Murry the Hump were a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
and "urban folk" band. They were active from 1999 until 2001. Since then they have continued to release music under the name The Keys (or simply Keys).
History
The band was formed in
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
in the late 1990s by singer Matthew Evans, guitarist Gwion Rowlands, bass guitarist Curig Huws, and drummer Bill Coyne,
[Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 882] taking their name from the gangster
Llewellyn Morris "Murray The Hump" Humphreys.
Early on in the band's career, they competed in a
Battle of the Bands contest against
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
. Garnering early interest by way of indie singles "Green Green Grass of Home" (an
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 ...
"Single of the Week", and a song about
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
rather than a cover of the song made famous by
Tom Jones)
[NME Reviews: London Camden Falcon]
, ''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 ...
'', 8 October 1999 (Blue Dog/V2) and "Thrown Like a Stone" (Shifty Disco) (which was voted number nine in
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
's
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...
in 1999),
[Festive 50, 1999]
, ''Keeping it Peel'', BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
they gained support from
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, ...
DJs
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
Steve Lamacq
Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music.
Early life
He attended The Ramsey Academy ...
and John Peel, recording three sessions for the Peel,
[Murry the Hump]
Peel Sessions, ''Keeping it Peel'', BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
and secured an appearance at industry showcase ''In The City''. A publishing deal from Townhill Music (Sony) swiftly followed, and the band were heralded as the best new band in Wales, and by
Alex James of
Blur as the best new band in Britain.
[Patterson, Sylvia (2000)]
Murry The Hump : Silver Suit/Booze And Cigarettes
, ''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 ...
'', 12 February 2000 Alex James, artist Damien Hirst and the late Joe Strummer preferred Murry the Hump over
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
when they saw both acts perform at a record label showcase gig. In a 2000 review of the "Silver Suit" single in the ''NME'', the band were described as "The Proper Indie; winsome, charmsome, delicate, funny and toe-tappin' Trebor fizz-pop Fab".
In 2000 the band signed to
Too Pure
Too Pure was a London-based independent record label formed in 1990 by Richard Roberts and Paul Cox. The label gained prominence after the release of PJ Harvey's debut album '' Dry'' in 1992, and subsequently found further success in the late ...
, whereupon they joined new label mates
Hefner on a whistle-stop tour of the UK. The band then began work ontheir debut album, ''Songs of Ignorance'', and performed some of the new material for Radio 1's ''One Live'' in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. Curig was replaced by new bassist Siôn Glyn.
The band's first release for Too Pure, "The House That Used to Be a Ship" (a split single with Hefner), was followed by Guardian Guide single of the Week "Cracking Up", gaining much support from
Xfm
Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...
with a John Kennedy Session and live slots for the station at Camden's Barfly.
A second single for the label, "Don't Slip Up" and the debut album ''Songs of Ignorance'' followed. The album was described by Andy Gill in ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' as displaying "a warmth and charm to the group's jangly indie-pop that's entirely engaging",
[Gill, Andy (2001)]
Albums: Murry the Hump - ''Songs of Ignorance'', Toor Pure
, ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', 24 May 2001 while the ''
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 ...
''s April Long said that it revealed "a canny aptitude not only for hook-laden guitar tricks but also story-telling", describing the band as "somewhere between the bucolic surrealism of
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian Ciaran ...
and the cerebral pop of
XTC
XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...
."
[Long, April (2001)]
Murry The Hump : Songs of Ignorance
, ''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 ...
'', 22 May 2001 The ''
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' selected "Cracking Up" as one of the 'Tracks of the Year' at the end of 2001, describing it as "Joyous, mad, brief. 2001's perfect pop song, from a great Welsh band";
["Tracks of the year; Music", '']Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'', 16 December 2001 Their review of ''Songs of Ignorance'' from May that year also described the track as "so ripe - it has three different choruses - and so joyous, it makes you want to tear your clothes off and run for the hills."
[Cairns, Dan (2001) "MURRY THE HUMP. Songs of Ignorance", '']Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'', 27 May 2001, p. 22
The band announced that they had split up in September 2001, although they played one final concert in October that year as part of the
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
''Live in Cardiff'' festival.
[Ansell, Rachelle (2001)]
Murry The Hump have split
", ''Drowned in Sound
''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums.
History
''D ...
'', 25 September 2001 Evans stated in 2003 "it stopped being fun and we found we had to promote things and that's when things started getting quite tense."
[Stokes, Alison (2003) "Friday Live: fun is the key to success", '']South Wales Echo
The ''South Wales Echo'' is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area. It has a circulation of 7,573.
Background
The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, C ...
'', 4 July 2003, p. 38 Evans, Rowlands, and Glyn re-remerged in 2002 as The Keys, after asking fans to choose a name for the new band, and were described as "Duane Eddy jamming with the Jesus and Mary Chain".
[Walton, Adam (2002) "Exit Murry - but what name next?", '']Liverpool Daily Post
The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013.
Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, with the tit ...
'', 18 January 2002, p. 25 The band released a self-titled debut album in 2003, two EPs in 2009 and their second album as The Keys, ''Fire Inside'', in 2010. A third album, ''Bitten by Wolves'', was released in 2011.
[Warfield, Russell (2011)]
The Keys ''Bitten By Wolves''
", ''Drowned in Sound
''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums.
History
''D ...
'', 27 April 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011 The band, now also known simply as Keys, released the albums ''Ring the Changes'' in 2014, ''Bring Me the Head of Jerry Garcia'' in 2019. and ''Home Schooling Album'' in 2020.
Trivia
* On 26 May 1999 the band supported
Tom Jones,
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...
, the
Morriston Orpheus Choir
The Morriston Orpheus Choir ( cy, Côr Orpheus Treforys, link=no), based in Morriston, near Swansea, Wales, is a male voice choir, one of the best-known in the UK.
History
The Choir was formed on April 23, 1935, by Ivor E. Sims and in its early ...
and a host of other Welsh acts in front of 25,000 people for the BBC
Voices of a Nation concert.
* Blue Dog single (V2) "The Green Green Grass of Home" was a limited edition of 1,000.
* Murry the Hump have supported
The Stereophonics
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zind ...
,
The Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its popul ...
,
Bonnie Tyler
Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...
,
Shed Seven
Shed Seven are a alternative rock band, formed in York in 1990. One of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s, they continue to write, record and release music over thirty years later. They originally comprised sin ...
,
Björn Again
Björn Again is a parody of the 1970s Swedish pop group ABBA. Created in 1988 in Australia,The show currently involves performers based in several countries. The Björn Again name is based in part on ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus with the obvious rev ...
,
Mike Peters, Coloursound,
The Crocketts
The Crocketts were a British-Irish indie rock band from Aberystwyth. Formed in 1996, the band featured Irish vocalist Davey MacManus, English guitarist Daniel Harris, English bassist Richard Carter and Welsh drummer Owen Hopkin. The Crocketts wer ...
, Cartoon, Topper,
Big Leaves
Big Leaves were a Welsh rock band formed in 1988, originally named Beganifs. They disbanded in 2003, with two members subsequently forming Sibrydion.
History
The band was formed in 1988 as Beganifs by then 11- and 12-year-old school pupils Rhod ...
,
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut album ...
and others.
Discography
Albums
* ''Songs of Ignorance'' (28 May 2001), Too Pure Records (Pure 116) - CD and LP
;as The Keys
*''The Keys'' (2003), Too Pure
*''Fire Inside'' (2010), See Monkey Do Monkey
*''Bitten by Wolves'' (2011), See Monkey Do Monkey
*''Ring the Changes'' (2014), See Monkey Do Monkey
*''Bring Me the Head of Jerry Garcia'' (2019), Libertino
*''Home Schooling Album'' (2020), Libertino
Singles and EPs
* ''Don't Slip Up'' - Demo (not published)
* "Green Green Grass of Home" (1999), Blue Dog Records - 7" vinyl single, split with Gorgeous Fame and the Three Degrees
* "Thrown Like a Stone"/"Don't Slip Up" (27 September 1999), Shifty Disco Records - CD
* ''Colouring Book EP'' (November 1999), Malthouse Records - CD
* "Silver Suit"/"Booze and Cigarettes" (May 2000), Prim and Proper Records - 7" vinyl single
* "The House That Used to Be a Ship" (January 2001), Too Pure Records - 7" vinyl single, split with
Hefner
* "Cracking Up" (26 March 2001), Too Pure (Pure 114) - CD and 7" vinyl single
* "Don't Slip Up" (21 May 2001), Too Pure (Pure 107) - CD and 7" white vinyl single
;as The Keys:
*''Le Mans'' EP (2009), See Monkey Do Monkey
*''The Christmas EP'' (2009), See Monkey Do Monkey
Peel Sessions
The band performed 3 sessions for
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
over the course of 1999 and 2000, as well as one off performance as part of a special event for the same host.
* 1 December 1999, Peel Session, Maida Vale 4 (recorded 26 September 1999)
* 29 March 2000, Peel Session, Live from the Union Chapel, London
* 25 October 2000, Peel Session, One Live in Cardiff at Clwb Ifor Bach
* 21 December 2000, John Peel Christmas Special, Live from Peelacres
References
External links
* (no longer maintained)
*
Murry The Hump biography from BBC Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murry The Hump (Band)
Welsh rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1999
Musical groups disestablished in 2001
Musical groups from Aberystwyth
Welsh indie rock groups
1999 establishments in Wales