands.

Two hip replacements, a kidney removal and two cancer diagnoses later, Anita said the former members of Zenana and her brother Mike never thought they'd hear anything about the band again.

Anita added: "I'm amazed with the whole thing and it has been a great ride. We've all had our health issues and Mike now has Parkinson's so when you have those kinds of things happens, it really hits home how special this is. To talk about the music and hear it again, much less perform it, really brings the life back into you.

"We’re just really pleased about it – it might all be gone tomorrow but we’ve got it for today."

Zenana's EP called 'Witches, With the Spell of Love' was released on September 23 as part of a limited edition release. It has been shipped out to buyers in Iceland, Sweden, Australia, Italy, America, Canada, Ireland and the UK.

Anita said she wasn't sure how many units the EP had sold so far or how many the original 'Witches' single managed to shift in the 1980s.

She said: "To be honest, it really doesn't matter to me what we sell or don't sell now, this has been such a great way to tell our story. The video I uploaded of Zenana performing 'Witches' only had 800 views before the EP came out and last week it hit 10,000."

As for the future of the band, Anita said they were taking it one step at a time with a live performance scheduled for the summer.

She said: "We are doing a live performance at BedFringe in Bedford at the end of July. We’re doing it for the fun and enjoyment but if it ever doesn't feel like that anymore, we’ll stop. But if Glastonbury do call, we’re available."

Visit Zenana's Bandcamp page to find out more.