Matt Johnson (born 15 August 1961) is an English singer-songwriter best known as the vocalist and only constant member of his band

The The () are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles ...

. He is also a film soundtrack composer (Cineola), publisher (Fifty First State Press), broadcaster (Radio Cineola), and conservationist/local activist.

Early life

Johnson grew up with his three brothers, Eugene,

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

(the artist Andy Dog Johnson), and Gerard, in East London. Much of his youth was spent in or around the Two Puddings, a London pub run by his family over the course of 40 years.

Music career

In 1979, Johnson placed an advert in ''

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 ...

'' looking for like-minded fans of

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...

the Residents The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vi ...

and

Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in 1975 in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, and Chris Carter (British musician), Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pi ...

to form a band with him. The The began as a duo, then a four-piece, then a singular entity with a rotating cast of musicians that has included

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...

Simon Fisher Turner Simon Fisher Turner (born 21 November 1954) is an English musician, songwriter, composer, producer and actor. After portraying Ned East in the 1971 BBC TV adaptation of ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'' and roles in films such as ''The Big Sleep'' (1 ...

and Sinéad O'Connor. "I like to think of The The as a fluid thing", Johnson said in a 1993 ''

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 ...

'' interview. "People can work with me, then stop for a bit, then work again." In 1981, Johnson released the album '' Burning Blue Soul'' on 4AD under his own name (since re-released under the name The The), still regarded by some as a much overlooked masterpiece. By 1983 Johnson and Keith Laws the artists signed to Some Bizzare that place the record with CBS to distribute Some Bizzare released The The's debut album ''

Soul Mining ''Soul Mining'' is the debut album by British post-punk/ synth-pop band (the 1981 album '' Burning Blue Soul'' was originally released by the band's frontman Matt Johnson as a solo album, but later reissues credited it to ). After a bidding wa ...

'' now distributed by Sony . By 1986, Some Bizzare produced and released The The their second album ''Infected'', which reached number 14 in 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 ...

and remained in the chart for 30 weeks, making it the band's most commercially successful album to date. ''Infected: The Movie'' was the screen accompaniment to the album. The The went on Some Bizzare release further albums through Sony Music including ''

Mind Bomb ''Mind Bomb'' is the third studio album by English post-punk band The The. It was released by Some Bizzare/ Epic on 11 July 1989 and recorded between October 1988 and May 1989. It is the band's first album to feature former The Smiths guitarist J ...

'' (1989), ''Dusk'' (1993), ''Hanky Panky'' (1995), ''

NakedSelf ''NakedSelf'' is a 2000 album by the British band The The. It was the band's first album since '' Hanky Panky'' (1995) and the first containing original material since ''Dusk'' (1993). In terms of sales, it was the band's least successful until ...

'' (2000) and compilation album '' 45 RPM: The Singles of The The'' (2002). Johnson's younger brother Eugene died in 1989. The impact of this death on Matt Johnson and his creativity is a subject of the 2017 documentary ''THE INERTIA VARIATIONS'', directed by Johanna St Michaels, which focuses on the life of Matt Johnson and the team who surround him. The film is named after an original collection of poetry by John Tottenham, and was later shortlisted for the 'Best Q Film' award in ''Q magazine's 'Q' Awards. Despite not releasing any new music as The The over the course of 15 years prior to 2017, Johnson worked as founder and broadcaster of Radio Cineola, and also heavily collaborated with his brother Gerard, composing the full soundtrack for two of Gerard's films; ''Tony'' (2009) and ''Hyena'' (2014). To coincide with the 2017 release of ''The Inertia Variations'', Johnson collaborated with Johnny Marr again and released The The's first single in over 15 years - 'We Can't Stop What's Coming' under his own record label Cineola. Johnson dedicated this track to his late brother Andy Dog Johnson who died in 2016. As well as a new single, Johnson released the Radio Cineola Trilogy Boxset on vinyl and CD format. In October 2017 The The also announced a comeback series of dates in June 2018 and will be playing live at three venues in London, UK including the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. The The are also due to appear as a headline act at

Festival N°6 Festival N°6 (Festival Number 6) is an annual art and music festival held in and around Portmeirion, North Wales. The festival presents a wide range of music genres across multiple stages. It is advertised as a family-friendly festival, and as su ...

in 2018. In November 2017, Johnson announced that he was hoping to form a new band and release new music by 2018.

2018 comeback

In June 2018, The The kicked off the first three London dates of the tour, which was expanded in-flight to accommodate not only North America but also four Australian dates in both Sydney and Melbourne. The original line-up for the tour was: * Matt Johnson - vocals, guitar * Barrie "Little Barrie" Cadogan - lead guitar * James Eller - bass * Earl Harvin - drums, percussion * D C Collard - keyboards During the course of the tour the lineup was changed slightly only twice; due to prior commitments Earl Harvin was replaced for the Australian leg of the tour by

Geoff Dugmore Geoff Dugmore (born 12 April 1960) is a Scottish drummer, musical director and producer. He was a member of the bands The Europeans, and Wildlife. Career Educated at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow, Scotland, Dugmore started his musical care ...

References

External links

This Is Day
- Official Site
Fifty First State Press
- Official Site
4AD artist page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Matt 1961 births Living people Epic Records artists English film score composers English male singer-songwriters English new wave musicians British post-punk musicians British alternative rock musicians English record producers English rock singers English rock guitarists English male guitarists English male film score composers 4AD artists Musicians from London The The members Male new wave singers Marc and the Mambas members

Early life

Music career

2018 comeback

References

Further reading

External links