Pram (band)
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| Pram | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Experimental rock Dream pop Post-rock |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Howl AE Too Pure Domino Merge |
| Associated acts | Broadcast Monade Modified Toy Orchestra Micronormous |
| Website | http://www.pram.uk.net |
| Members | |
| Rosie Cuckston Sam Owen Matt Eaton Max Simpson Laurence Hunt Harry Dawes |
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| Past members | |
| Steve Perkins Daren Garret Nick Sales Alex Clare Dave Turner Mark Butterworth Andy Weir Hannah Baines Mr. Verdigris Horn The Colonel |
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Pram are an experimental band who formed in the Balsall Heath/Moseley area of Birmingham, England in 1990.
Contents |
[edit] History
Originally from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Rosie Cuckston and Matt Eaton went to school together. They moved to Birmingham in the late 80s, schoolfriend Andy Weir keeping in touch after a move to London to study art. Cuckston met Sam Owen by chance at a local supermarket's Singles Night. The four began performing under the name "Hole" in 1988 performing only with vocals and a homemade theremin. The band eventually became "Pram"; Matt Eaton playing multiple instruments, Andy Weir on the drums, and Sam switching to bass. Max Simpson joined later on keyboard and sampler.
Pram's first album Gash was self-released and sold by mail order and at gigs. Along with their name and incorporating toy instruments, the band had a child-like theme. Also, Cuckston's eerie vocals and lyrics dealt with depression, loneliness and the dark side of childhood. The band's early recordings had a krautrock-influenced blend of rhythmic guitar, keyboards and percussion.
[edit] The Too Pure years
The band soon attracted the attention of Too Pure Records (then home to Stereolab, Mouse on Mars and PJ Harvey).[1] On that label, Pram had released several increasingly sophisticated albums and EPs between 1993 and 1995.
On their second LP, The Stars Are So Big, The Earth Is So Small...Stay As You Are, a trumpeter, credited as "The Verdigris Horn," joined and played on several tracks, including the quarter-hour "In Dreams You Too Can Fly". Their next album Helium (1994) featured increasing use of the sampler.
Their later recordings show a marked interest in "exotica". The band's final Too Pure album, 1995's Sargasso Sea, was "awarded" a score of 0/10 when reviewed by the NME, which the band saw as a compliment. (However, in 2004, NME tipped Pram as the next big band to watch out for). The band's popularity continued to gain momentum.
In 1995, Pram left Too Pure, and released a cassette compilation of early demos and live recordings called Perambulations. Some of these recordings were added to the CD reissue of Gash. Singles and EPs were recorded for a variety of labels (including Stereolab's Duophonic Records), before the band found a new home at Domino Records.[1]
[edit] The Domino years
Their first album for Domino, North Pole Radio Station, was originally recorded for Wurlitzer Jukebox Records, but the label shut down before it could be released. 1999's "Keep in a Dry Place and Away From Children" was the soundtrack to an animated film, and also featured a remix by Mouse on Mars. The band's releases on Domino have been distributed by Merge Records in the US.
From the release of 2003's Dark Island, the song "Track of the Cat" was used on a BT Group advert. The remix of "Simon from Sydney/Untitled 2", commissioned by Warp Records, was used on Volkswagen's "30 years in the Making" advertising campaign.
Pram have been remixed by several artists (Somniloquy features remixes by fellow Brummie experimentalists Plone and Tele:funken amongst others), and remixed LFO and the Aphex Twin for the Warp Records 10th anniversary compilation. They have also remixed a song for the Indian singer Mohammed Rafi.[2]
[edit] Outside band activities
Most notably, Rosie Cuckston had recorded songs with Laetitia Sadier as Monade in the late 90s. She had appeared on their "M Is The Thirteenth Letter/Monade" and "Split" 45s.
Matt Eaton DJs with Mark from Plone for Silver Dollar, a reggae club in Birmingham. Eaton also produces his own music under the name 'Micronormous'. In Autumn 2009 he is working on an album for Warm Circuit records, home of the Modified Toy Orchestra.
Their one-time drummer Steve Perkins had also been part of fellow Birmingham band Broadcast.[1] The band's original theremin player left to become a bomb disposal worker.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Gash (1992), Howl - mini-LP with 6 songs, CD reissue with extra material (1997)
- The Stars Are So Big, The Earth Is So Small...Stay As You Are (1993)
- Helium (1994), Too Pure
- Sargasso Sea (1995), Too Pure
- North Pole Radio Station (1998), Domino
- The Museum of Imaginary Animals (2000), Domino
- Somniloquy (2001), Domino - mini-album
- Dark Island (2003), Domino
- The Moving Frontier (2007), Domino
- Compilations
- Perambulations (1995, cassette-only collection of early recordings, some live)
- Telemetric Melodies (1999), Domino - collects various single/EP tracks from 1997–99
[edit] Compilation appearances
- Brum Brum (1989, Pram's song "Jack Sabbath" appears on this compilation, along with other Brummie bands)
[edit] Singles and EPs
- Iron Lung EP (1993), Too Pure
- Meshes EP (1994), Too Pure
- Music for Your Movies EP (1996), Duophonic
- "Omnichord" (1997), Wurlitzer Jukebox
- Sleepy Sweet EP (1998), Domino
- "The Last Astronaut" (1998), Kooky
- "Keep in a Dry Place and Away From Children" (1999), Domino
- "The Owl Service" (2000), Domino
- Prisoner of the Seven Pines EP (2008), Domino
[edit] DVDs
- Shadow Shows of the Phantascope (2008)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 927-8
- ^ Ankeny, Jason "Pram Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-12-31
