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Startled Insects, later known as The Insects, are an instrumental English pop-jazz band.


History

Startled Insects began around 1983 in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, England, as a collective of three producers/multi-instrumentalists, Tim Norfolk, Bob Locke and Richard Grassby-Lewis. Little information has ever been published about the band – the participants' names did not appear on any of the album sleeves, nor were any pictures ever published. Nevertheless, the band managed to generate considerable excitement with their first self-published EP and single, enough that Island Records signed them to their new Antilles New Directions label. Their first album for Island, ''Curse of the Pheromones'' (1987), was an underground hit, and the group performed several well-received multi-media tours using film-makers drawn from various backgrounds, such as Frank Passingham, Dave Borthwick, with whom they later produced the sound-track to ''The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb'' and Dave Alex Riddett also of Aardman Animations, as well as Richard Kwietniowsi who later directed ''Love and Death on Long Island''. In 1990, they were commissioned by the
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 exam. ...
...
to score a ground-breaking 90-minute documentary entitled ''Lifepulse – a Natural Thriller'', which attempted to tell the story of evolution on Earth using nothing but BBC Wildlife footage and music. In 1995, they provided the score for another BBC documentary, ''
The Private Life of Plants ''The Private Life of Plants'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first shown in the United Kingdom from 11 January 1995. A study of the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants, it was ...
''. In 1996, Richard Grassby-Lewis officially left the group. Tim Norfolk and Bob Locke continued on as simply The Insects (dropping "Startled"). In addition to production duties for various artists they started co-writing for Bristol bands such as
Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was releas ...
, for whom they wrote two hit songs for their ''
Protection Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
'' album – "Karma Coma" and "Euro Child." They co-wrote and arranged "The Hunter Gets Captured by The Game" as featured on the ''
Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' (on-screen title is simply ''Forever'') is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment o ...
''
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
and "I Want You" for Madonna's ''
Something to Remember ''Something to Remember'' is a compilation album by American singer Madonna, released by Maverick Records on November 3, 1995. The album was conceived after a highly controversial period in Madonna's career, during which many critics speculated ...
''. Meanwhile, Richard Grassby-Lewis has also continued production duties for artists such as
Najma Akhtar Najma Akhtar also known as Najma (born 18 September 1962) is a British singer of Indian ancestry. She was born in Chelmsford, England. She is noted for jazz modification of the traditional Urdu Indian ghazal (love songs and spiritual songs). ...
as well as TV and film scoring work. The Insects began to receive commissions to write music for other documentary specials, including several National Geographic Specials. One of these, ''Life at the Edge'', won them the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for Best Score. By 1997, The Insects had written music for several documentaries, an animated feature film (''
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb ''The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb'' is a 1993 British independent stop-motion/pixilation adult animated science-fantasy dystopian adventure horror film directed, written, shot and edited by Dave Borthwick, produced by bolexbrothers studio a ...
''), many commercials, two CD-ROMs and a feature film, ''
Love and Death on Long Island ''Love and Death on Long Island'' is a 1997 British-Canadian film directed by Richard Kwietniowski and starring Jason Priestley, John Hurt, Fiona Loewi, Sheila Hancock and Anne Reid. The storyline of obsession somewhat resembles that of ''Death ...
'', starring
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
and
Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian actor and television director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000), as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick in t ...
. They also wrote music for Aardman Animations' ''
Angry Kid ''Angry Kid'' is a British live-action/ stop-motion adult animated comedy web series created, directed, written, and designed by Darren Walsh (who also provides the voice of the title character) and produced by Aardman Animations for Series 1 ...
''. More recently they have written scores for '' XX/XY'' (starring
Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor and producer best known for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in the television series '' She-Hulk: Attorne ...
), a 2nd Richard Kwietniowski film
Owning Mahowny ''Owning Mahowny'' is a 2003 Canadian film about gambling addiction with a cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt. Based on the true story of a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 mil ...
(featuring
Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...
and
Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's '' Circle of Friends''. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic '' Grosse ...
), and the 2016 BBC TV series '' The Living and the Dead''. They have also received critical acclaim for the work on the ITV series ''
Wire in the Blood ''Wire in the Blood'' is a British crime drama television series, created and produced by Coastal Productions for Tyne Tees Television and broadcast on ITV from 14 November 2002 to 31 October 2008. The series is based on characters created by ...
'', now in its sixth season, and scored
Alex Garland Alexander Medawar Garland (born 26 May 1970) is an English writer and filmmaker. He rose to prominence as a novelist in the late 1990s with his novel '' The Beach'', which led some critics to call Garland a key voice of Generation X. He subsequ ...
's 2020 miniseries ''
Devs ''Devs'' is an American science fiction thriller television miniseries created, written, and directed by Alex Garland. It premiered on March 5, 2020, on FX on Hulu. Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) is a software engineer for Amaya, a quantum computing ...
''. As well as film and TV work, The Insects continue to write and produce for other artists. They have produced Alison Moyet's gold-selling album, '' Hometime''. Other assignments include the 2000 track "
Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
" as featured on
Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
's debut album ''
Felt Mountain ''Felt Mountain'' is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp. It was released on 11 September 2000 by Mute Records. The album takes influence from a variety of music styles such as 1960s Pop music, pop, cabaret, Folk mus ...
''. Most recent projects include a collaboration with Sean Cook (formerly of Spiritualized and Lupine Howl) called The Flies (Their album, ''All Too Human'' was released in 2007) and ± The Mother Beef, an experimental dirty garage rock n' roll band founded in Bristol 2010/2011.


Discography


Startled Insects

* ''Startled Insects'' (a.k.a. ''Overzoom'') (12" EP, Antenna, 1984) * ''Underworld''/''Black Spring'' (12" single, Antenna, 1985) * ''Curse of the Pheromones'' (Island/Antilles, 1987) * ''Lifepulse'' (Island Records, 1991) * ''
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb ''The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb'' is a 1993 British independent stop-motion/pixilation adult animated science-fantasy dystopian adventure horror film directed, written, shot and edited by Dave Borthwick, produced by bolexbrothers studio a ...
(Soundtrack)'' (BBC, 1993) * ''Skin'' (with Biggie Tembo† of The
Bhundu Boys The Bhundu Boys were a Zimbabwean band that played a mixture of chimurenga music with American rock and roll, disco, country, and pop influences. Their style became known as jit, and is quite popular across Africa, with some international success ...
) (Island, 1994) * ''The Mini-LPs'' (''Startled Insects'' + "Underworld"/"Black Spring" + bonus tracks, 2ndSight, 1998)


The Insects (partial list)

* ''
Love and Death on Long Island ''Love and Death on Long Island'' is a 1997 British-Canadian film directed by Richard Kwietniowski and starring Jason Priestley, John Hurt, Fiona Loewi, Sheila Hancock and Anne Reid. The storyline of obsession somewhat resembles that of ''Death ...
(Soundtrack)'' (with Richard Grassby-Lewis and
Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various ...
, OceanDeep, 1998) * ''Wild Indonesia (Soundtrack)'' (with Richard Grassby-Lewis, 2ndSight, 1999) * ''
Angry Kid ''Angry Kid'' is a British live-action/ stop-motion adult animated comedy web series created, directed, written, and designed by Darren Walsh (who also provides the voice of the title character) and produced by Aardman Animations for Series 1 ...
(Soundtrack)'' (
Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited (also known as Aardman Studios, simply Aardman or Aardman Animation and stylised as AARDMAN as of 2022) is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England. It is known for films made using stop-motion and clay ani ...
, 2000) * ''
Owning Mahowny ''Owning Mahowny'' is a 2003 Canadian film about gambling addiction with a cast that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin and John Hurt. Based on the true story of a Toronto bank employee who embezzled more than $10 mil ...
(Soundtrack)'' (with Richard Grassby-Lewis and
Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various ...
, 2ndSight, 2003) * ''Flames of Passion (Soundtrack)'' (with Richard Grassby-Lewis, 2ndSight, 2003) * ''Music from The Film XX/XY'' (Thrive, 2003) * '' Monsters We Met (Soundtrack)'' (BBC, 2004) * '' Seconds From Disaster (Soundtrack)'' (National Geographic, 2006) * ''
Wire in the Blood ''Wire in the Blood'' is a British crime drama television series, created and produced by Coastal Productions for Tyne Tees Television and broadcast on ITV from 14 November 2002 to 31 October 2008. The series is based on characters created by ...
(Soundtrack)'' (Coastal, 2008) * ''
A Place of Execution ''A Place of Execution'' is a crime novel by Val McDermid, first published in 1999. The novel won the ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize, the 2001 Dilys Award, was shortlisted for both the Gold Dagger and the Edgar Award, and was chosen by ''The ...
(Soundtrack)'' (Coastal, 2008) * '' 44 Inch Chest (Soundtrack)'' (Momentum, 2009) * '' Everest: Beyond the Limit (Soundtrack)'' (Discovery, 2010) * ''
Death Comes to Pemberley (TV series) ''Death Comes to Pemberley'' is a three-part British television drama based on the best-selling 2011 P.D. James novel of the same name. Her murder mystery was based on the style and characters of Jane Austen's 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice. ...
(Soundtrack)'' (BBC, 2013) * ''Atlantic Heart (Soundtrack)'' (2015) * ''
The Living and the Dead (TV series) ''The Living and the Dead'' is a British six-episode supernatural horror television series created by Ashley Pharoah. The plot revolves around Nathan Appleby (played by Colin Morgan) and his wife, Charlotte Appleby (played by Charlotte Spencer) ...
(Soundtrack)'', self-issued, 2016) * ''Becoming
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
(Soundtrack)'' (Yuzu, 2016) * ''
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
: Earth's Hidden Wilderness (Soundtrack)'' (BBC, 2018) * '' Fabienne Verdier: Moving with the World (Soundtrack)'' (2018) * '' Hanna (TV series) (Soundtrack)'' (with
Ben Salisbury Ben Salisbury (born 1970) is a British composer, particularly known for his work in film and television. He has also worked as a co-writer, arranger and musician with a number of bands. He studied music at Newcastle University and Bournemouth U ...
,
Geoff Barrow Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films. Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the s ...
& Yann McCullough, Invada &
Lakeshore Entertainment Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...
, 2019) * ''
Devs ''Devs'' is an American science fiction thriller television miniseries created, written, and directed by Alex Garland. It premiered on March 5, 2020, on FX on Hulu. Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) is a software engineer for Amaya, a quantum computing ...
(Soundtrack)'' (with
Ben Salisbury Ben Salisbury (born 1970) is a British composer, particularly known for his work in film and television. He has also worked as a co-writer, arranger and musician with a number of bands. He studied music at Newcastle University and Bournemouth U ...
&
Geoff Barrow Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films. Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the s ...
, Invada &
Lakeshore Entertainment Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...
, 2020)


Richard Grassby-Lewis

* ''Music from
The Private Life of Plants ''The Private Life of Plants'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first shown in the United Kingdom from 11 January 1995. A study of the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants, it was ...
'' (2ndSight, 1995) * ''Dramas of the Natural World'' (library music, Atmospheres, 1995) * ''Borneo - Island in the Clouds (Soundtrack)'' (1998) * ''Vivid'' (with
Najma Akhtar Najma Akhtar also known as Najma (born 18 September 1962) is a British singer of Indian ancestry. She was born in Chelmsford, England. She is noted for jazz modification of the traditional Urdu Indian ghazal (love songs and spiritual songs). ...
, Mondo Melodia, 2002) * ''dark:light'' (with Mark Anderson, 2ndSight, 2007) * ''Best of the Rest of RGL'' (2ndSight, 2013)


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control English new wave musical groups Experimental musical groups Musical groups from Bristol