Gaz Coombes
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Gaz Coombes (born 8 March 1976) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
. He first entered the music scene aged 14 as the lead singer of the band
The Jennifers Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
which featured Supergrass bandmate
Danny Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for Supergrass. He briefly toured with Babyshambles in 2010, following their drummer's departure. C ...
.


1990–1993: The Jennifers

Coombes first entered the music world at age 14 as the lead singer of the band
The Jennifers Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
. They recorded their demo at Stargoat, Banbury, released April 1991 a month after Gaz turned 15. The band undertook a nationwide tour before Coombes was fifteen. When they signed for their first
recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...
with
Nude Records Nude Records is an independent record label, established in August 1991 in London. The label was set up and operated by Saul Galpern, who had previously worked with artists such as Simply Red, The Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and ...
, Coombes was under 18 at the time and so had to have his mother sign the contract for him. "There were a couple of ridiculous, punky, joke songs – "Harvey The Accountant" and "The Girl with the Removable Face". That one went: "The girl with the removable face/She didn't have much of a life/All the boys used to pull it off/And use it as a
frisbee A frisbee (pronounced ), also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item that is generally made of injection-molded plastic and roughly in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitive ...
." Most of them were in that vein. Actually, we haven't changed much." says Coombes about some Jennifers songs. The Jennifers released "Just Got Back Today" on
Nude Records Nude Records is an independent record label, established in August 1991 in London. The label was set up and operated by Saul Galpern, who had previously worked with artists such as Simply Red, The Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and ...
in 1992 before they disbanded. After the mild success experienced by The Jennifers, but still living with his parents, Coombes got a job at the local Harvester. He would take old Jennifers demos and play them over the restaurant's
PA system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...
before it opened, and this eventually led to him meeting
Mick Quinn Mick Quinn (born 17 December 1969) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He is a permanent member of fellow Oxford band Swervedriver. Career 1984–1993 Mick Quinn s ...
, a co-worker who played bass guitar and shared his musical tastes. With
Danny Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for Supergrass. He briefly toured with Babyshambles in 2010, following their drummer's departure. C ...
they began to practice at Quinn's house, and
Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
was formed shortly thereafter.


1993–2010: Supergrass

In 1993 after The Jennifers disbanded, Coombes, Goffey and Quinn formed Supergrass. In 2002 Coombes's brother keyboardist
Rob Coombes Robert Joseph “Rob” Coombes (born 27 April 1972) is an English musician and keyboard player for Supergrass. He is the older brother of the band's lead singer, Gaz Coombes, and the most recent member to join Supergrass, officially joining i ...
officially joined the band. Before that he was studying for an
Astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
degree at
Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...
. The band released six studio albums in their 17 years together, each of them entering the UK top 20: ''
I Should Coco ''I Should Coco'' is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released on 15 May 1995 by Parlophone. The title of the album is Rhyming slang, cockney rhyming slang for "I should think so". Supergrass were formed in 1 ...
'' (1995), ''
In It for the Money ''In It for the Money'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released in 1997. '' NME'' called it "more fun than watching a wombat in a washing machine" and named it the 10th best album of the year. In 1998, ' ...
'' (1997), ''
Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ( ...
'' (1999), ''
Life on Other Planets ''Life on Other Planets'' is the fourth album by English alternative rock band Supergrass. It is the first album that includes Rob Coombes as an official member of the band, and originally went under the working title of ''Get Lost''. The Amer ...
'' (2002), ''
Road to Rouen ''Road to Rouen'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Supergrass. The album was released in the UK on 15 August 2005 by Parlophone, and in the US on 27 September 2005 by Capitol Records. The title refers to the city in northern France ...
'' (2005) and ''
Diamond Hoo Ha ''Diamond Hoo Ha'' is the sixth and final studio album by British alternative rock band Supergrass, released in the UK on 24 March 2008, and offers a return to punchier Supergrass songs, in comparison to the more mellow ''Road to Rouen'', their ...
'' (2008). They also released a singles compilation ''
Supergrass Is 10 ''Supergrass Is 10'' is a compilation album celebrating the first 10 years of the band Supergrass. It includes singles from their first release, " Caught by the Fuzz" (1994), to their then latest release, " Kiss of Life" (2004). The compilatio ...
'' (2004), commemorating the first decade of the band's life. During the height of Supergrass' fame around 1995, Coombes received offers from ''
Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. It's been in publication since 1964. Name ''Vogue Italia'' was first published as ''N ...
'' and
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...
to model for them in their ad campaigns and magazine publications, as well as an offer from
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
to make a
Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conce ...
-style TV show of the band. Coombes however, along with the rest of the band, declined these offers, saying; "Yes, we probably would have been face down in a
pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky pool ...
if we'd said yes to all that. I mean, our heads would have returned to our shoulders at some point, but... it felt like cheating. Too easy. Short cut. Y'know? If you have to do all that to be the biggest band in the world then... then what does that say about your music? And all that... he publicity offerswould have just got in the way of the music. It would have taken so long to get to grips with. We'd have lost years." In 1999, Coombes made an appearance on the "''
Da Ali G Show ''Da Ali G Show'' is a British Satire, satirical television series created by and starring English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. In the series, Baron Cohen plays three unorthodox journalists: faux-streetwise poseur Ali G, Kazakh reporter Borat Sag ...
''" and played the Supergrass song "
Sun Hits the Sky "Sun Hits the Sky" is a song by English rock band Supergrass. It was the third single from the band's second album ''In It for the Money''. It was released in June 1997 and reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. The B-side, " Some Girls Are ...
", whilst having to deal with
Ali G Alistair Leslie Graham, better known as Ali G, is a satirical fictional character created and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. A faux-streetwise poseur from Staines, Ali G speaks in rude boy-style Multicultural London English a ...
'remixing' it as he performed. "I tried to take the mickey out of his
goatee A goatee is a style of facial hair incorporating hair on one's chin but not the cheeks. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture. Description Until the late 20th century, the term ''goatee'' was used to refer solel ...
, and he came back with: "So, you are looking like a
monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
..." But if you go on his show, you know what you're letting yourself in for." Coombes appeared on ''The Annex'' on 2fm with
Jenny Huston Jenny Huston (born 24 August 1973) is a Canadian presenter of radio and television in Ireland. She was disc jockey on RTÉ 2fm, an occasional presenter on RTÉ Radio 1 and a television presenter with channels operated by Raidió Teilifís Éir ...
alongside Goffey before Supergrass took the stage at
Malahide Castle Malahide Castle ( ga, Caisleán Mhullach Íde), parts of which date to the 12th century, lies close to the village of Malahide, nine miles (14 km) north of central Dublin in Ireland. It has over of remaining parkland estate, forming the ...
in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland to support
Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, back ...
on 16 June 2007. On 12 April 2010 Coombes and the rest of Supergrass announced that the band was to split after seventeen years. Musical differences were cited as the reason. They played four farewell concerts before the split. Their seventh album ''
Release the Drones Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ...
'' remains unfinished and unreleased.


2010–present: Solo career

Coombes announced on 28 October in
The Hotrats The Hotrats (originally the Diamond Hoo Ha Men) were a cover band formed by Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey as a side-project from their main band Supergrass. The band were named after Frank Zappa's album '' Hot Rats''. The duo recorded a set o ...
and Supergrass Facebook page that he was working on his first solo album, recorded at his studio in Oxford with producer Sam Williams, and claimed that the record was on its final stages, planned to release it in 2011. He played most of the instruments on the record. Coombes starred in an advert for the
Toyota Yaris The is a supermini/ subcompact car sold by Toyota since 1999, replacing the Starlet and Tercel. Up to 2019, Toyota had used the Yaris nameplate on export versions of various Japanese-market models, with some markets receiving the same vehicl ...
where he plays himself and encounters a fan who wants a picture with him. The Supergrass single " Pumping on Your Stereo" also appears in the advert. Coombes appeared on and produced the single "Wonderful" by Little Fish, which was released in October 2011. In December 2011, Coombes performed his first solo shows at The Rotunda in Oxford and released his debut solo single "Hot Fruit" on 14 March 2012. His debut album, '' Here Come the Bombs'' was released shortly after and was well received by critics and fans alike. In May 2014, Coombes recorded a cover version of
The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
' song "This Time Tomorrow" for a television advertisement for the UK department store,
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
. The song was subsequently released as a digital single on the Caroline International label. Coombes's second solo album, ''
Matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...
'', was released on 26 January 2015. The album debuted at number 18 in the Official UK Album chart and was also nominated for a
Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
and an Ivor Novello award. On 24 June 2016, Coombes supported
The Last Shadow Puppets The Last Shadow Puppets are an English supergroup consisting of Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Miles Kane ( The Rascals, solo artist), James Ford (Simian, Simian Mobile Disco, music producer), and Zach Dawes ( Mini Mansions). The band releas ...
(featuring
Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, back ...
' front man,
Alex Turner Alexander David Turner (born 6 January 1986) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is well known as the frontman and principal songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has released seven albums. He ...
, and
Miles Kane Miles Peter Kane (born 17 March 1986) is an English musician, best known as a solo artist and the co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets. He was also the former frontman of the Rascals, before the band announced their break-up in August 2009. ...
) at Bristol Summer Series. On 10 January 2018, Coombes announced his third solo album, ''
World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decembe ...
'' would be released in May. The announcement was accompanied by the launch of the single "Deep Pockets".


Personal life

Coombes is the son of Eileen and John Coombes. His father was a
food scientist Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the developmen ...
, who enjoyed playing jazz piano, and his mother was an English teacher. Although he was born in England, he lived with his family in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California, from around the age of 5 up until the age of 9, at which point in 1985 they returned to his birthplace in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. Coombes played classical piano at this age, but gradually moved on to an interest in playing guitar. He began to attend
Wheatley Park School Wheatley Park School (WPS) is a co-educational state secondary school of approximately 1,150 pupils situated in Holton, Oxfordshire, England about east of Oxford. The school has been an academy since May 2014. The school is most notable for ...
in Holton, Oxfordshire, but found himself being picked on for being 'girly'. His elder brother Rob was friends with Nic Goffey at the time, and one day on the school's playing fields a 13-year-old Gaz Coombes met and befriended Nic's younger brother, 15-year-old
Danny Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for Supergrass. He briefly toured with Babyshambles in 2010, following their drummer's departure. C ...
. Danny Goffey was two years older than Coombes and helped to "protect him" from being teased. Goffey recounts what happened; "I mean, you couldn't fucking miss him. He was gorgeous. He grew sideburns and they ther pupilsgave him loads of shit, but I was really into him. I think I fancied him a bit, y'know? He's really beautiful. He wasn't very mature at that age. He was like a kid. I just went up to him and asked him to form a band. I could. I was a drummer. The tallest drummer in the school." Coombes originally lived in a Regency townhouse in
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, East Sussex, which he first purchased in 1999, with his partner Joules Poore and their daughter, Raya May (born 2003). Due to the death of his mother, Eileen, in 2005, he felt compelled to move back into her house in
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
during 2006, where he had grown up. Coombes and his partner now have a second daughter, named Tiger (b. 17 May 2008). Gaz Coombes and his brothers
Rob Coombes Robert Joseph “Rob” Coombes (born 27 April 1972) is an English musician and keyboard player for Supergrass. He is the older brother of the band's lead singer, Gaz Coombes, and the most recent member to join Supergrass, officially joining i ...
,
Charly Coombes Charly Coombes (born 27 December 1980 in Mountain View, California) is an American-born English singer/songwriter, musician and filmmaker. Career In 2004 Charly joined Sleaford band 22-20s, who had recently re-located to Oxford, as keyboard pl ...
and Eddie Coombes also jointly own 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.Allen G. ...
in Northern France, which is where the Supergrass album ''
Road to Rouen ''Road to Rouen'' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Supergrass. The album was released in the UK on 15 August 2005 by Parlophone, and in the US on 27 September 2005 by Capitol Records. The title refers to the city in northern France ...
'' was recorded. His three siblings are all involved in music: the eldest is the keyboardist and fellow Supergrass member Rob, former 22-20s keyboardist
Charly ''Charly'' (marketed and stylized as ''CHAЯLY'') is a 1968 American drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on ''Flowers for Algernon'', a science-fiction short story (1958) and subseque ...
and Paris-based Ed (who also plays piano). He is a
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
fan, and has appeared on the club's TV channel, MUTV.


Solo discography


Albums


EPs


Singles


See also

* Supergrass discography


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coombes, Gaz 1976 births Living people Britpop musicians English expatriates in the United States English male guitarists English male singer-songwriters English rock guitarists Music in Oxford musicians from Oxford Supergrass members