The Crocketts were a British-Irish
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 ...
band from
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 ...
. 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 were signed to
Blue Dog Records
Blue Dog Records was an independent London record label located in offices above the original Barfly Club (The Falcon, Camden). Started in 1997 by Nick Moore and Jeremy Ledlin it was licensed and distributed by Richard Branson’s V2 Record ...
and released two studio albums: ''
We May Be Skinny & Wirey'' in 1998 and ''
The Great Brain Robbery'' in 2000. After the band split up in 2002, MacManus and Hopkin went on to form
the Crimea.
History
1996–1999: Formation and debut album
The Crocketts formed in late 1996 while band members Davey MacManus, Daniel Harris, Richard Carter and Owen Hopkin were attending
Aberystwyth University
, mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all
, established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'')
, former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth
, type = Public
, endowment = ...
.
An early lineup of the band known as the Crocketts 20th Century Vikings, featuring second vocalist Hannah Fowler and Graham Salisbury in place of Hopkin, released an EP in 1996 entitled ''
Frog on a Stick''. Shortly after forming the band, each member also created a nickname by which to be credited: MacManus used "Davey Crockett" (the inspiration for the band's moniker), Harris used "Dan Boone", Carter used "Rich Turpin/Wurzel" and Hopkin used "Owen Cash".
After finishing university, the group signed with
Blue Dog Records
Blue Dog Records was an independent London record label located in offices above the original Barfly Club (The Falcon, Camden). Started in 1997 by Nick Moore and Jeremy Ledlin it was licensed and distributed by Richard Branson’s V2 Record ...
(a sub-label of
V2 Records
V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...
) and released their debut EP ''
Hello & Good Morning'' in September 1997.
The song "Stunner" from the EP received airplay on the animated TV series ''
Daria
''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, ...
'',
while "Will You Still Care" was named by ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' as their "Song of the Week" during 1997.
The rest of the year was spent touring and recording.
On 9 March 1998, the band released the first
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
from their upcoming debut album, "Loved Ya Once",
which registered 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 number 181.
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 ...
peak positions for The Crocketts singles:
*"Loved Ya Once" and "Flower Girl":
*All other singles: This was followed on 11 May by "Flower Girl",
which peaked at number 185 on the chart.
The band toured England through April and May,
before releasing their debut full-length album ''
We May Be Skinny & Wirey'' on 14 September 1998.
The album, produced by
David M. Allen, was generally well received by critics; a review in music magazine ''
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 ...
'' praised the album for its "hard and curdle folk melodies with Davey
acManuss splendidly Americanised primal howl and an intriguing array of influences". "Explain" was released as the final single from ''We May Be Skinny & Wirey'' on 26 October,
although it failed to register on the UK Singles Chart.
1999–2001: ''The Great Brain Robbery''
Returning to the studio in 1999, the Crocketts released their fourth single "
James Dean-esque" on 10 May 1999.
''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' awarded the single its maximum rating of five Ks, describing it as "classy punk 'n' roll". The track became the band's first to reach the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 87.
On 25 October, the group released their second EP ''
Nintendo Fallacy'', promoting it on tour throughout October and November.
Between late March and early April 2000, the band completed a four-night
residency
Residency may refer to:
* Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place
** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship
* Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...
at
the Kashmir Klub
The Kashmir Klub was a non-profit making, live music club that operated in central London, England between 1997 and 2003. It was located at 6 Nottingham Place, in the basement of a restaurant and bar called "Fabrizio" at the "Baker and Oven".
Th ...
in London, the final date of which saw the release of their next single "
Host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
* Michel Host ...
".
The track reached number 82 in the UK.
The residency included a number of themed nights, including activities such as "Crockaoke" and a quiz night, which Hopkin explained was done to attract people from the music industry.
The group's second album ''
The Great Brain Robbery'' was released two weeks after "Host".
It received praise from publications including ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' and ''Welsh Bands Weekly'', who called it "eclectic, moving and passionate" and "fucking amazing", respectively. However, it also drew criticism from ''
Melody Maker
''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', who dubbed it a "crock of shit", and 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 ...
'', who described it as "embarrassing". Speaking to ''Welsh Bands Weekly'' about the ''Melody Maker'' review, MacManus claimed that writer Daniel Booth was "famous for picking on a band and attacking them ... he just picked us", and that bad reviews did not affect the band as "everyone gets bad reviews". After performing on a ''Kerrang!'' sponsored tour through May and June, the Crocketts released the second single from ''The Great Brain Robbery'', "
On Something", on 3 July 2000.
In their review, ''Kerrang!'' praised the song's "poetic verses" and "crashing crescendo of a chorus", claiming that it "could well be the single that gets them started
n the charts. However, it only managed to reach number 90.
The Crocketts returned to touring in September on the Nuke Ibitha Tour and released "
1939 Returning/Chicken vs. Macho" on 16 October.
The double A-side reached number 94 on the UK Singles Chart.
The group faced controversy at the end of the year, as frontman MacManus was at the centre of an investigation into a bottling incident at a London club on 12 December 2000 which left a man with cuts to his face, after a row said to have started due to the victim's negative remarks about the band. The band recorded and toured throughout early to mid 2001, including a support slot at a pair of
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 ...
stadium shows in July.
2001–2002: Breakup and The Crimea
![TheCrimeaband](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/TheCrimeaband.jpg)
In late 2001, V2 Records dropped 23 of their 60 acts, including The Crocketts, leaving the band without a label.
Hopkin filled in for Stereophonics drummer
Stuart Cable
Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.
Early life
Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 1 ...
on the band's tour of Japan in January 2002, after Cable returned home to Wales due to "family reasons", and in March the group lost Carter, who decided to leave.
The remaining three members later recorded an EP under the name Klutzville,
before Harris also left in May and the band officially broke up.
At the time of their breakup, The Crocketts had been recording material for a planned third album, but the departure of Harris was described as a "tragic and unforeseen blow" which signalled the end of the band.
Shortly after the breakup of The Crocketts, MacManus and Hopkin returned with a new band,
The Crimea, and recorded their first album quickly. In a letter sent to the press, the band proclaimed that "The beast with two backs is back ... If The Crocketts were four cavemen banging stones together, this is the sound of four
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
s banging
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
". The group were signed to
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, and released three studio albums before disbanding in 2013.
Band members
*Davey "Crockett" MacManus – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
*Daniel "Dan Boone" Harris – lead guitar, backing vocals
*Richard "Rich Turpin/Wurzel" Carter – bass, backing vocals
*Owen "Cash" Hopkin – drums
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
References
External links
Unofficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crocketts
Welsh rock music groups
Musical groups from Aberystwyth
Musical groups established in 1996
Welsh indie rock groups
1996 establishments in Wales