David Koresh Superstar
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The Indelicates are a
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
-based English indie rock band. Formed in 2005 by Julia and Simon Indelicate, the band's songs are known for their mix of dark, cynical lyrics and tuneful rock melodies. The Indelicates came to attention with their early demos, which were released for free on their website. The band signed to independent record label Sad Gnome Records in 2006 and released several singles and an EP. After leaving Sad Gnome in 2007, the band signed to another independent label, Weekender Records, which issued their first album, ''American Demo'', in 2008. After Weekender found itself in financial difficulty, the Indelicates asked to be released from their contract. In 2010, the band formed Corporate Records, through which artists could sell their own work on a pay-what-you-like basis and retain the bulk of the profits. The band's first release through the label was ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' in 2010. Four more albums followed, including the
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
''David Koresh Superstar'' in 2011, based on the life of Branch Davidian religious sect leader David Koresh. Their most recent album was released in 2017. The Indelicates are also known for their innovative and progressive marketing techniques, including
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
their fourth album before
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
had a UK presence, "Super Special Editions", and virtual reality and 360-degree music videos. The band remain favourites in the blogosphere, but although they received positive notices in the mainstream music press and achieved some popularity in Germany, they have never had a breakout hit. While Simon and Julia have been ever-present, the Indelicates have featured several line-ups since their formation, sometimes with a rotating roster of backing musicians for live shows, which they continue to perform in the UK and Europe.


Early work


Formation

The Indelicates were formed in 2005 in
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, UK, by Julia and Simon Indelicate, who had met five years previously at a poetry slam. The pair created several independent and joint artistic projects, which they promoted through their individual MySpace pages. Julia was also a documentary photographer and Simon had been a
performance poet Performance poetry is a broad term, encompassing a variety of styles and genres. In brief, it is poetry that is specifically composed for or during a performance before an audience. During the 1980s, the term came into popular usage to describe ...
on the cabaret circuit. Simon also wrote a musical based on the ''
Book of Job The Book of Job (; hbo, אִיּוֹב, ʾIyyōḇ), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and is the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars ar ...
''. In 2003, Julia co-founded indie pop band The Pipettes, but left in early 2005 to form the Indelicates with Simon. The band began playing venues in September 2005, with a line-up that initially consisted of Julia on vocals and piano, Simon on vocals and guitar, Jack Stone on drums, Kate Newberry on bass guitar, and Alastair Clayton on rhythm guitar. Ed Van Beinum later took over from Stone.


Demos and recognition

In late 2005, the band released several songs as free downloads on its own website, including "Waiting for Pete Doherty to Die". The song helped the Indelicates build a fanbase, but was also a source of "controversy and misunderstanding". Dan Hancox in '' New Statesman'' described it as "attention-seekingly controversial", and Julia stated that the band received a lot of letters and e-mails attacking the band over the song. She described these as coming from people who had only seen the title. Simon said of the reaction, "I have never met
ete Doherty Ete, Été or ETE may refer to: People * Erik Zabel (born 1970), German cyclist known by the nickname "Ete" * Eteuati Ete, New Zealand actor Other uses * ETE (tokamak) at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil * Ete, Hungary * ...
nor have I ever written a song about him (though I may have written a song about people who subsequently thought I had)." Simon also said that some fans of Babyshambles (
Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie b ...
's band at the time) attended the Indelicates' concerts to find out how hateful they were, only to learn that the intent of the song was not about wishing Doherty would die, but about the "hypocritical" media machine that profits from the deaths of musicians: "circling vultures waiting for the end". "... einer der kreisenden Geier, die auf das Ende warten." In its 2005 yearbook, '' NME'' chose the song as its "most controversial pick of the year". Hancox went on to praise "Waiting for Pete Doherty to Die" as "a bitter-sweet, folk-tinged bit of acoustic soul searching typical of this fascinating new band." '' Jetzt'' magazine said that the song captured the impression one would get from reading the English press that Doherty was on a death spiral and that with the song "media criticism, cynicism, nihilism and beautiful music come together perfectly". Author
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
said of the song, "I was hooked in one, as they took apart, with bitter grace, the media/academic obsession with and delight in the downfall of stars and idols." The Indelicates also made available "Burn All the Photographs", "Vladimir" "Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s" and "New Art for the People". '' NME'' described "New Art for the People" as "stunning", and ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' said that the song's "unmistakably twee ... delivery" made it "beguiling" and "distinctive".


Sad Gnome

The Indelicates' website also featured an early recording of "We Hate the Kids". In 2006, the Indelicates signed to independent record label Sad Gnome Records and on 24 July released "We Hate the Kids" through the label as a two-track 7" vinyl single (with "Burn all the Photographs" as a B-side) and four-track digital download (with additional remixes). The song was a re-recording of the original demo, which had been recorded in Alastair's bedroom and was removed from the band's site ahead of the release. The new version was produced by Keith Mahony and co-produced and mastered by Les Carter. It was Sad Gnome Records' first release. Hancox had called the first version of the song the Indelicates' "most exciting ... a cynical, disaffected, lo-fi anthem", and "We Hate the Kids" received positive reviews in '' NME'' and '' Rolling Stone''. In 2012, "We Hate The Kids" was used on the soundtrack of German film '' Drei Zimmer/Küche/Bad'' (English title: ''Move''), and in September 2020, '' God Is in the TV'' listed it at #67 in its list of 100 songs deserving to be rescued from the indie rock "landfill" era. The band's last release while signed to Sad Gnome was the EP "The Last Significant Statement To Be Made in Rock'n'Roll", on 12 February 2007. The six-track CD consisted of the title track, plus "Sixteen", "Heroin", acoustic track "Unity Mitford", live track "Stars" and a remix of the title track. The EP was released to tie-in with the Indelicates' tour of Germany in the same month. ''Jetzt'' chose "Sixteen" as one of the most interesting song releases of the week, calling Julia's vocals irresistible and complimenting the song's brevity. The magazine also praised the EP as a whole, in particular the way in which Julia and Simon "complement each other, support each other, drive each other on ... they harmonize so perfectly". "... Julia Clark-Lowes und Simon Indelicate wechseln sich in jedem Lied ab, ergänzen sich, unterstützen sich, treiben sich gegenseitig an und schaffen es so in manchen Liedern wirklich „The Last Significant Statement To be Made in Rock’n’Roll“ zu setzen - so perfekt harmonieren sie, so punktgenau schrammeln die Gitarren, so schön sind die Melodien, so herrlich kitschig klimpert manche Pianostelle und so aufwühlend ist es ... Mit der Single „Waiting for Pete Doherty to die“ haben sie sich letztes Jahr schon viele Fans erspielt ... Kein Wunder, dass Art-Brut-Sänger Eddie Argos das Quintett aus Brighton rund um die als seine Lieblingsband bezeichnete."


Weekender years


Touring and singles

Through 2007, the Indelicates had continued to play venues in the UK and Europe. In Germany they headlined several times and played support for
Art Brut Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German indie rock band. Their debut album, '' Bang Bang Rock & Roll'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, ''It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Je ...
, whose lead singer, Eddie Argos, had previously called the Indelicates his favourite band. In April 2007, for British Music Week the German edition of '' Vanity Fair'' profiled "the most important" British bands that were playing German cities that year, calling the Indelicates' "We Hate The Kids" and "Waiting For Pete Doherty to Die" "so very brilliant". By mid-year, the Indelicates had left Sad Gnome to join another independent label, Weekender Records, and in July released "Julia, We Don't Live in the 60s" as a CD single and 7" vinyl. The latter featured "Point Me to the West" as a B-side, while the CD release added to that song a live version of "Unity Mitford". ''
Artrocker Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Machine. Having started life with an online newsletter and eve ...
'' magazine called "Julia ..." "intelligent, poetic indie-rock". '' The Guardian'' called the song "reasonably agreeable", while noting that for a rock song that was "not really a compliment". ''
Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...
'', reviewing a live rendition of the song, cited its "soaring riffs" and "wry, nostalgic and deliciously doom-laden" lyrics. Eddie Argos appeared in the music video. The band's final single of 2007 was "Sixteen", released on 8 October on CD, 7" vinyl and digitally. The vinyl release contained "Sixteen" and B-side "The Sequel to Peter Pan and Wendy", while the CD release also featured a remix of "Fun is for the Feeble Minded". Julia said that "'Sixteen' is a song about people never growing up, and behaving like little kids for as long as possible, even when it bites them in the arse (at the age of 29)." Several industry publications, including '' Rolling Stone'', had predicted mainstream success for the Indelicates for several years, and though the band had achieved popularity in the blogosphere, by the start of 2008 a breakout hit had eluded them. On 24 March 2008, the band released its fourth single, "America" on CD, 7" vinyl and digitally. The vinyl release B-side "No Religion" was joined by "The Last Bombed City" on the CD release. '' Clash'' magazine called the song an "entertaining polemic, whose lack of subtlety extends to the suitably big, brash rock musical soundtrack." ''Room Thirteen'' said the song was "truly refreshing ... a great track which is up-beat and powerful" and said that both Simon and Julia's vocals were "excellent and certainly complement the political nature of their music." The reviewer also praised both B-sides, saying the release added up to a "knockout combination".


''American Demo''

"America" preceded the Indelicates' first album release, ''American Demo'' on 14 April 2008. Produced by Brian O'Shaughnessy at Bark Studio, and issued by Weekender on CD and as a 12" vinyl LP, the album featured 14 tracks and included new and previously-released material. The album was released simulataneously in Germany through Weekender's sister label. George Bass, writing for ''God is in The TV'', called ''American Demo'' "rewardingly consistent" and said that it "breaks none of the promises he Indelicateshave spent the last three years making". Bass remarked that while the album might look like "most machined poprock" it was "deeper than your average post-rock gatefold." He singled out critical favourite "New Art for the People" in particular as the band's signature track, "a raw monolith that's lost none of its veracity in the jump from the stage to the studio." Jo Vallance of ''Room Thirteen'' called the album a "fantastic debut" that "blows away all the indie bands claiming to make a difference and say something that counts" and further praised the album for its "variety of sound". Neil Jones of ''
MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
'' called the album "a broad set of tracks that which spit immaculate bile here, vintage melodies there, and its very first track is a musical statement if ever I’ve heard one, Julia ... etching out a violin contrapuntal to make the hairs stand on end." Jones complimented the way the album married the album's "sweet" melodies with the more barbed lyrical content, and concluded, "Corrosive performance poetry and pop music passion, this is an album on immaculate themes. American Demo really is the aesthetic arm of the outsiders, and The Indelicates right now are pretty much unbeatable." To support the album's release, the Indelicates toured Europe, notably Germany. They also headlined a stage at the Frequency Festival in Austria. The band played venues in the United States, including support for The Vaselines in New York, and at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
festival in Austin, Texas. Mayer Nissim, writing for ''
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'', later said that ''American Demo'' had been "one of the best guitar-pop albums of the decade", while noting that "inevitably it didn't exactly set the charts alight". The Indelicates said that the album "didn't sell terribly".


Corporate Records


Weekender split

In 2009, the Indelicates split from Weekender and in 2010 set up their own label, Corporate Records. The band had come to believe that Weekender's promotion of ''American Demo'' was ineffectual and did not account for the changing shape of the record industry, especially with regard to finding new fans, which the band said came about only through "the free, internet-based things that they did themselves." They went on to say that when their label ran out of money in December 2008, the removal of the album from sale prevented its chances of reaching a larger audience at Christmas after it appeared on some online best-of-the-year lists. The Indelicates continued to play shows in the UK and Europe, and supported
Amanda Palmer Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a ...
and Art Brut. By 2009, Kate Newberry had left the band, who were joined by Laurence Owen on bass and sometime guitarist and backing vocalist Lily Rae. The band continued with a rotating line-up for live shows. In early 2009, they released the download-only single "The Recession Song", which also featured Art Brut's Mikey Breyer. Author Laurie Penny said of the song, "I have been stamping around to it all day; it takes a very special song to make my heart hammer like a tiny flywheel, and this is it." In early 2009, Weekender had said that it intended to move away from record production into artist management, and unsure if the label would exercise its contractual right to a second album, the Indelicates asked to be released from their contract. In January 2010, the label closed its UK operations entirely. Corporate Records was a joint venture with musician Keith Top of the Pops, who had produced the studio version of "We Hate the Kids". After deciding to self-release their second album, the band decided that the label could serve a wider audience than just themselves. The Corporate Records website invited artists to "promote, share and sell their work" and let fans download work on a pay-what-you-like basis. Apart from a PayPal charge and 20% "server costs and admin" the Corporate Records contract promised 80% of the proceeds of sales to artists.


''Songs for Swinging Lovers''

On 12 April 2010, the Indelicates released their second album, ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'', through the Corporate Records website for the UK, US and other territories, except Germany, where it was released through Snowhite Records (in conjunction with Universal Music Group) on 10 December. The album was produced by Ed East and recorded at Studio East in Berlin, with additional recording by Keith TOTP at Dean Street Studios in London. The band released the CD version on 2 June, and a 12" vinyl special edition followed. The Indelicates also made available a "Super Special Edition"—a £300 package including the "CD, signed vinyl, exclusive download, art/poster book, lyric book, signed print, jewellery, fudge and rope." The special edition also included a live performance of the album at "any UK venue" which would be recorded and the copyright for that recording given to the buyer, who could then sell the recording on the Corporate Records website if they wished. Simon said that musically the album better represented what the band heard in their heads, and that ''American Demo'' had been compromised through being produced under the constraints of a label. Julia said that ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' was a more personal album, citing "Savages" in particular. Writing for ''PopMatters'', Maria Schurr said of the album's style that while it represented a continuation of ''American Demo''s "lyrical attacks on society coated over with giddy indie pop hooks" ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' "has been infused with a swish of cabaret." She later said that it sounded like " collaboration between The Mekons, The Wedding Present, Carter USM, and Luke Haines, with a song co-written by
Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
following a really awesome séance". Schurr said that the album was "dazzlingly close to perfection" and though its first half was its strongest, the second was "more convincing of the Indelicates' greatness than ten years' worth of 'Next Big Thing' issues of ''NME''". In ''Digital Spy'' Mayer Nissim wrote that ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' lacked "a bit of the coherence and gloss 'n' polish" of ''American Demo'', but that it was "an assured, aggressive follow-up". He said that, as with their debut, "The Indelicates' trick is to suck you in with hooks that have you either dancing or swooning before the lyrics smash you in the chops." Nissim singled out "Roses" as the album's standout and "Sympathy for the Devil" as an "odd misstep", concluding that while the Indelicates were doing nothing new musically, ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' showed "that it really is what you do with it that counts". The album was also praised by Neil Gaiman, and in Germany's '' Intro'' magazine,
Jack Black Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...
singled out Julia's voice especially for praise, saying, "I love her." In 2018, The Quietus ranked ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' at #72 on its writers' poll list of "The Top 100 Albums of the Quietus' Existence" (2008–2018), calling it a "pop masterpiece". In the absence of traditional chart tracking for the album, the band said the measure of success for ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'' would be "if we're financially solvent ... success is basically not having to stop". Just over a year later, the band reported that it had sold well enough to fund the recording and release of their next album.


Digital rights campaigning

In early 2010 the Indelicates became outspoken critics of the controversial Digital Economy Act 2010, which allowed the blocking of sites used or even likely to be used for activities that involved copyright infringement. Having encouraged fans to share songs via their blogs and on social media, the band said that filesharing had "directly benefited" them, and that the new law was "fuzzy enough to include our artist-rewarding, innovative-business-model-y company aiming to grow the digital economy." Simon urged bands to examine the true value of a sale and whether "an income they ren'tgetting anyway" was worth removal of rights from "real" people. After Parliament approved the bill and it became an Act of law, Simon hit out at the bands who had stayed silent: "All the musicians who view the internet as nothing more than a funnel for their sleazy hype deserve their share of the blame. Standing by silently with their unblemished hands folded cravenly over their purses ... Indie bands – This was done in your name and you could have crippled their argument by standing against it but chose not to." The band would later address an all-party group of MPs at Parliament to present on the subject of digital rights.


''David Koresh Superstar''

''David Koresh Superstar'' is a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
about David Koresh and the Waco siege in 1993, during which 82 members of the religious sect Branch Davidian (including their leader, Koresh) and four personnel within the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and preven ...
(ATF) law enforcement were killed. The album was released in the UK on 16 May 2011 and in the US on 24 May, through Corporate Records. It was re-released in the US with additional material in October 2011 to coincide with the Indelicates' first US tour. According to the band, the album's style is a mix of "rebel" country music, luau, disco and rock opera. It was recorded at Ramble Creek Studio in Austin, Texas with producer Britton Beisenherz, and at Bark Studio in London with producer Brian O’Shaugnessy. ''Koresh'' also features guest vocals from Jim Bob of
Carter USM Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style o ...
,
Mikey Georgeson Mikey Georgeson (born 1967) is an English artist, working in various media. He is a painter and illustrator, who regularly exhibits his work at Sartorial Contemporary Art and other galleries. As "the Vessel", he is songwriter and singer of the ...
of
David Devant and his Spirit Wife David Devant & His Spirit Wife are an English indie/art rock band from Brighton, England. They are named after the English magician and early film exhibitor, David Devant (1868–1941). History The band were formed in Brighton in May 1992 by M ...
,
Philip Jeays Philip Jeays (born Philip Harris on 24 June 1962) is an English singer-songwriter. He writes and performs songs in a style close to the tradition of French chanson but in the English language.Meakin, Nione (2011)Philip Jeays, ''The Argus'', 19 Se ...
and Lily Rae, plus members of Luxembourg, The Boyfriends and Keith Top of the Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band. The bulk of recording had taken place by Summer 2010, with additional recording, mixing and mastering carried out towards the end of 2010. The Indelicates reported at the time that they were seeking financing to turn the album into a feature film, and later self-published ''David Koresh Superstar: An Unfilmable Screenplay''. To promote the album ahead of its release, the band made available preview track "Something's Goin' Down in Waco", and created a video game, ''Super David Koresh Attack''. At ''PopMatters'', Maria Schurr called ''David Koresh Superstar'' the Indelicates' "most ambitious undertaking to date" and that they had "done a stunning job at making history intriguing". In particular Schurr praised Julia and Simon's "strong, dramatic singing voices ssuited to the material" while noting that Simon's American accent as Koresh was "convincing enough" but overindulgent during the album's second song, "The Road From Houston to Waco". She also praised the performances of Philip Jeays (as an ATF member) and Jim Bob (playing Timothy McVeigh). Schurr said that the album's high point was "Something's Goin' Down in Waco", which "gives a vivid illustration of the rapidly escalating events" and concluded that while ''Koresh'' "peaks and dives" and may "drag a bit", it was worth persevering with for the closing track, a "blistering rendition" of the folk song "
John the Revelator John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine, John the Theologian) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Book of Revelation. The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greece, Greek island where, a ...
". In Christian news magazine '' World'', Arsenio Orteza wrote that the album " etsto the core of cult and conspiracy-theory mentality" and that the songs "A Single Thrown Grenade" and "I Don't Care If It's True" "articulate megalomania and its discontents at their most sadly poignant." Comparing the album to the Broadway musical '' The Book of Mormon'' Orteza said that where that musical mocked its subject, the Indelicates' intention was to understand, and that "The extent to which they succeed is chilling." ''David Koresh Superstar'' was written before ''Songs for Swinging Lovers'', as the band had initially wanted to release a concept album to avoid difficult second album syndrome. Simon later said he regretted describing ''Koresh'' as a concept album, as it gave the impression it existed outside the "main continuity" of the band, and the perception that it was a "side project" may have harmed its popularity with the band's fans.


''Diseases of England''

''Diseases of England'', the Indelicates' fourth album, was initially released in three parts, each consisting of four songs. The band recorded and released ''Part II'' first, in October 2012. The remainder of the album was recorded later, after a successful
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
campaign and funding from pre-orders. Special edition pre-order packages included "The Scott Tenorman's Parents Memorial Edition" for £200 and "Official Corporate Sponsorship" for £10,000. The band released ''Part I'' at the end of December 2012, and completed the album with the release of ''Part III'' on 25 April 2013. The Indelicates also ran a successful
Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
campaign to fund the 12" vinyl edition. To promote the album, the band released a videos for the song "Class" on 10 September 2012 and "I Used to Sing" on 17 September. ''God Is in the TV'' praised the first two tracks ("Bitterness is the Appropriate Response" and "Pubes") as having "more muscle" and as a departure from the band's usual style, but lamented that the rest of the album did not follow suit. The reviewer concluded that it remained "a fine album, with some great instrumentation and clever lyrics". Author and journalist Kieron Gillen singled out "Not Alone" as one of his songs of the year, "their Everybody Hurts, but with all the necessary cruelty to make us cynics swallow it." Maria Schurr of ''PopMatters'' said that ''Diseases of England'' "is as grand as anything in the duo’s back catalog" while being somewhat "slower and less reliant on humour" than the band's previous albums. She also noted the different tone of the first two tracks, from which the album moves to a more deliberate pace replacing their "youthful defiance" with "potent revulsion". Schurr said that while approximately "90% of the songs on here evoke filthy streets mottled with contaminated rainwater ... the Indelicates are the band that can make such unsavory visions inviting". She concluded that the album was "a grimily beautiful release worthy of the heart that was put in to it". The Indelicates also released music videos for "Not Alone", "Everything Is Just Disgusting"—which features puppets of the band—and the
machinima Machinima, originally machinema () is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation. The word "machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''ma ...
"Dovahkiin", which was created using the video game '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim''. In October 2013, the band also released ''Part IV'' of "Diseases of England" as DLC, consisting of four new songs recorded at Dean Street Stuidos with Keith TOTP, and ten demo versions of other songs from the album, recorded at Simon and Julia's home.


''Elevator Music''

By 2013, the Indelicates remained somewhat popular and acclaimed in Germany, but had still found success in the UK elusive. After analysing the band's website traffic, Simon claimed that larger numbers of visitors had come from "obvious places" such as London and New York, but the remainder were single-person hits from "pretty much every city I've ever heard of". He concluded, "So we’re an unsuccessful band, but on a global scale!" Simon and Julia had also gathered an almost entirely new backing line-up for live shows, including Benny Lewis (drums) and Nick Kos (bass), who would remain with the band thereafter. In 2014, the Indelicates worked on creating a musical, but found the logistical challenges at odds with the band's availability, especially after Julia became pregnant with the couple's first child. Instead, they decided to work on recording and releasing a new album, ''Elevator Music''. Julia said that recoding of some of her vocals had to be delayed until after she gave birth "as you lose a lot of lung capacity when pregnant". In November 2014, the Indelicates released their first single from ''Elevator Music'', "The Generation That Nobody Remembered". At the same time as creating the album, Simon had acquired a virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift, and said that the album and the technology "fed into each other" with virtual reality "a big part of the album’s songs and story". "The Generation That Nobody Remembered" was backed with "possibly the first" virtual reality music video. Designed for use with an Xbox 360 controller and Oculus Rift HMD (while also being compatible with Development Kit 2), the video featured three scenes with different situations and control schemes. Simon described the intention of intentional listening environments was to " ecapturesome of the magic of the HMV listening booth or the bedroom record player and bringing music back out from the background – while adding emotional weight with short narrative experiences that mesh with and enhance the songs." Maria Schurr of ''PopMatters'', while praising the innovative marketing, said that the song "deserves repeat plays in its own right, with the sort of vital generational commentary that so many current bands fail to provide". Schurr also said that the song's "lush and orchestral" style represented a musical evolution for the band. ''Elevator Music'' was officially released on 13 October 2015, though fans who pre-ordered the album could receive a digital copy early, and the download-only version could be bought from August 2015. The CD and double vinyl editions were released on 20 November. The album was mainly recorded at Simon and Julia's home studio and produced by Simon, with additional material ("choirs and live drums") recorded at Dean Street Studios with Keith TOTP. As with the band's previous Corporate Records album releases, also available were several special edition packages, including the usual in-person live recording where the copyright for the recording would be handed over to the buyer, and a "Mark of the Beast" edition for £666, for which the band said they would "re-record all the vocals for you with metal-style screams and send you the results". To coincide with the album's release, the band made a video for "Beyond the Radio Horizon" as a 360-degree (or "spherical") video, which would allow users to look around as the video played. The album's style was described as a departure from the band's previous music, "
overing In mathematics, an overring ''B'' of an integral domain ''A'' is a subring of the field of fractions ''K'' of ''A'' that contains ''A'': i.e., A \subseteq B \subseteq K. For instance, an overring of the integers is a ring in which all elements are ...
an even greater range of styles than you’d usually expect" from them, including "
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
folksong and glam thrash" amid "power pop, cabaret punk and prog rock". Simon reluctantly called ''Elevator Music'' a concept album (owing to an aversion for the term after using it to describe ''David Koresh Superstar''), saying it was about "what happens when the Internet achieves consciousness".


Juniverbrecher

The Indelicates released their sixth album, ''Juniverbrecher'', digitally on 23 July 2017, the anniversary of the
Brexit referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
. It was described by the band as about banishing the "
Jimmy Savile Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile (; 31 October 1926 – 29 October 2011) was an English DJ, television and radio personality who hosted BBC shows including ''Top of the Pops'' and ''Jim'll Fix It''. During his lifetime, he was well known ...
/
Mr. Punch Punch and Judy is a traditional puppet show featuring Mr. Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically Mr. Punch and one other character w ...
/ Brexit" demon. Recording the album, Simon and Julia were joined by band members Alastair Clayton, Nick Kos and Benny Lewis, plus violinist Louisa Wood. To promote the album, the band played venues in London and Brighton and toured Germany, where they were supported by London indie rock band Fightmilk. Heather Newton took over on violin for the tour. Writer Kieron Gillen named the track "Everything English Is the Enemy" from the album as his #9 song of 2017.


Other Work

''Book of Job: The Musical'' was written by Simon and has been performed by Simon, Julia and others since 2005. Described by Simon as "an
Andrew Lloyd-Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
type Biblical musical done in a very threadbare way, with the narrator describing what would be happening if the show had a Lloyd-Webber style budget for sets, cast and effects" the musical is usually performed with a cast of six people and with one
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
. The band revive the musical "every couple of years" and have performed it at venues around the UK, including Brighton, London, the Edinburgh Festival, Cheltenham Literary Festival, and the
Ledbury Poetry Festival Founded in 1996 by a group of local poetry enthusiasts, the Ledbury Poetry Festival is now the biggest poetry festival in the UK. History The first Ledbury Poetry Festival was held in 1997 in Ledbury, Herefordshire. It was opened by jazz singer ...
. Gary Bills-Geddes, writing for the '' Worcester News'', called the musical "one of the most memorable and enjoyable things" he had seen. The Indelicates released a two-part recording of the musical through the Corporate Records website—the first part on 28 February 2011 and the second on 7 March. Recorded at Dean Street Studios by Keith TOTP, the release featured Simon, Julia and Alastair from the band, plus
Mary Hampton Mary Hampton is a folk singer, songwriter, accordionist and guitarist from Brighton, England. Hampton has released two self-produced CD-Rs, ''Book One'' (2006) and ''Book Two'' (2007), containing a mix of original and traditional songs. In 2008 ...
, Chris Hodges, Sarah Pinkney, Laurie Penny and Michael Parker. Mikey Georgeson of David Devant and his Spirit Wife cameos. In 2015, Simon and Julia also created a children's show, ''Goblins Live'', for which they made the puppets and set decoration, and which they performed at local venues. ''Paradise Rocks'' is a musical set in the 1960s "in the style of an Elvis movie" and is based on the 17th century epic poem ''
Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...
'' by
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
. Written by Simon in 2014, the musical was not performed until 2018 owing to the logistical challenges involved. Unlike ''Book of Job: The Musical'', ''Paradise Rocks'' required a larger number of actors, musicians and technicians. The Indelicates, with The Devil's Party Theatre Company, performed the musical at venues in the UK through 2019, including the Ledbury Poetry Festival, the Brighton Fringe festival and in London. For ''Fringe Review'', Robin Manuell said that the musical was "the most all round entertaining show I have had the pleasure to see" and that the songs were "excellent". He also praised director Lex Lake and choreographer Roger Duncan for "the quality of the ensemble work". Manuell said that while the cast all had moments of excellence and the singing was of a high standard, during the performance he saw "not all the performers can keep this up all the time" and some were "patchy". He nevertheless concluded that ''Paradise Rocks'' was "an outstanding play and an outstanding production".


Discography


Albums

*''
American Demo ''American Demo'' is the debut album by The Indelicates and was released on 14 April 2008. Track listing # New Art for the People (Theme) # The Last Significant Statement To Be Made in Rock'n'Roll # Our Daughters Will Never Be Free # Better ...
'' – Weekender Records – April 2008 *''
Songs for Swinging Lovers ''Songs for Swingin' Lovers!'' is the tenth album by American singer Frank Sinatra and his fourth for Capitol Records. It was arranged by Nelson Riddle and released in March 1956 on LP and January 1987 on CD. It was the first album ever to ...
'' – Corporate Records – April 2010 *''David Koresh Superstar'' – Corporate Records – May 2011 *''Diseases of England'' – Corporate Records – 2013 *''Elevator Music'' – Corporate Records – 2015 *''Juniverbrecher'' – Corporate Records – 2017


Singles

* "
We Hate the Kids "We Hate the Kids" was the first single by the British band The Indelicates. It was released at the end of July 2006 and was the first Sad Gnome Records release, as a 7" vinyl, only available through the labels official website. The single was a ...
" – Sad Gnome Records – July 2006 * "Julia, We Don't Live in the '60s" – Weekender Records – July 2007 * "Sixteen" – Weekender Records – October 2007 *"America" – Weekender Records – March 2008 *"The Recession Song" – Corporate Records – February 2009 *"Something Going Down in Waco" – Corporate Records – 2011 *"I Am Koresh" – Corporate Records – 2011 *"The Generation That Nobody Remembered" – November 2014 *"Beyond the Radio Horizon" – August 2015 *"Top of the Pops" – June 2017


EPs

* "
The Last Significant Statement To Be Made in Rock'n'Roll ''The Last Significant Statement To Be Made in Rock'n'Roll'' is the first EP by indie band The Indelicates. It was released on 12 February 2007. Track listing #The Last Significant Statement To Be Made In Rock’n’Roll #Sixteen #Heroin #Unit ...
" – Sad Gnome Records – February 2007


References


Annotations


Footnotes


External links

*
Corporate Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indelicates, The British indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups from Brighton and Hove