Sandi Thom

Template:Infobox musical artist 2 Sandi Thom (real name Alexandria) is a Scottish singer-songwriter originally from Macduff in Aberdeenshire.

Biography

While being educated at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, Thom was in a cover band called The Residents between the ages of 14 and 17, where she sang and played keyboards. Thom says she owes much of her musical knowledge to the years she spent with The Residents as this is where she formed a love for bands such as Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, The Beatles and artists such as Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin. Thom and the band travelled across Scotland, playing in pubs and clubs.

LIPA

At the age of 17, Sandi became the youngest ever student to be accepted at the prestigous Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts aka LIPA. It has been Dubbed 'The Fame Academy' due to the number of industry professionals teaching there and having Sir Paul Macartney as its patron. It was here that she made the friends who today make up her band and producers. Originally a 7 piece [citation needed ] whilst at LIPA with Sandi at the helm, they entered the BBC Radio 1 Urban Music Competition and made it to the semi-finals [citation needed] , recorded an EP, "Time To Breathe", at Liverpool's famous Parr Street Studios and toured the UK playing all sorts of venues, the greatest of which was an impromptu Hogmanay ceilidh in a caravan park. Sandi also sang in a gospel choir called Love and Joy, the highlight of her tenure being a rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone to 40,000 football fans at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium. In 2003, Sandi Thom graduated from LIPA with a BA (Hons) in Performing Arts and is the first and only LIPA Graduate to have a number one music album in the charts.

CAREER

In 2004, Sandi Thom moved to London to pursue her songwriting career, choosing to write both her albums with the same three co-writers; namely Jake Field, Duncan Thompson and Tom Gilbert. Thom signed to Windswept Pacific Music in 2005, an independent music publishing company with artists on its roster such as Alice Cooper, The Futureheads and Nick Cave. She also signed with UK arm, P&P Songs, who publish songs for the likes of Craig David and John McLaughlin. She signed a record contract with a small record label called Victory Legacy, who released her debut single, "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)" in late 2005; however, the song failed to garner major airplay and the album release was delayed, whilst her team decided how best to proceed with the project.

Sandi Thom

Re-Release of "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" & Success

Following her online webcast concerts from her basement in Tooting, "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" was re-released on 22 May 2006, on RCA Records UK. The song had been gaining in airplay exposure, and on download sales it achieved #15 in the general charts (and #7 in the official downloads chart). The physical release had three formats: two CD versions (one featuring the radio mix and "A Light As Bright As Ours", another featuring the radio mix, the album version, a further remix, "May You Never" and the video), and also as a 7" vinyl record backed with "No More Heroes". In the week of 22 May, the song reached #2 in both charts.

CD Cover for Punk Rocker

Performing

She performed on Top of the Pops on 28 May, making her major terrestrial television debut, and on 4 June, the song replaced the deleted Gnarls Barkley single Crazy at #1 in the singles chart. Her debut album, Smile... It Confuses People was released in the United Kingdom on Monday 5 June 2006, and debuted at number one in the chart dated 11 June, selling over 700,000 copies worldwide. The song was later nominated at the Brit Awards for Best British Single. In the Republic of Ireland, "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker" entered the singles chart at #10 (week ending 25 May 2006), and rising to #2 in the following week (ending 1 June), and then to #1 the week after, but was then knocked off the top spot by Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie". The single also enjoyed success overseas, where it reached number 1 on the Australia "ARIA Charts" for ten consecutive weeks making it Australia's highest selling single of 2006.

What if I'm Right/Lonely Girl

The follow-up single What If I'm Right reached the lower reaches of the charts, but Lonely Girl, the third single from the album, failed to enter any charts.

21 Nights From Tooting & Surrounding Controversy

21 Nights from Tooting was a "tour" consisting of 21 performances from the basement of her Tooting flat, from 24 February to 16 March. These were recorded and then webcast by professional hosting company Streaming Tank. Tickets were sold, but the venue had a capacity of "six people" ("10 including the band"). The MySpace post announcing the gigs was posted in the early hours of 22 February. Thom's website states that "the idea [...] popped into her head" after her car broke down travelling from a gig in York (on the 22nd) to one in Wales (on the 23rd) and following the very first live webcast she did at a gig in Edinburgh organised by her PR manager, Paul Boyd. Streaming Tank must therefore have arranged the first Tooting webcast within 48 hours of Sandi's idea.

Webcasting

Thom's first ever video webcast was at the Edinburgh Left Bank venue, webcast in October by an independent production crew, Showstreams Productions as part of a fortnightly live video webcast night called www.leftbanklive.com)The event itself was a private party organised by Paul Boyd, Sandi's PR manager and friend. Boyd's company 'Polar Flame Music Limited' was the major player in promoting and launching Sandi within the media and press across the UK.

Promotion

Prompted by a contact from Thom's manager, news services noted Thom's promotion efforts. In a story first published 5 March 2006, the Sunday Times ran a piece, This was quickly reported on by other news sources.. The audience for the first day was around 60 or 70 and at its peak rose to a claimed 70,000. (no independent verification is available). The 7 March Reuters story mentioned that "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" was being re-released the following week, with the album following in April. However, the publicity surrounding the tour led to major label interest, with music label representatives attending the gigs in question, and the release of the records was put back until a deal was signed.

Signing with Sony (RCA)

Thom subsequently accepted an offer by Sony. This led to the single re-release being delayed until May, when it was released on Sony's RCA label. The news of this broke on 3 April 2006, the official signing itself being webcast. The single was placed on Music Week Daily's playlist that day. She was the first artist signed the RCA label since its reorganisation. although the relationship between Thom and RCA would terminate in february 2009

Doubts about the webcast

Paul Kelly of The Independent and other journalists have questioned how she was able to sustain production of the webcasts; critics suggest that she "could not have supported such a large audience on her webcast if she really was a starving artist". Others question the veracity of claims made about viewership. There are also questions as to the level of involvement from Paul Boyd and Polar Flame Music. Her manager, Ian Brown, in an interview with the Guardian, said the idea came from her, whilst her management and publicist claim to have conducted a large publicity campaign, including a million "virtual flyers" [unsolicited emails]

Sandi's response

In an interview with The Sun, Thom stated that Streaming Tank were "friends of my managers", agreeing that she could not have afforded commercial rates for this. Some critics accused Sony of orchestrating the campaign. Craig Logan, the managing director of RCA, denied these accusations, claiming that the label was "drawn to" Thom after hearing of the webcasting., as has Sandi Thom herself

The Devil's Beat, Saturday Night and The Pink & The Lily

The Pink & The Lily CD Cover

The Devils Beat Single Cover

On 26 May 2008, Sandi Thom released her second album entitled The Pink & The Lily, preceded by the first single, "The Devil's Beat," available on CD from 19 May 2008 but even prior to the release date journalists were questioning the outcome The album and single received extensive airplay on BBC Radio 2. Despite promotional appearances, the releases were much less successful than her debut. In the UK, the single reached a high of 58 and dropped out of the Top 75 after two weeks; the album entered the chart at 25, dropping to 65 the next week, and then dropped out of the Top 75. The following single "Saturday Night" failed to chart on its release, despite a large number of promotional appearances by Sandi on radio, television and in the press. Reviews in the media were unfavourable for both album and singles released from it.

Thom has said:

"I feel like my second album was too rushed. I felt under quite a lot of pressure when I was making it. I was out on the road and my label was really hassling me to get it finished.

"I admit I was disappointed with it and now, when I look back, it was released too soon.

"There were some things that were overlooked. It wasn't thought out properly. So, with my next album, I'm going to put my foot down and spend as long as it takes to make it."

Although in an interview in the same newspaper dated the 2nd of February and prior to the albums release Sandi is quoted as saying "I'm surprised how long it has taken to make this new album. It has been like therapy. I have progressed as an artist, also in the same interview Sandi confirms her position as a Nationalist supporter which she was to refute in the months to come.

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Chart positions					Sales and certifications
		UK	[[Irish--Daschund (talk) 18:12, 13 March 2009 (UTC) Albums Chart|IRL]]	NZ	AUS	FRA
2006	Smile... It Confuses People First studio album Released: 5 June 2006	1	1	5	11	43	*BPI certification: Platinum (300,000+) ARIA certification: Gold (35,000+)
2008	The Pink & The Lily Second studio album Released: 26 May 2008	25	72			163	*

Singles

Year	Song	United Kingdom	Ireland	New Zealand	Australia	Germany	Album
2005	"I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)"	55	—	—	—	—	Smile... It Confuses People
2006	"I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)" Re-Release	1	1	3	1	16
	"What If I'm Right"	22	30	35	36	—
	"Lonely Girl	—	—	—	—	—
2008	"The Devil's Beat"	58	—	—	—	88	The Pink & The Lily
	Saturday Night"	-	—	—	—	—

Tours

2005-6 (Pre-21 Nights from Tooting)

Prior to the 21 Nights from Tooting, Thom had been actively touring in the UK in 2005. Thom made an appearance at the Northsound Radio to 40,000 Free at the Dee festival in Aberdeen on 4 September 2005; a charity gig in Edinburgh later in September 2005, and was described as "hotly-tipped" by the Daily Record. However, in addition, Sandi "has been labeled a fraud" according to the Daily Record.

Thom supported The Proclaimers on their UK tour in December 2005 and toured with Nizlopi. She and her band continued to tour, playing the Pocklington Arts Centre near York on 22 February 2006, supported by Edwina Hayes, and the Queen's Hall in Narberth in Wales on 23 February 2006.

2006-7

Thom has played live in several unconventional venues. She had previously performed at the opening of the World Skiing Championships in Sweden, where the stage was set up at the top of a mountain range; she performed at the top of the BT tower in London on behalf of the DMA's (Digital Music Awards), performed for a Children in Need auction winner who paid the charity £17,000 for Thom to play her living room.

She played the Main Stage at T in the Park 2006, having been booked for the lowest billed stage. She headlined the acoustic tent at the 2006 V festival with Kasabian. In early 2007, Thom spent 6 weeks in France performing in every city across the country alongside a French artist at a free concert called the Ricard Live Tour. The concert attracted an average of 25,000 a night. She performed at English festivals such as Glastonbury, Guilfest and Redbourne; and in Scotland, the Wizard festival and the Belladrum Heart festival. Other festivals further afield included the Oxegen music festival and the World Fleadh in Ireland, and the Fuji Rock Festival.

2008

Concert dates scheduled for Ireland following the album's release were cancelled at the last minute No reason was given at the time for the cancellations. An announcement by Sandi on her official website said that the cancelled performances were to be re-scheduled for September. However, this did not happen.

In June, Sandi performed a free 50-minute acoustic gig in front of 200 people at the broadcast center of WDR radio station in Cologne, Germany; the gig was broadcast twice during the course of the month.

The tour's mainland UK dates ran from 16 June to 1 July, followed by Germany 10-19 July. Only the Munich Festival performance on the 19th went ahead, the remaining German dates where Sandi was the only artist performing were cancelled. An announcement on Thom's German website stated this was due to 'studio commitments'. although this explanation was not given on Thoms UK site for the cancellations and Diary entries by Thom do not give any mention of Studio commitments or activity at this time. A full concert performance planned for Edinburgh as part of the Fringe Festival in August was also cancelled and replaced by a mixed bill in which Thom featured. A number of one-off performances and promotional appearances including Blackpool illuminations were also played. Sandi also confirmed she would be taking part in Busk Cancer week with interviews and articles given to the press and on her official website in conjunction with the promotional campaign for her latest album and single although all references to it were removed after the failure of the single "Saturday Night" to chart and no explanation was given as to why she had not taken part. A performance at Butlins Minehead Holiday Camp was also added. Sandi appeared second on the bill at the Aberdeen Hogmanay celebrations followed by an appearance on the BBC hogmanay show from Edinburgh where she sang one song

Homecoming / 2009

A tour named after the Scottish Governments publicity campaign "Homecoming Scotland" took place in small venues around the country. Special guests at each show were local children or artists from that region. The first official date was cancelled when the venue suffered fire damage and tickets already purchased for the show were made valid for the second date on the tour. A duet with the first minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, took place at one of the shows but during this time Sandi gave interviews to the press trying to distance herself from politicians and politics by stating she was not the SNPs mascot and had not endorsed the SNP despite being aware that her image and name had been used by the party and its leader Mr Salmond on numerous occasions and Thom had in fact endorsed publicly the SNP and its policies at the last election on political leaflets that were being sent all around Scotland by the SNP.

Sandi also had to publicly apologise to the artist/producer Nitin Sawhney after being quoted in interview as saying "Im not coming back as Nitin Swahney" which led to the artist contacting Thom to explain why she had made the comment. The Glasgow show on the tour was moved at the last minute from the Clyde Auditorium to the much smaller Lomond Auditorium after tickets failed to sell despite the announcement that Leon Jackson the 2007 XFactor winner would be appearing on stage as a guest. Sandi also announced on the day of the show that many of the unsold seats at the performance had been given over to charities in the form of her personal Guest list and reviews following the performance were not favourable.

Ticket sales overall for the tour were not good considering how small the capacity of many of the venues played were and how many failed to sell out. Only two out of the ten Scottish shows on the tour were advertised as sold out, one of these being the second night at the 250 capacity Fife Lodge hotel which had been heavily promoted as the venue where the duet with the First Minister was to take place,The first night at the Fife Lodge Hotel did not sell out. The other venue advertised as sold out was the Carnegie hall in Dunfermline which was the second date of the tour and accepting tickets from the cancelled Edinburgh show and which advertised Children from Edinburgh Schools as being the special guests ensuring a larger audience as friends and family of the children attended the concert.

Three english dates were also played of which only the concert at the Pocklington arts centre, a small venue in york was advertised as sold out.

A performance at the SXSW festival in Texas was Announced at the 18th floor Hilton Garden Inn where Thom Hoped to create interest from an American market to further her career. A biography that Thom used to introduce herself still used the controversial figures and information that had largely been disproved back in 2006 and stating her last album had entered the top 20 when in fact it got no higher than 25 on its initial release and then dropped out of the top 100 within two weeks

Dropped By Sony ( RCA)

At the begining of February Thom announced that she would be making her third album as an Independant artist and any future music she produced would possibly not be released by her then current record label RCA, who she said had caused problems and were in part to blame for the poor performance of her latest album by demanding lyrics to such songs as "Saturday Night" to be changed after she stated that the song was actually about taking drugs and the choice of tracks they released as singles. This along with other decisions and demands that Thom claimed the record company had made since signing her made her unwilling to carry on working with RCA and a search of the Sony/RCA Artist roster and product information on the official RCA website done in late february 2009 [1] confirmed that Sandi Thom has been removed from the list of artists signed to the company as well as all releases and information and she is no longer with the label.

External links

• Official web site
• Official YouTube channel
• Polar Flame Music PR agency
• Sandi Thom latest news, pictures, medias
• Interview with Sandi on WHO.com"
• Charlie Brooker (The Guardian) article on Sandi Thom "Supposing...Sandi Thom is the musical antichrist"
• Sandi Thom Exclusive Interview