Mark Richardson (born 28 May 1970,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
) is an English
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
, known for being a member of the English rock group
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin (lead vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ace (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Richardson (drums and percussion).
Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded in 2 ...
and formerly of
Little Angels
Little Angels were an English hard rock band predominantly active between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. The band reformed on 8 June 2012 to play the Download Festival.
History 1984–1994: Early history and UK popularity
Little Angels formed i ...
and
Feeder.
Music
Little Angels (December 1991 – July 1994)
In 1991 he moved to London to join Little Angels after Michael Lee left to join The Cult. Matt Sorum had left The Cult to join Guns and Roses after their drummer, Stephen Adler, had allegedly been kicked out due to his growing drug habit. Richardson's first ever professional engagement was with the Little Angels on the 'Jim'll Fix It' show, a kids prime time TV show that helped children fulfil their dreams. Hailing from Scarborough, Little Angels were tipped for success and in 1992 wrote and recorded ''
Jam
Jam is a type of fruit preserve.
Jam or Jammed may also refer to:
Other common meanings
* A firearm malfunction
* Block signals
** Radio jamming
** Radar jamming and deception
** Mobile phone jammer
** Echolocation jamming
Arts and ente ...
'', the band's third record on Polydor. It entered the UK album charts at number one. Despite touring extensively in Europe, stadium supports slots with Bryan Adams, Van Halen and Bon Jovi, adding to their already large fan base in the UK, the band split in the summer of 1994.
b.l.o.w (June 1994 – May 1995)
Along with Richardson, the band consisted of Bruce John Dickinson (guitar) and Jimmy Dickinson (keys), who were both members of
Little Angels
Little Angels were an English hard rock band predominantly active between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. The band reformed on 8 June 2012 to play the Download Festival.
History 1984–1994: Early history and UK popularity
Little Angels formed i ...
, vocalist Dave Gooding ( David 9 Lunas) and bassist Nicky Boyes.
b.l.o.w. released their first "mini" album,
Man And Goat Alike, within 5 months of getting together. The album itself was recorded in just four days at Jacob's Studios in Surrey. b.l.o.w. was soon out on the road, playing alongside the likes of
Thunder
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...
, and famously held a competition to stay at fans' houses because they couldn't afford hotels.
Feeder supported them on this tour in support of their first EP 'Swim.'
Presenting a distinctly "homegrown" image, b.l.o.w. issued demo tapes to fan club subscribers & released their first mini-album through mail order in music magazine Kerrang! before it was available in the shops.
Skunk Anansie (August 1995 – 2001 and April 2009 – present)
Richardson joined
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin (lead vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ace (guitar, backing vocals) and Mark Richardson (drums and percussion).
Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded in 2 ...
in August 1995 after meeting them at the Kerrang! Awards. Skunk Anansie were looking for a permanent replacement for Robbie France so an audition was set up and Skunk were reborn. His first job with the band was to record some movie
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
music for the film ''
Strange Days'' followed by the video for Charity. His first gig with the band was the Leeds Heineken festival. Skunk went on to tour extensively around the world, covering the globe many times over the next six years. Most notable support tours were
Therapy?
Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...
and
Lenny Kravitz in Europe and
Sevendust
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery ...
,
Rollins Band,
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
in the US. Skunk Anansie enjoyed success in the UK Charts with three
Top 20
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
albums. Richardson played drums on their second album ''
Stoosh
''Stoosh'' is the second studio album by British rock band Skunk Anansie, released on 7 October 1996.
Critical reception
AllMusic's Tom Demalon stated: "Skunk Anansie's full-frontal charge can be wearing at times, but for a good dose of aggr ...
'' in 1996 and their third album ''
Post Orgasmic Chill
''Post Orgasmic Chill'' is the third studio album by British rock band Skunk Anansie, first released in 1999. Two album covers exist: the European version with the band lounging in an oceanside apartment, and the American version with the ban ...
'' in 1999. These albums were both certified platinum and gold in the UK respectively, and both sold over five and a half million copies worldwide. Richardson also plays on the tracks from ''
Paranoid and Sunburnt'' at Skunk's live shows. Richardson re-joined Skunk Anansie, after playing two gigs in April at the Water Rats venue in
Kings Cross,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. A singles compilation ''
Smashes and Trashes
''Smashes and Trashes'' is a greatest hits album by the British rock band Skunk Anansie. It is a 15-track career-embracing album and includes three previously unreleased tracks; "Tear the Place Up", "Because of You" and "Squander". The bonus tr ...
'' was released in November 2009 with a tour to follow. 2010 saw the band record a brand new record 'Wonderlustre' followed by a European arena tour and festival season of 45 festivals in 2011. Black Traffic followed in 2012 and Skunk hit the road again in Europe and playing more arenas and another 40 odd festivals in the summer of 2013. In September 2013 they played a sold out acoustic show at London's Cadogan Hall and released 'An Acoustic Skunk Anansie Live In London' to critical acclaim. The band again hit the road in Europe in support of the release.
Feeder (January 2002 – April 2009)
In January 2002, Feeder's drummer
Jon Lee committed suicide in his
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
home. Richardson was recommended to Feeder's frontman—
Grant Nicholas
Grantley Jonathan "Grant" Nicholas (born 12 November 1967) is a Welsh musician, and lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Feeder.
Early years
Nicholas was born in Newport, South Wales, but grew up in Pwllmeyric, near Chepstow. He was educa ...
— by
Jeremy Lascelles and became their new drummer. Richardson had previously worked with Feeder when they supported b.l.o.w. as well as Skunk Anansie. His first gig with Feeder was a warm-up for the
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 Festiv ...
in 2002, at the
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
Wedgewood Rooms on 21 August. Richardson recorded drums on 2002's ''
Comfort In Sound
''Comfort in Sound'' is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder, released on 21 October 2002 and also the first to be released by the band after the suicide of drummer Jon Lee earlier in the year. The album was recorded at RAK Studio ...
'', 2005's ''
Pushing the Senses
''Pushing the Senses'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder. It was released on Echo, Liberation Music and PIAS on 31 January 2005 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, while being released on Pony Canyon in J ...
'', tracks for 2006's ''
The Singles'' album and 2008's ''
Silent Cry''. All of these albums including ''
Comfort in Sound
''Comfort in Sound'' is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder, released on 21 October 2002 and also the first to be released by the band after the suicide of drummer Jon Lee earlier in the year. The album was recorded at RAK Studio ...
'' (his first album with Feeder) made the Top 10 of the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. On 6 May 2009, it was announced that Richardson would be rejoining Skunk Anansie for their upcoming reformation.
Sessions
Sunna, Amy Macdonald, Globus, Ace, Feeder, Skin, Mel B, Erika, Little Angels.
Music support
Richardson is a co-founder and trustee of the charity Music Support. He said: 'When I tried to get sober in 2000, any information on how to achieve that was rare and hard sought. Almost 60% of entertainment industry workers have sought help for mental health issues and 40% of those have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness. so myself, Johan Sorensen (of Portobello Behavioural Health), tour manager Andy Franks and music Matt Thomas created Music Support. The (soon to be) charity is a non-profit collective of volunteers and professionals providing help and support for individuals in any area of the music industry suffering from addiction, emotional or mental health issues.'
Children in Need
On 12 November 2021, Richardson assisted BBC weather presenter
Owain Wyn Evans
Owain Wyn Evans (born 9 March 1984) is a Welsh broadcaster and drummer. He is a radio DJ and TV presenter, and previously a weather presenter on ''North West Tonight'' and ''BBC Breakfast''. Evans is also a regular item presenter for the telev ...
in his 24 hour drumathon for
Children in Need, raising £3,601,138 for the children's charity.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Mark
1970 births
Living people
British rock drummers
People from Scarborough, North Yorkshire
People from Whitby
Feeder members
Globus (music)
Musicians from Leeds
21st-century drummers