Gay Dad

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Gay Dad
Origin London, England
Genres Alternative rock
Britpop
Years active 1994–2002
Labels London/B-Unique
Former members
Cliff Jones
Nicholas "Baz" Crowe
Nigel Hoyle
James Riseboro
Charley Stone
Tim Forster
Dominic Stinton
Andy Bell

Gay Dad were one of the last UK Britpop bands to be launched in the late 1990s. They generated massive news media interest and had moderate chart success, but they failed to sustain their popularity and broke up in 2002. The best-known line-up of the band (during their most successful period) was Cliff Jones (guitarist/vocalist), James Riseboro (keyboardist), Nigel Hoyle (bassist), Charley Stone (guitarist) and Nicholas "Baz" Crowe (drummer).

Contents

[edit] Musical career

[edit] Early history

Gay Dad was first formed in 1994 by former Mojo and The Face journalist Cliff Jones along with his Berkshire teenage friends Dominic Stinton (vocals), Tim Forster (keyboards), Nick Crowe (drums), and bassist Nigel Hoyle, who had originally played in a band called Brutus with Stinton a year or two earlier. Jones, Stinton, Forster and Crowe had played together in various incarnations of Gay Dad ten years previously, such as The Timothy and the Astral Projection Society, performing songs about 'freaking out in Sunninghill Sky St (sic)' etc.

Their first demo, consisting of earthy psych songs heavily indebted to Gene Clark, Sandy Denny and Dennis Wilson, was produced by Jim Irvin, (the writer and former frontman of Furniture) and funded by legendary Rolling Stones record producer, Andrew Loog Oldham and his original Immediate business partner Tony Calder. Jones had met with Calder and Oldham who were convinced by a performance at the band's rehearsal room to sign the band. Oldham had flown back from Columbia where he was living in order to see the band convinced by Calder that they were onto the next Oasis.

Gay Dad went on to make their live debut in 1995 at the now defunct Orange Club in West Kensington. Early gigs were often shambolic, and by 1996 this early incarnation of the band had fallen apart. Jones, Crowe and Hoyle however continued without Stinton and created a slicker, more futuristic sound, with elements of krautrock, glam, pysch and spiky new wave guitar.

Joined by a new keyboardist - James Riseboro - they recorded three new tracks at Raezor Studio, Wandsworth, during the autumn of 1996 including a song called "To Earth With Love". Although it was only intended to win them some live dates, the demo attracted keen record label interest from Island, Chrysalis, Mercury, EMI and others. These included London, to whom they signed in December 1997 for a figure often cited as one of the last big deals of the Britpop era.

[edit] Single success with "To Earth With Love" (1998)

With Charley Stone (formerly of Salad) joining as a live guitarist to add some of the overdubbed guitar parts from their multi-layered sound, they toured the UK in early 1998 before starting recording sessions at RAK studios in Regents Park with producer Tony Visconti, famed for his work with David Bowie and T.Rex, and engineer Mark Frith who had co-produced the demos that got the band signed.

Visconti co-produced (with the band and Frith) the track "To Earth With Love" and two others that have yet to see the light of day (although one is known to be a track with a working title of "Slum Lord"). The band maintained they wanted their first single to sound like an album compressed into four minutes and with the aid of Visconti's arranging skills they added a choir consisting of the band members overdubbed on top of each other and a piano solo from Riseboro.

Visconti was then sacked by Jones and the band for reasons that have not been made public. The album sessions relocated to The Dairy studio in Brixton with producers/sound engineers Gary Langan (ex-Art of Noise) and Chris Hughes (ex-Adam and the Ants) at the controls. These sessions lasted well into the summer.

Meanwhile, test pressings of the first single, made for the label bosses and marketing team at London, found their way to DJ Mark Radcliffe, then presenting the BBC Radio 1 afternoon show with his cohort Lard. They began to play the test pressings, despite the fact that the single was not scheduled for release until the new year. The resulting interest in the band, their name and the record ensured that London had to plan a rush release.

The band were the first act ever to play Top Of The Pops without having a record out. They also performed on TFI Friday and CD:UK. Because of this, and the resulting media interest that blew up as a result of a remark made by Jones in the press that the band were manufactured, accusations of hype began to build.

The band's controversial name and their eye-catching blue and white "Walking Man" logo (designed by notable graphic artist Peter Saville) generated a huge amount of interest from the media,[1] and Gay Dad were hailed as the "saviours" of British rock by magazines such as Select and Melody Maker. The band appeared on both the covers of the Melody Maker and the NME as well as that of Select.

"To Earth With Love" was finally released as the band's debut single in January 1999. It entered the UK Singles Chart at #10.[2]

[edit] Leisure Noise period (1999-2000)

Gay Dad's debut album Leisure Noise, co-produced by Chris Hughes and Mark Frith, was released in June 1999. Despite initial good reviews it only made #14, although American sales topped 25,000. Later that year they supported the Stereophonics in Morfa Stadium, Swansea on July 31, 1999.

The second single "Joy!" reached #22 in the UK, but the third single from the album, "Oh Jim", only made #47. Disappointing reviews for some of their live shows started a general media backlash. Frontman Jones was criticized for his pretentious statements, and the band’s whole authenticity was questioned due to his connections with the music press. After a U.S. tour Stone left the band and was on the verge of being replaced by bass player Andy Bell (who had previously been guitarist with Ride and had seen the band play a sell out show in Stockholm. Liam Gallagher heard of Bell's plan and asked him to join Oasis).

The band started to work on a second album at The Cure's Parkgate studios in Sussex but keyboard player Riseboro left the band during these sessions due to musical differences. The band also parted with London Records the following November, along with their A&R man Mark Lewis.

[edit] Transmission period (2001-2002)

Jones, Hoyle and Crowe signed a new recording contract with a new independent record label B-Unique, set up by their former A&R man at London Records, Mark Lewis, and began work on a new album, Transmission.

"GAY DAD ARE POST EMBARRASSMENT".
—Transmission, Sleeve notes.

In 2001 the leading single from Transmission - "Now Always and Forever" - was released. It fell just short of the Top 40. An extensive UK tour was followed by a limited edition single "Harder, Faster". The third single "Transmission" was released just before the album came out in late 2001. Although critically acclaimed, it had disappointing sales and failed to make any commercial impact.

Gay Dad played a one-off show in Houston, Texas in the summer of 2001. It was at this show that Jones shared a bill with an up and coming Austin band, Young Heart Attack. Smitten with the energy and drive of the band, Jones struck up a friendship with them and played a key role in getting the band signed in England. A new song "Young Heart Attack" later appeared as a b-side to one of the singles from Transmission.

Gay Dad play Mardi Gras; 30 June 2001

The Carling Festival saw the band's final two full appearances headlining the New Bands Tent. Their Leeds appearance was initially delayed by technical issues and then was cut short by the stage hands. In response Jones smashed his guitar and lead the crowd in an a cappella version of "Joy!".

Having left the stage to the crowd chanting their name the two nights before their Reading appearance saw people attempting to cram into a full tent. The set was successful with the band able to perform "Joy!" with a crowd sing-along, in a less ad-hoc nature.

[edit] Band split

Rumours of a split started circulating in 2002, and Jones finally announced the break up of the band on the eve of the U.S. release of Transmission, citing the excessive press hype the band had received and the pressures resulting from it, as well as negative reactions to the band’s controversial name. "We got shot out of the cannon," said Jones, "then things started to get out of control, and as rapidly as we went up, we came down again."

Jones claimed that one negative reaction came from Capitol Records, which had planned to release the album in America. "Someone in radio promotion said he'd resign if he had to work a band called Gay Dad."[3] Instead, Transmission was put out by indie label Thirsty Ear.

Later that year Gay Dad's second single, "Joy!" was used in a Mitsubishi car advertisement.[4] and in FIFA 2000 and TV shows including Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and The Naked Chef.

Following the split, Jones went into production and co-songwriting working with Electric Soft Parade, Sia Furler, Scanners, Lovebites, Jamie Dornan, The Applicators, Faceless Warewolves, The Golden Virgins, and Mark Owen (though nothing was ever released with Owen). He occasionally writes on music for The Sunday Times.[5]. He is also tutoring at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music [6].

Hoyle eventually ended up working with Freelance Hellraiser recording a track for the Ian Brown remix album. He then worked with Dylan Rippon and Crispin Hunt (of the defunct Longpigs) in a new band called Gramercy. The band posted numerous songs on their website then split up (just before they were to release their debut EP "Hold On" through Redemption Records). In 2009 he released a a solo album as Nigel Of Bermondsey on Pure Mint records.

Crowe lives quietly in the West of England.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[2]

[edit] Singles

[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Guardian.co.uk
  2. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 223. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  3. ^ News
  4. ^ New Page 1
  5. ^ Entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
  6. ^ [1]

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Dad"
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