Fixers are a five-piece experimental music/

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included "trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...

band from

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. The band consists of Jack Goldstein, Jason Warner, Christopher Dawson, Roo Bhasin and Michael Thompson and formed in 2009. The debut album, ''We'll Be the Moon'', was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on 18 June 2012. The band cites their influences as Brian Wilson,

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle'' and for his collaborations with ...

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

, Cocteau Twins, Steve Reich,

J-Pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

and

Vanilla Fudge Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band known predominantly for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, such as their hit cover of The Supremes' " You Keep Me Hangin' On". The band's original line–up—vocalist ...

Biography

The band made their debut radio appearance in August 2009, when the track "Amsterdam" was played on

BBC Oxford Introducing BBC Introducing in Oxfordshire is a local music show in Oxfordshire, and part of the main BBC Introducing brand. The show is broadcast between 20:00 and 21:00 on Saturday nights on BBC Oxford and is presented by Dave Gilyeat, Liz Green, and Chris ...

. Increasing support from BBC Introducing followed, with the band's first release, a cassette entitled "Amsterdam" seeing release in late 2010. The band released a 7" vinyl of the track "Iron Deer Dream" through independent record label, Young & Lost Club, on 21 February 2011 – before signing a record deal with Mercury-division

Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a record company with United Kingdom origins. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Uni ...

. Fixers' first official single, "Crystals", was released on 1 April 2011 – preceding the release of the

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Here Comes 2001 So Let's All Head for the Sun''; which saw release on 6 May through Vertigo Records. A second single, "Swimmhaus Johannesburg" was released on 31 October, with a second extended play succeeding it. The EP, entitled ''Imperial Goddess of Mercy'' was released through Vertigo Records on 17 December, including early tracks "Evil Carbs" and "Majesties Ranch"; the latter of which was performed as part of

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, ...

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

on 15 January alongside a cover of " What's My Name?" by Rihanna. The band headlined the

BBC Introducing BBC Music ''Introducing'' is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. It gives artists the opportunity to be played on Local BBC Radio and nationally on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, ...

stage at

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fe ...

in August 2011.

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

described the Oxford band as "''the most capable of thinking their way to break-out success with their avant-garde take on

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

''". We'll Be The Moon was released on 18 June 2012 to critical acclaim. Michael Hann of

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

wrote that the album was 'proof that

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...

need not be an exercise in retro genre pastiche – a terrific album' and Raplh Moore proclaimed in

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...

that 'Your favourite new band may well have arrived'. The album was

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

album of the week, calling it 'an album so beautiful and devastating as any record company could hope to release in 2012. It is the

melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly d ...

underlying We'll Be The Moon's sonic beauty that proves, ultimately, overwhelming'. The band have announced that they will release their long-awaited second album, titled 'The Sun, The Moon, The Wind, The Sea', on 7 May 2021. The album will be released digitally and as a limited edition gold coloured 12" vinyl.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

Footnotes

References

{{Authority control English psychedelic rock music groups Surf music groups British indie pop groups Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups from Oxford