Loop (band)
| Loop | |
|---|---|
| Origin | South London |
| Genres | Experimental rock Alternative rock Psychedelic rock Drone rock |
| Years active | 1986- 1991 |
| Labels | Situation Two, Chapter 22 Records, Reactor, Head |
| Associated acts | Main, The Hair and Skin Trading Company, |
| Past members | |
| Robert Hampson Bex Hampson John Wills Glen Ray James Endeacott Neil Mackay Scott Dowson |
|
Loop was a South London band founded in 1986 by Robert Hampson and his wife, Bex, and active until 1991.
Contents |
[edit] Career
The band was formed in 1986 by Robert Hampson (vocals, guitar), with wife Bex on drums. Bex was soon replaced by John Wills (The Servants) and Glen Ray, with James Endeacott on guitar.[1][2] Initially releasing records on their own Head label, their first release was 1987's '16 Dreams', with debut album Heaven's End following later that year. The band's psychedelic/drone rock gained comparisons with Spacemen 3, much to the latter's annoyance.[3][4][5]
Ray and Bex left, to be replaced by Endeacott, Wills and Neil MacKay,[1] the band also being signed up by Chapter 22 Records, returning with a more polished sound with the 'Collision' single in 1988. Second album Fade Out followed in 1989, reaching #51 on the UK album chart.[1] Endeacott left the band in 1988, Scott Dowson joined the following year. They changed labels again to Beggars Banquet subsidiary Situation Two, releasing the 'Arc-Lite' single in 1989 and the third and final studio album A Gilded Eternity in 1990.
The band split in 1991, with Hampson briefly joining Godflesh before forming Main with Dowson. Hampson's Main project was discontinued in 2006 and while he now releases under his own name in 2010 he announced the return of Main, albeit as a collaborative project with other sound artists. Wills and Mackay went on to form The Hair and Skin Trading Company, which last released in 1995. Wills now performs and records as Pumajaw.
Loop recorded three Peel sessions for John Peel (11 August 1987, 14 June 1988 and 21 January 1990). A collection of these sessions entitled Wolf Flow was released in 1992. Following the split Loop's official studio albums were re-released on their Reactor label. Their sound was influenced by Krautrock and No Wave influences and relied heavily on three chord riffs. Some of the records featured cover versions of Suicide, The Pop Group and Can tracks. The band played at the Reading Festival in 1989.
Hampson's MySpace pages referred to friendly pressure to again re-release the Loop albums and these were eventually released in November 2008 on the Reactor label.[6]
[edit] Members
Initial line-up (1987):
Interim line-up (1987–88):
- Robert Hampson (vocals, guitars)
- James Endeacott (guitars)
- John Wills (drums)
- Neil Mackay (bass)
Final line-up (1989–90):
- Robert Hampson (vocals, guitars)
- Scott Dowson (guitars)
- John Wills (drums)
- Neil Mackay (bass)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Month | Year | Title | UK Indie Chart Position[7] | UK Chart Position[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 1987 | Heaven's End | #4 | dnc |
| September | 1988 | The World in Your Eyes (Compilation) |
#4 | dnc |
| February | 1989 | Fade Out | #1 | #51 |
| September | 1989 | Eternal: The Singles (Compilation) |
dnc | dnc |
| February | 1990 | A Gilded Eternity | #1 | #39 |
| 1991 | Wolf Flow (Peel Sessions 1987-1990) |
dnc | dnc | |
| 1992 | Dual (Compilation) |
dnc | dnc |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Format | UK Indie Chart Position[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | 1987 | "16 Dreams" | 12" | #35 |
| July | 1987 | "Spinning" | 7" 12" | #7 |
| May | 1988 | "Collision" | 7" 12" | #4 |
| December | 1988 | "Black Sun" | 12" | #5 |
| December | 1989 | "Arc-lite" | 7" 12" CD | #6 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Strong, Martin C.: "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, ISBN 0-86241-913-1
- ^ Larkin, Colin: "The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music", 1992, Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-579-4
- ^ "they seemed to spend their spare time bleating that the increasingly prominent and popular Loop had nicked that psychedelic artillery nightmare sound from them.", Danny Kelly, NME/"Spacemen 3, a group out of time, have now left Loop looking as astral and cosmic as a No 73 bus.", Chris Roberts, Melody Maker
- ^ "Yeah, they really ripped us off!! Their first record sleeves, their sound, their live shows, just about everything. Their first few gigs were supporting us. The first time they had acid was when we gave it to them. Then they started calling themselves Loop. The first album was alright but it wasn’t anything we hadn’t done already.", Sonic Boom interviewed in Lime Lizard magazine, April 1989
- ^ Interview with Peter Kember of Spacemen 3
- ^ Loop tribute site, accessed September 2008
- ^ a b Lazell, Barry: "Indie Hits 1980-1989", 1997, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4
[edit] External links
- Loop fan website www.heavensend.org
- Complete discography
- Robert Hampson's official website
- 2008 interview with Robert Hampson
- http://thequietus.com/articles/00731-loop
- http://thequietus.com/articles/01801-loop-a-guilded-eternity-the-world-in-your-eyes-reissue-album-reviews
- Unofficial page for Loop on Myspace
