Molly Half Head were an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

formed in 1992. They had a minor UK hit single in 1995 with "Shine".

History

The band's line-up, after an early experimental version of the band that included a saxophonist, comprised Paul Bardsley (vocals), Phil Murphy (guitar), Neil Daly (bass guitar), and Andy Pickering (drums).Strong, Martin C. (1999) ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 417Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 283 They were compared to bands such as

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

, with Bardsley often likened to

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

.Brod, Doug
Molly Half Head
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'', retrieved 2012-05-02 They signed for Manchester

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Playtime Records, and released their debut single, "Taste of You", in March 1993;. Two more singles followed before the release of the album ''Sulk'' in November 1993. The album was issued in the United States in February 1994 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Daly left the band and was replaced by Graham Atkinson, and the band left Playtime to sign for Columbia in the UK. The band's second single for Columbia, "Shine", reached number 73 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. A second album, ''Dunce'', produced by

Craig Leon Craig Leon (born 7 January 1952) is an American-born record producer, composer and arranger currently living in England.International Who’s Who in Classical Music 2005'', Routledge, 2005. Leon was instrumental in launching the careers of many ...

and released in July 1995, failed to achieve commercial success saw the band dropped by Columbia and they subsequently split up. Bardsley and Murphy later formed Wireless (not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name), releasing a self-titled album in 1998.Wireless
, ''

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 ...

'', 7 July 1998, retrieved 2012-05-02 There were rumours of a comeback in 2021 with an appearance at the Shiiine on Weekender being announced However Molly Halfhead didn't play at the festival.

Discography

Albums

*''Sulk'' (1993), Playtime/Columbia *''Dunce'' (1995), Columbia

Singles

*"Taste of You" (1993), Playtime *"Just" (1993), Playtime *"Barny" (1993), Playtime *"Breaking the Ice" (1995), Columbia *"Shine" (1995), Columbia - UK No. 73

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molly Half Head English alternative rock groups Musical groups from Manchester Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1996