Antony and the Johnsons

Antony and the Johnsons is a Mercury Prize-winning music act from New York City. The band is essentially a vehicle for English-Irish singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty. During the mid 90s Antony started solo; after originally producing songs with the Blacklips and other late-night cabarets he had a number of songs to work with. In 1995 he assembled a backing group, the self-styled Antony and the Johnsons, and began to focus on the musical side of his performances. The group built up a cult following at hip New York clubs such as the Kitchen and Knitting Factory.