- Source: A Band
- Source: A band
- Source: A (band)
The A Band are a British musical collective formed in Nottingham in the late 1980s. In 2005, The Wire compared the band's importance to that of AMM and SME, and noted their lack of musical training.
The line-up of the group has never been fixed. New members are always invited to join the band.
History
Some of the early A Band members had previously recorded material in the 1980s as Well Crucial, a group scattered across the UK and, in some cases, collaborating by post. A core of members was based in Kettering, Northamptonshire around Neil Campbell, Stewart Keith and Stream Angel, with other contributions by Richard Youngs. However, by 1990 these members had moved to Nottingham and the focus shifted there, with Well Crucial effectively ceasing to be.
The A Band itself was founded at the behest of saxophonist Vince Earimal, who required a backing band, and the unit quickly became an ever-changing, freeform improvisation unit, able to play without Earimal, who, despite eventually never performing with the band, is credited with their formation. Youngs joined upon moving to Nottingham and he recalled in The Wire that Jim Plaistow and Campbell were the only constantly present members. They could number up to 18 on any given occasion. The original collective came to a halt around 1994.
The group never performed under the name A Band or any obvious permutation thereof (they are occasionally listed as The A-Band). Instead, the group used a different name for each performance, all of which began with the letter "a". These included Anusol, Arachnid, Arse-over-tit, Awkward, Anaglypta, Artex, AC/DC, Ack Ack, Anglegrinder and Advent, the latter in commemoration of the then-recently released Richard Youngs LP - in fact, it was at this show that Youngs' spoken word record 171 Used Train Tickets (released 2003) was recorded. However, the releases were almost always credited to "A Band" and these included several cassette releases, an LP on Siltbreeze and a 7" single. Some archive recordings later saw daylight; a CD of recordings from 1991 was issued in 1997 and live activity, also from 1991, was given a vinyl release in 2003, the material being edited by Youngs with artwork from Campbell and Plaistow. Much of the interest in the band that followed the initial releases came more from the United States than Great Britain, but this was insufficient to keep the band going, and the various members pursued music in smaller groups, or solo.
= Reformation
=In April 2007 the A Band remorphed,
and performed at the 4th Festival Of Improvised Music at the Pyramid in Warrington, which took place on 16 June. Billed as "Afterclap", the line up included Stewart Keith, Neil Campbell, Dr Lent, Dave Higginson (of "Who is Dave Higginson?" fame), Stocky Fister, Gardyloo SPeW, Jon Lander, Andrea Fletcher, Megan Fletcher-Cutts, Stanley Bad, Pascal Nichols and Joincey.
The next performance, as "American Evil" (an anagram of "Vince Earimal"), was on 19 August in Shoreditch, London. On this occasion Stewart Keith and Gardyloo SPeW were joined by new A Banders John Aziz, Martin Bizarro, Zoe Darling, Philip Julian, Simon Murphy, Phil Todd (of Ashtray Navigations) and Karl Waugh.
Since this they have performed over 150 times across the UK, and recruited more than 80 new members, including Richard Forrester, Richard Spencer, Richard Attridge, and two Richard Thomases.
In April 2011, Gardyloo SPeW convened an A Band performance for the first time in Sydney, Australia. The lineup consisted of Gardyloo SPeW on sax, vocals and theremin with a cast of local musicians from the city's experimental hub The Bird's Robe Collective.
A film documenting the genesis and growth of the A Band was filmed by Tim Barker in 2006, but has yet to be edited.
A second film documenting the band's current activities is being planned.
Discography
This listing may be incomplete - there are probably other releases extant.
Anusol - cassette (self-released, a compilation of the earliest live recordings, given away at the Anusol performance, limited to 10 copies, 1990).
Untitled - 7" single (Any Old Records, recorded and released 1991)
Anusol - cassette (Chocolate Monk recorded 1990, released 1992 - this is a recording of the performance listed above rather than a reissue of the previous tape)
Zene/Salivating Regina 7" (Baby Huey BABY-007, US, 1992)
Artex / A Lot - LP (Siltbreeze SB018 LP, US, 1993, rec. 1990 and 1991)
April Twelfth Nineteen-NinetyTwo cassette of studio recordings (self-released, recorded on the titular date)
Alarms - C46 cassette (self-released, 1993)
Live @ 7th Annual Neil Young Convention - cassette (Union Pole, c.1996, recorded July 1994)
A Band - CD (self-released, issued by Plaistow and Campbell, recorded 1991, released 1997)
Live In Greece 1992 - cassette (Kyp Highbury Records, recorded 1992, released 1999)
A Band - LP (Qbico 12, LP, Italy, 2003, rec. 1991)
TV Set From Winter - CDR (Qbico, recorded 1991, issued 2003, only available with the first 26 copies of the above LP on the same label)
Afterclap - DVD (Any Old Records 2008)
Avacado - CDR (Partially Sane Records 2009 - limited edition of 50)
An Ole Crab/ Andrew Lloyd Webber - Double CD (Live from 1993 - Apollolaan Records 2009)
Autograph - CDR (Partially Sane Records 2009 - limited edition of 50)
Amphibian - CDR (Bug Incision (Canada) 2010, studio sessions from 2009, edition of 119 - www.bugincision.com)
Abstruse - 3" (Sonic Oyster Records (Scotland) 2011 from a 2010 live recording)
20 Greatest Hits Volume One - The 90s - double CD (Must Die records 2012)
Away In A Manger - CDR (Any Old Records 2013, Christmas album limited to 50 copies)
Aurora (A Very A Band Xmas 2015 Triple Album) - digital release (Bandcamp, recorded at New River Studio on 8 October 2015, featuring Phillip Raymond Goodman, Stewart Keith, Tiger Gnome, Stanley Bad, Zoe Plumb, Steve PAsTA, Lara Pearl, Tim Drage, and Zali phoning in his appearance; resulted in well over four hours of recording, released 23 December 2015).
Adlawng Natawhan (Merry Keithmas) - digital release (Bandcamp, composed of the non-Christmas tracks from the 'Aurora (A Very A Band Xmas 2015 Triple Album)' session, released 8 October 2016).
Compilations, etc.:
Vince Taylor Is Dead - on compilation CD Church Of The Subgenius (recorded 1991, released 1992)
Martian Love Call - on compilation CD The Arbitrary Nature Of Meaning, credit reads Simon Wickham-Smith & A Band (Isomorphic, 1994)
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... (exclusive Wire unraveling tape edit) - on compilation CD Tapper 23 (The Wire 2010, limited edition of 20,000 copies)
TV Sets From Winter - on compilation CD (Must Die Records 2012)
DVD sets:
Archive - 6 disc set compiled by Klair Films & documenting 17 live sets and 2 studio sessions from 1991 to 2010 (Any Old Records 2010)
A Bit Partial - 2 DVDs, 2 CDRs, and 2 cassettes documenting 13 live sets and 2 studio sessions from 2010 to 2014 (Any Old Records 2014)
References
External links
Myspace page, run by regular member Stewart Keith
YouTube page
The A Band's website
A Band photo group on Flickr
A band may refer to:
A band (NATO), a range of radio frequencies
A-band, an absorption band for molecular oxygen
A Band, a musical improvisation group, originally from Nottingham, England
A band (anatomy), the anisotropic band in sarcomeres
A (band), a rock band from Suffolk, England
A band, a group of musicians
See also
A (disambiguation)
A are a British alternative rock band from Suffolk, England, which formed in 1993. They have released 4 studio and 2 live albums, including their debut How Ace Are Buildings and the UK top 20 album Hi-Fi Serious. Single releases have also achieved chart success, with one UK top 10, four UK top 40 and seven UK top 100 singles.
Shortly after releasing their fourth album, Teen Dance Ordinance, in 2005, the band briefly split. In 2007 'A' reunited for a one-off gig, and have been touring sporadically ever since including playing the main stage at Download Pilot on June 19, 2021. They have not released any further albums since 2005.
History
= Formation, How Ace Are Buildings and A vs. Monkey Kong (1993–2000)
=The band began in Suffolk in the mid 80s as Grand Designs, named after the song by Rush. The founder members were twins Jason and Adam Perry and their friend Mark Chapman, with bassist Stevie Swindon and the twins' younger brother Giles Perry. They cited Rush, the Beach Boys, Van Halen and the Beastie Boys among their influences.
After changing their name to A in 1993, and abandoning their early progressive rock-inspired sound for a more punk rock style, they signed a European recording contract with Warner Bros. Records UK in 1996 and released their debut LP How Ace Are Buildings in 1997. Also in 1997, the band briefly appeared in the music video for "Anthem" by the Wildhearts. A found a healthy underground reception and even had a couple of low-charting singles in the UK.
Although A achieved some recognition with How Ace Are Buildings, bassist Stevie Swindon left the band. He was replaced in 1997 by bassist and future BBC Radio 1 Rock Show DJ Daniel P Carter. Swindon went on to establish the award-winning community arts charity, TAPE Community Music and Film in 2008.
A licensing agreement for the American music market was reached with the North Carolina-based Mammoth Records. Future releases would be distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Mammoth.
A's second album A vs. Monkey Kong followed in 1999. The band then toured the world and enjoyed a small degree of success worldwide, especially in Germany. They released a live album, Exit Stage Right in 2000.
= Hi-Fi Serious and commercial success (2002)
=Hi-Fi Serious was their third album, released in 2002 and is certified Silver in the UK having sold over 60,000 copies. It was preceded by their biggest single "Nothing", which became the band's first and only top ten hit when it reached number 9 in the UK singles chart. "Nothing" was followed by top 20 hit "Starbucks", named after the coffee chain.
The tour following Hi-Fi Serious saw the band playing their largest venues to date, headlining the 5,000 capacity Brixton Academy as part of their Inner-City Sumo Tour. At the end of the year they won the Kerrang! award for Best British Band.
In 2004, their single "Nothing" appeared on Beyblade's Let It Rip! official soundtrack. In 2007, "Something's Going On" and "The Distance" appeared on the Surf's Up video game soundtrack.
= Teen Dance Ordinance and hiatus (2005)
=A released their fourth album, Teen Dance Ordinance (TDO), on 27 June 2005. The album had been recorded two years earlier, but was heavily delayed due to Jason Perry's illness and disputes with the record company. It featured a more straight rock sound and displayed an almost complete absence of the keyboards and sampling that marked the early sound of the band. Unlike their last two albums, Teen Dance Ordinance was not released in the US. Hollywood Records agreed early on to release it in the US, but ultimately did not.
Following the release of Teen Dance Ordinance in 2005, the band worked on other projects. Jason Perry spent time writing, recording, and touring with Matt Willis, formerly of Busted, and has now become a Grammy award winning producer, working with the likes of the Blackout, Kids in Glass Houses, and McFly. Adam Perry and Daniel P Carter briefly became full-time members of the Bloodhound Gang: Perry replaced drummer Willie the New Guy in 2005, and Carter replaced guitarist Lupus Thunder in 2009.
Carter continued writing material with Jason Perry and artists such as McFly, and has hosted BBC Radio 1's Rock Show since 25 September 2006.
Mark Chapman went into teaching, and has played in the bands Malpractice, alongside drum'n'bass producer Adam F, and 'MiLLS,' fronted by former Cable drummer Richie Mills. Giles Perry went on work for the BBC, and has also produced videos for Hundred Reasons and Biffy Clyro.
= Reunion (2007–2008)
=In August 2008, Adam Perry revealed six tour dates supporting the Wildhearts on the band's forum, noting that: "This is going to be wicked and we are grateful to the Wildhearts for dragging us from our retirement! Plus there are now big plans afoot to start the new record for next year."
Bassist Daniel P Carter did not return to the band, however, and John Mitchell, front man of It Bites and producer of bands including Enter Shikari and Funeral for a Friend, filled in for the tour.
= Later work (2009 – 2022)
='A' played a 10-date UK tour in December 2009, supported by This City. On 13 May 2010, Bowling For Soup singer Jaret Reddick announced 'A' as support band for their Autumn tour. 'A' then announced on their own Twitter on 26 May 2010 that Daniel P. Carter would be returning to the band for this tour. Later that year, Perry and Carter were credited as co-writers of the Subways song "I Wanna Dance With You" from the album Money & Celebrity.
'A' played a one-off show at the Kasbah nightclub in Coventry on 1 December 2012. In June 2015, they played warm-up concerts in St Albans and Royal Tunbridge Wells before headlining the 4th stage at that year's Download Festival. Andrew "Shay" Sheehy, formerly of Kids in Glass Houses, filled in on bass guitar for these shows.
In February 2018, 'A' embarked on an 8 date UK tour in support of Hell Is for Heroes, joined briefly by McFly bassist Dougie Poynter. and an appearance at Download Festival. In November 2018, the band went on a 9 date tour playing the album Hi-Fi Serious in full, with support from Wheatus and InMe followed by another UK headline tour and appearances at 2000trees and Camden Rocks in summer 2019.
In November 2019, 'A' band played eight dates in the UK to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album A vs. Monkey Kong. The band were joined by Tim HB, formally of Architects (British band) who stepped in on bass guitar for the tour. Support was provided by '68.
During 2021, 'A' performed on the main stage at the Download Festival Pilot event and the rescheduled Slam Dunk Festival.
In April 2022, the band played a warm-up show in Dover before heading out around the UK on 11 dates as main support for Reef.
= Make 'A' Great Again (2023 – present)
=In 2023, there were rumors of new 'A' material, and during July 2023 social media posts from the individual members began to appear showing the band working on new material in the studio.
Members
Current members
Jason Perry – lead vocals (1993–2005, 2008–present)
Adam Perry – drums (1993–2005, 2008–present)
Giles Perry – keyboards, backing vocals (1993–2005, 2008–present)
Mark Chapman – guitar (1993–2005, 2008–present)
Richard Trigg – bass guitar (2023–present)
Former members
Steve Swindon – bass guitar (1993–1997)
Daniel P. Carter – bass guitar, backing vocals (1997–2005, 2010–2012)
Discography
How Ace Are Buildings (1997)
A vs. Monkey Kong (1999)
Hi-Fi Serious (2002)
Teen Dance Ordinance (2005)
References
External links
Official website
A discography at MusicBrainz
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