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Speedy (band)
Speedy was a five-piece Indie Pop/Britpop band from Sheffield, England, whose songs were known for their witty lyrics, often observing the darker and seedier side of working class life; "kitchen sink narratives" in the words of founder and lead singer Philip Watson. Their debut single on a major label ''Boy Wonder'' reached No. 56 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1996, but further chart success eluded them. Career Blammo! Band members Philip Watson (Vocals), Bronwen Stone (Drums), Moony Wainwright (Bass), Paul Turner (Keyboards) and Richard Sutcliffe (Guitar) (who replaced Tracey Plant) had previously performed under the name ''Blammo!'' between 1988 and 1994. In this guise they issued five singles; three on Heywood based label Imaginary Records who also had Cud and The Mock Turtles on their roster. The band was invited to support The Beautiful South on three tours, which allowed them to perform in front of several thousand people at London Wembley Arena. Speedy Their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indie Pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, Independent record label, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of ''indie pop'' has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop. Development and characteristics Origins and etymology Both ''indie'' and ''indie pop'' had originally referred to the same thing during the late 1970s. Inspired more by punk rock's DIY ethos than its style, guitar bands were formed on the then-novel premise that one could record and release their own music instead of having to procure a record contra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born composer, publisher Lawrence Wright; the first editor was Edgar Jackson. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publication) ''New Musical Express''. 1950s–1960s Originally the ''Melody Maker'' (''MM'') concentrated on jazz, and had Max Jones, one of the leading British proselytizers for that music, on its staff for many years. It was slow to cover rock and roll and lost ground to the ''New Musical Express'' (''NME''), which had begun in 1952. ''MM'' launched its own weekly singles chart (a top 20) on 7 April 1956, and an LPs charts in November 1958, two years after the ''Record Mirror'' had published the first UK Albums Chart. From 1964, the paper led its rival publications in terms of approac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Robb (musician)
John David Robb (born 4 May 1961Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 272-3) is an English music journalist and singer. Robb writes for and runs the ''Louder Than War'' website and a monthly music magazine of the same name. He has written several books on music and occasionally makes media appearances as a music commentator. He is also the vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade and bassist and vocalist in post punk band The Membranes. In 2014, Robb started and currently runs a music writing festival Louder Than Words which is held in Manchester, UK every November. In 2019 he launched a vegan festival in Manchester. He is also a TEDx speaker and spoken word artist. In 2021 he launched the North Will Rise Again - a big live-cast music event in Liverpool and Manchester which will be moving into other cities as a conference event. Early life Robb was born in Fleetwood, Lancashire and grew up in Anchorsholme, Blackpool, Lancashi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alcopop! Records
Alcopop! Records is a British independent record label, run by Jack Clothier and Kevin Douch formed in 2006 when the pair lived together in East Oxford. The label works with the likes of DZ Deathrays, Johnny Foreigner, Fight Like Apes, Anamanaguchi, Peaness, TIGERCUB, Gaffa Tape Sandy, The Spook School, Nelson Can, and QI. Inception Alcopop! Records was formally created after a small loan was gambled on the Charlton vs Portsmouth match of 16 September 2006, with money for the first release and show generated from a successful bet on the match. This money was invested in a band from Yeovil called Encyclopedia, with the first single "Emily" (Alcopop001) kicking off the 2006/7 singles club (which also included the likes of Midget, data.select.party and 4 or 5 Magicians). Founder Jack pOp, in a recent interview with the Complete Music Update website, said "Alcopop! was born back in 2006 with a three figure loan from my Dad and a fuzzy idea to mix up some classic 90s indie and some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Babybird
Babybird are an English rock band formed by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones, who has been releasing music since 1995. While Jones' early solo work was released under the "Baby Bird" name, the altered "Babybird" was first used to distinguish the full band line-up that has changed often over the years. However, in recent years, Jones has recorded many of the Babybird albums himself, in addition to recording as a solo artist, and under various aliases including Death Of The Neighbourhood, Trucker, Black Reindeer, Deluder, Arthritis Kid and others. Stephen Jones started writing and recording songs at home and his first collection of these demos, '' I Was Born a Man'', was released in July 1995 using the name Baby Bird. He formed a band in order to tour and promote this work. In 1996, Babybird signed to Echo Records and their first single was released in July 1996. Babybird were dropped from their record label in 2000 after their third album, '' Bugged'', had poo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Longpigs
Longpigs were an English indie rock band who rose to fame on the fringe of Britpop in the 1990s, comprising Crispin Hunt (vocals), Richard Hawley (guitar), Simon Stafford (bass guitar) and former Cabaret Voltaire (band), Cabaret Voltaire member Dee Boyle (drums) who was replaced by Andy Cook for their second album. Hailing from Sheffield, the group had success with singles such as "She Said", "On and On", and their well-received debut album ''The Sun Is Often Out'' (1996). History Early career (1993) The group initially signed with Elektra Records, but just before the release of their first single, two major crises struck the band: Lead singer Hunt was seriously injured in a car accident, resulting in his being in a coma for three days. Then, shortly afterwards, the UK arm of the record label closed, leaving the Longpigs' future in doubt. Elektra set a price of £500,000 to release them from their recording contract. The first success (1994–1996) The Longpigs' contract was pu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jamie Theakston
James Paul Theakston (born 21 December 1970) is an English television presenter, producer, and actor. He co-presented the former Saturday morning BBC One children's show ''Live & Kicking'', alongside Zoe Ball between 1996 and 1999. He co-hosted BBC One's former music programme ''Top of the Pops'' between 1998 and 2003. He currently co-hosts the national breakfast show with Amanda Holden on Heart Radio. He narrated the BBC documentary series ''Traffic Cops'' from 2003 and 2015, and again on Channel 5 from 2016 onwards. He has hosted several television programmes for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. He has won a BAFTA for Live & Kicking and numerous awards for his radio work including a SONY GOLD, 3 Silver Awards and 4 Bronze awards, 2 ARQIVA Awards, 3 TRIC awards and 2 New York Radio Festival Awards. Education He joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 13, where he appeared in plays including ''Murder in the Cathedral'' and ''Marat/Sade'' alongside contemporaries ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Live & Kicking
''Live & Kicking'' is a British children's television series that originally aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1993 to 15 September 2001. It was the replacement for ''Going Live!'', and took many of its features from it, such as phone-ins, games, comedy, competitions and the showing of cartoons. Once ''Live & Kicking'' had become established in series two, it reached its height in popularity during series four, when it was presented by Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston; their final edition won a BAFTA award. After this the programme's ratings dropped with the launch of ''SMTV Live'' on ITV and the show ended in 2001. History ''Live & Kicking'' was conceived as a replacement for ''Going Live!''. It was first broadcast on 2 October 1993 at 9 am on BBC1. The original hosts were Andi Peters, Emma Forbes who had presented a cookery segment in ''Going Live!'', and John Barrowman. For the second series, Barrowman was relegated to hosting the showbiz ''Electric Circus'' segment, leaving P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zoë Ball
Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British radio and television presenter. She was the first female host of both ''Radio 1 Breakfast'' and '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' for the BBC, and presented the 1990s children's show ''Live & Kicking'', alongside Jamie Theakston from 1996–1999. Ball was a contestant in the third series of ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Following this, in 2011 she replaced Claudia Winkleman as host of the BBC Two spin-off show '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'' until her departure in 2021. Ball also hosted the '' Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour'' in 2011 and 2015. In 2018, Ball was announced as the new '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' host and took over from Chris Evans in January 2019. Early life Zoe Ball was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, and grew up in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire. She is the daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his wife Julia ''née'' Anderson. The couple divorced when Zoe was two. Ball was e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, hip hop and indie, while its sister station 1Xtra plays black contemporary music, including hip hop and R&B. Radio 1 also runs two online streams, Radio 1 Dance, dedicated to dance music, and Radio 1 Relax, dedicated to chill-out music; both are available to listen only on BBC Sounds. Radio 1 broadcasts throughout the UK on FM between and , digital radio, digital TV and BBC Sounds. It was launched in 1967 to meet the demand for music generated by pirate radio stations, when the average age of the UK population was 27. The BBC claims that it targets the 15–29 age group, and the average age of its UK audience since 2009 is 30. BBC Radio 1 started 24-hour broadcasting on 1 May 1991. According to RAJAR, the station broadcasts to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Football Focus
''Football Focus'' is a BBC television magazine programme launched in 1974 covering football, normally broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday lunchtimes during the football season. From the 2009–10 season to the 2020–21 season Football Focus was hosted by Dan Walker and from the 2021–22 season is presented by the former England and Arsenal right-back Alex Scott. As of 2021, presenter Alex Scott is usually joined by the BBC's main football pundits such as Mark Lawrenson, Jermaine Jenas, Martin Keown, Dion Dublin, and Micah Richards. ''Match of the Day'' commentators, including Steve Wilson, Guy Mowbray, Jonathan Pearce, and Simon Brotherton often check-in with game previews from the stadiums. History For several years up to 1974, '' Grandstand'' aired a slot called "Football Preview", previewing the day's matches and in 1974 it was evolved into ''Football Focus'' which continued to be part of ''Grandstand'' and Focus was the first item of the programme. From 1988 to 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Now That's What I Call Music!
''Now That's What I Call Music!'' (often shortened to ''Now!'') is a series of various artists compilation albums released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Sony Music and Universal Music (Universal Music Group, Universal/Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music) which began in 1983. Spinoff series began for other countries the following year, starting with South Africa, and many other countries worldwide soon followed, expanding into Asia in 1995, then the United States in 1998. The compilation series was conceived in the office of Virgin Records in London and took its name from a 1920s British advertising poster for Danish Bacon featuring a pig saying "Now. That's What I Call Music" as it listened to a chicken singing. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin, had bought the poster for his cousin, Simon Draper, to hang behind Draper's desk at the Virgin Records office. The pig became the mascot for the series, making its last regular appearance on ''Now That's What I Call Music 5'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
