Starclub was an early 1990s

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from England, consisting of Owen Vyse (

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

, guitar,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

), Steve French (guitar, backing vocals), Julian Taylor (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, backing vocals) and Alan White (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion).

History

Vyse, French and Taylor grew up playing music together in Maidstone in Kent, and were known then as the Shoes. They were heavily influenced by the Beatles and formed a quartet with Alan Ware on drums. The highlight of this early incarnation, while the members attended

Oakwood Park Grammar School Oakwood Park Grammar School is a boys grammar school with academy status located in Maidstone, United Kingdom. The school is co-educational in the sixth form (years 12 and 13). The school takes boys at the age of 11 and over by examination (11 ...

and Maidstone Grammar School, was playing to a sellout crowd at the local

Hazlitt Theatre The Hazlitt Theatre is the main theatre in Maidstone, Kent. It was named after William Hazlitt, the famous essayist, who was born in Maidstone in 1778. It opened in 1955. It presents a varied programme of professional drama, comedy, music etc. as ...

. The Shoes continued to play gigs, mainly in London, until

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

offered them a deal. Their new name referenced the famous Star-Club venue in Hamburg, which had been synonymous with the Beatles. Starclub's eponymous 1993 album, produced by Chris Hughes ( Tears for Fears, Adam and the Ants), was recorded with several different drummers, but Alan White was recruited as a full-time member and toured with the band that year. Georgie Fame guested on the tracks "Forever" and "The Question". The single "Hard to Get" was a radio hit in the United States, reaching No. 10 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. The album received several positive reviews. In March 1993, '' Washington Post'' critic Mike Joyce said, ""Britain's Starclub has a similarly expansive view of the pop-rock world, though it is not nearly as fond of Top 40 novelties. Vibrant guitars, sweeping harmonies and an occasional funk groove are more to its liking. Because lead singer Owen Vyse sounds a lot like

Paul Rodgers Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...

, comparisons with the British bands

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

and Bad Company are inevitable, but Starclub's new self-titled album (on Island) is eclectic enough to make the reference moot". The band were unexpectedly dropped by Island and split in 1994.

Later projects

Soon after Starclub ended, Vyse and White formed the band Paint with Julian Taylor; White was replaced by Tam Johnstone when he left to join

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

. Paint recorded for the Sacred label, but distributor Sony pulled the single before its release for unknown reasons. Vyse also played with Echo & the Bunnymen, and wrote and recorded with other artists for film and TV, including the movies '' The Crush'' (1993) and '' Still Crazy'' (1998) as well as the Channel 4 series '' The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star'' (1998). White played with Oasis from 1995 through 2004, performing on four studio albums, two compilation albums and one live album during his tenure with the band. White has since been inactive save for a 2008 live performance as guest drummer for Trio Valore, his brother Steve White's band. French and Gin Blossoms vocalist Robin Wilson released an album in 2006 as

the Longshadows The Longshadows were a musical collaboration between Gin Blossoms Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label ...

. Taylor was a member of Rialto throughout that band's 1997-2000 duration.

Members

*Owen Vyse –

, guitar,

*Steve French – guitar, backing vocals *Julian Taylor –

, backing vocals * Alan White –

, percussion

Discography

Studio albums

*''Starclub'' (1993,

)

Singles

*"Let Your Hair Down" (1992, Island) *"Hard to Get" (1993, Island)

References

External links

* Starclub profile on AllMusic.com* Starclub album review on AllMusic.com {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 English rock music groups English alternative rock groups 1991 establishments in England 1994 disestablishments in England