Gerard Starkie
Gerard Starkie | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Wigan, England |
| Genres | Indie, Americana |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Website | [1] |
Gerard Starkie is an English musician and former lead singer of Witness. After Witness split up in 2004, Gerard went onto record his debut album Drawbridge with former Witness band members, releasing it as a free download on his official Myspace site.
Gerard released his second album Potions in July 2011 on UK indie label Lupine Records.[1]
Gerard has had several of his songs picked up for use on TV and film around the world. Here's One For You featured on the soundtrack to American Pie 2,[2] whilst Closing Up featured on Cougar Town in 2009.[3]
Witness
Witness were a British alternative rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester in 1997. The band released two albums via Island Records between 1999 and 2001, before splitting up in 2004.
Despite their brief time together, Witness received widespread critical acclaim. Their debut album Before The Calm gained a 9/10 review in the NME, which stated;
It is an astonishing debut album; stripped of all affectation, daring to be understated when others would have hit the anthem button."[4]
The media reaction to their debut release led them to be invited to perform on Jools Holland on the BBC along with artists such as John Cale.[5]
Their second album, Under A Sun was a departure to the stripped back sound of their debut, but again received critical acclaim across the media. The well-respected Americana UK website went on to crown the LP their 'Album of the Year' for 2001:
It's almost impossible to describe the elation you feel on completing the first listen to "Under a Sun" – it's not just that it's the best album of 2001 but it's not too strong to say that it's easily one of the best albums released in recent memory."[6]
Uncut magazine meanwhile gave it a 5 star review.
References
- ^ "Gerard Starkie Potions album release".
- ^ "American Pie 2 soundtrack".
- ^ "Cougartown soundtrack".
- ^ "Before The Calm NME Review". Retrieved 1999.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Jools Holland appearance".
- ^ "Americana UK". Retrieved December 2001.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)