Cherry Ghost were an English music group which began in 2006, first as an alias for singer-songwriter Simon Aldred as a solo artist, before morphing into a full band. Their debut album, '' Thirst for Romance'', was released in July 2007 and entered the

UK Album Charts 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 ...

at No. 7. It was nominated for an

Ivor Novello award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...

as well as winning Aldred an Ivor Novello for best song "

People Help the People "People Help the People" is the second single taken from Cherry Ghost's début album, '' Thirst for Romance''. It was made available to download on 11 June 2007, and followed two weeks later on CD and 7-inch vinyl. The band played the song live ...

". A second album, titled '' Beneath This Burning Shoreline'', was released in July 2010 to positive critical acclaim. Aldred, under the moniker Out Cold, released a solo album titled ''Invasion of Love'' in September 2013, featuring a markedly synthpop sound. Cherry Ghost released their third and final album ''

Herd Runners Herd Runners is the third and final studio album by English band Cherry Ghost Cherry Ghost were an English music group which began in 2006, first as an alias for singer-songwriter Simon Aldred as a solo artist, before morphing into a full b ...

'' in May 2014; Aldred last performed with Cherry Ghost in 2016 on the Marc Riley Show on

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

. Currently based in London, Simon Aldred now works outside of music, as well as occasionally writing for and with other artists. Aldred was the featured vocalist on the 2015

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first re ...

single " Waiting for Love", and more recently co-wrote several songs with

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starti ...

, including his 2017 top 40 hit "For What It's Worth".

History

Beginnings and ''Thirst for Romance'' (2006–2007)

The name "Cherry Ghost" is a reference to the

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently d ...

song "

Theologians Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

" from the album ''

A Ghost Is Born ''A Ghost Is Born'' is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Wilco. Released on June 22, 2004, it features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album. The band streamed the album online free, and offer ...

''. In Jan 2006, Simon Aldred began performing as Cherry Ghost as a solo artist, before morphing into a full band. Early sessions with

Doves Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

bassist and vocalist

Jimi Goodwin Jimi Goodwin (born Jamie Francis Alexander Goodwin 28 May 1970 in Manchester) is the bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves. Before their incarnation as Doves, the three members were in a house music group, Sub Sub. Goodwin is best known a ...

and a special appearance on '' Later...with Jools Holland'' helped excel the band's beginnings. Cherry Ghost were one of only a handful of bands and musicians to have been invited onto Jools Holland's programme before having released any material. Cherry Ghost signed to

Heavenly Records Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists ...

, and released their debut single " Mathematics" in April 2007. The debut album, '' Thirst for Romance'', was released in July 2007, following the release of the single "

" two weeks before, which charted on 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 ...

at No. 27. The album was met with generally positive reviews, and entered 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 ...

at No. 7. A third single, " 4 AM," was released in September 2007 and charted at No. 128. A live EP titled ''iTunes Festival: Live in London'', recorded in July 2007 at the iTunes Festival, was released digitally in November 2007. In September 2007, Cherry Ghost were nominated for ''Best New Act'' at the 2007

Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...

. In 2008, Cherry Ghost won an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...

for "People Help the People" in the category of ''Best Contemporary Song''.

''Beneath This Burning Shoreline'' (2008–2012)

In March 2008, Simon announced through a MySpace blog posting that the band were at the writing stage for the second album and had seven songs written, which had been distilled from over 50 different tunes. The bulk of the album was written in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The band began recording the album in January 2009. A later blog post indicated that the band were recording in a converted

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

. On 27 December 2009, Simon posted on MySpace that the second album had been finished and was "due to be mixed in the next month or two." On 29 April 2010, a message on the band's MySpace page stated the title of the new album as '' Beneath This Burning Shoreline'', with a release date of 5 July 2010. ''Beneath This Burning Shoreline'' was released to positive reviews, garnering 4-star reviews from publications such as '' Q'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''

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 publish ...

''. The album's first single, "Kissing Strangers," was released as a single-track download on 28 June 2010. Second single "Black Fang" was released in September 2010 as the album's first commercial single on 7" vinyl and download; third single "We Sleep on Stones" was released as a double A-side with a cover of the

CeCe Peniston Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (; born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song " Finally" re ...

hit "

Finally Finally may refer to: Albums * ''Finally'' (Namie Amuro album) (2017) * ''Finally'' (Blackstreet album) or its title song * ''Finally'' (Sean Ensign album) or its title song "It's My Life (Finally)" * ''Finally'' (Layzie Bone & A.K. album) ...

" in November 2010. A fourth single, "Only a Mother", was issued as a download in March 2011.

''Invasion of Love'' and ''Herd Runners'' (2012–2014)

Simon Aldred spent much of 2012 and 2013 recording his solo album ''Invasion of Love'', released under the name Out Cold in September 2013. Aldred went into the project not wanting to make another guitar-driven album, instead turning towards synthesizers. In an interview with ''

'', he said "The pattern of strumming a guitar felt really flat, I didn't want to make another miserable northern record... The last album, I was plucking quotes from

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

and film noir, so I wanted to give myself a little break. I could have easily made an acoustic troubadour-style album, and I had half that written, but it shouldn't be that easy... 'Invasion' has a negative connotation, but the album is mostly about embracing relationships and love." Aldred and Cherry Ghost recorded their third and final studio album ''

'' in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

with Colin Elliot and Dan Austin. The album was released in May 2014 via Heavenly Recordings and

PIAS Recordings PIAS Recordings (formerly Play It Again Sam) is a Belgian record label founded in 1983 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot. Play It Again Sam expanded along with other European independent labels in the early 1980s. Play It Again Sam's prominent ea ...

. Herd Runners features musical contributions from

The Earlies The Earlies are a band formed by Christian Madden and Giles Hatton from Lancashire, England, and Brandon Carr and John Mark Lapham from the United States. They are notable for blending elements from a wide range of musical genres and have been ...

keyboard player Christian Madden, Pedal Steel Guitar player Scott Poley and Saxophonist Nicky Madden.

Members

* Simon Aldred – Lead vocals, guitar * Jim Rhodes – Guitar * Ben Parsons – Keyboards * Phill Anderson – Bass, synthesizer, cornet * Grenville Harrop – Drums

Discography

Albums

Singles & EPs

Songs Cherry Ghost have covered

* "Junebug" ( Sparklehorse) ''(B-side)'' * "

" (

) ''(B-side)'' * "

Welcome to the Black Parade "Welcome to the Black Parade" is a song from American rock band My Chemical Romance's third studio album, ''The Black Parade'' (2006). It was released on September 12, 2006, as the album's lead single, with the studio version available on the b ...

" (

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist ...

) ''(played live)'' * "

Back to Black ''Back to Black'' is the second and final studio album by English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with then-ex-boyfrien ...

" (

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A membe ...

) ''(played live)'' * "

Under My Thumb "Under My Thumb" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Under My Thumb" features a marimba played by Brian Jones. Although it was never released as a single in English-spea ...

" (

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

) ''(played live)'
link
* "

Pounding Pounding is a ritual in Christianity in which a new Priest#Christianity, priest or minister (Christianity), minister is given gifts by members of the congregation of that church at which he is assigned to preach. The practice can be traced back ...

" (

) ''(played live)'' * " Drive" (

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboard ...

) ''(played live)'' * " Androgynous" ( The Replacements) ''(Played Live on Marc Riley Show)''

Cherry Ghost songs that other artists have covered

* "4AM" (Liam Fray) * "

" ( Birdy) * "My Lover Lies Under" ( Rumer)

Festival appearances

Camden Crawl Camden Crawl was a music festival in Camden, London, which first appeared in 1995 and then was held annually from 2005 to 2014. Overview Rather than a single venue, Camden Crawl operated at multiple venues simultaneously, with different acts tak ...

2007: 19 and 20 April * Glastonbury Festival 2007: Queen's Head stage, 24 June * Glastonbury Festival 2010: Queen's Head Stage, 26 June * Glastonbury Festival 2011: Oxylers In West Stage, 25 June * Oxegen Festival 2007: New Bands/Futures stage * Latitude 2007: Uncut Arena * Summer Sundae 2007: Main stage * Guilfest 2007: Guildford, Stoke Park, July 2007 * iTunes Festival 2007: London, 22 July * V Festival 2007 Weston Park: Virgin Mobile Union stage, 18 August * V Festival 2007 Hylands Park: Virgin Mobile Union stage, 19 August * Dpercussion 2007, Manchester, Main Stage, 4 August * Ben & Jerry's Sundae On The Common 25 July 2010

References

External links

Cherry Ghost's official websiteCherry Ghost's official Facebook PageCherry Ghost's official MySpace page
{{Authority control Musical groups from Greater Manchester Musical groups established in 2006 Musicians from the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton English indie rock groups Ivor Novello Award winners People educated at Canon Slade School Heavenly Recordings artists