Biography
Harding first appeared on stage in 1997 at the intimate 12 Bar Club in London supporting 'London's best unsigned band' [1] Rhatigan on a monthly residency. [2] A few years later, Antony's first CD, Cures For Broken Hearts came out in 2000 on Fortune & Glory Records (UK) to positive reviews: "Likeable delicate stuff" said Q Magazine, [3] "An unexpected Joy", said Mojo, [4] and the CD received airplay on BBC Radio One, leading to a solo session for John Peel [5] during the summer of that year, featuring 4 acoustic versions of songs that would later appear on his debut album. [6] The debut album, a collection of London home recordings called A Long Way To Blow A Kiss , was quietly released in 2002 on Fortune and Glory Records. It was also warmly received: "Ant proves a delicate little joy", said Teletext, [7] and "Scruffy, gorgeous notes-to-self" was how Mojo [8] described it.
After relocating to Malmo, Sweden, Floating On The Breeze, a mini-album of home recordings was released on Italian label Homesleep Records (2003): "Charmed mini-album of ringing acoustic pop" said Uncut, [9] "Pleasing bedroom rock" said the NME. [10] Ant's first compilation CD of rarities and b-sides, Sad To See It's Morning, emerged on Fortune & Glory in 2004 to positive words: "Beautiful acoustic nuggets" Mojo, [11] "Sweet, charming, piquant pop gems" Record Collector. [12] The second album, Footprints Through the Snow , was recorded in 8 days one hot summer in Bologna Italy in 2004 [13] and released in 2006 to rave Italian reviews: "Close your eyes and breathe it in", recommended Subba-Cultcha.
After a break of some years, another mini-album of home recordings, this time aided by friends, entitled These Long Dark Country Roads, came out in 2009 on cult Spanish label Acuarela Discos: "Gorgeous lo-fi, acoustic pop songs" said Rock Feedback. [14] The third album The Birds Sing Goodnight To You And Me , recorded with his old Hefner bandmates Darren Hayman, John Morrison and Jack Hayter, was released in March 2012 on Italian label We Were Never Being Boring, [15] and was hailed as "the album of the year 2012" [16] by Dandelion Radio's Mark Whitby. It was followed by a mini-mini-album of instrumentals entitled Only Pipe Dreams in the Pipeline, in 2013, once again on the WWNBB collective of Italy, described as "A feast of frothy folk" by Soundsxp. [17]
Harding's fourth full-length album, By The Yellow Sea, and his first under his own name, set sail in June 2015. Another instrumental release, The Goldfinch and Other Instrumentals, [18] came out on Christmas Day, 2017, on Black candy Records and the long-awaited 'best of' ANT album featuring 15 tracks, Cry Your Little Heart Out, was released in December 2019 on the WWNBB Collective. [19]
Antony has toured in England, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and China, where he celebrated his 100th solo performance in 2011. [6]
In 2018, Harding contributed a cover of Mother Sea to The Desperation Club, a tribute album to Cloud, which was released through Audio Antihero. [20] [21]
Urusei Yatsura were a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1993.
Even As We Speak is an Australian indie band from Sydney. Formed in the mid-1980s, founding members Matthew Love and Mary Wyer were later joined by Rob Irwin (bass) Anita Rayner, Paul Clarke and Julian Knowles.
Nightingales are a British post-punk/alternative rock band, formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, by four members of Birmingham's punk group The Prefects. They had been part of The Clash's 'White Riot Tour', recorded a couple of Peel Sessions, released a 45 on Rough Trade and, years after splitting up, had a retrospective CD released by US indie label Acute Records.
Hefner were a British indie rock band formed in east London in 1995. They were active from about 1996 until 2002; since then they have played together only once, for a tribute to the DJ John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs.
Suzanne Rhatigan is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician.
Jack Hayter is a British musician. He is best known as a multi instrumentalist with Hefner but is also an acclaimed folk singer-songwriter in his own right. Hayter also played with alt-country band Spongefinger and folktronica band Dollboy. Hayter is also frequently used as a session pedal steel guitar player in the London alternative scene.
Julie's Haircut is an Italian neo-psychedelic rock group formed in Emilia between Modena and Reggio Emilia in 1994. They sing in English.
Comet Gain are a British indie pop band, formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist David Christian in 1992, with musical influences including post-punk and northern soul. Pitchfork called them "one of the most underrated contemporary indie bands in the UK".
Footprints Through the Snow is the second solo studio album released by Antony Harding under the name of ANT, released in 2006 on Homesleep Records.
Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon is the third studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released in August 1970. It was the first album by the band to leave behind their early psychedelic sound and begin experimenting with a hard rock style, which remains the band's signature sound, and the last album to feature keyboardist Roy Lynes. The album failed in sales and charts and was not successful.
Hagar the Womb are an English punk rock band, originally active in the early 1980s and part of the anarcho-punk movement. In hiatus from 1987, members went on to form We Are Going To Eat You and Melt, with vocalist Julie Sorrell. A 2011 compilation of their back catalogue brought members back into contact with each other, and invitations to reform and play gigs and festivals led to Hagar The Womb gigging again from 2012. The band released a new EP in 2016.
Yeah Yeah Noh are an "unpop" group formed in Leicester, England in 1983. Originally a product of the DIY post-punk era, their sound was labelled 'Calor-gas psychedelia' by Mojo magazine in 2012. They released two albums and five singles while still together in the 1980s, and have had two compilation albums issued since they initially split up in 1986.
Mugstar are an English rock band, influenced by kraut/psych/space/noise rock such as Oneida, Sonic Youth, Neu! and Hawkwind. Since 2003 they have issued several full-length albums, a split release with Mudhoney and two live albums performing on stage together with Damo Suzuki. Mugstar recorded one of the last-ever Peel Sessions with the late John Peel on 5 May 2004. Record labels: Rock Action, Important Records (U.S.A.), Cardinal Fuzz, Weird Beard, Agitated, Evil Hoodoo, Rocket Recordings, Trensmat, God Unknown, Chunklet Industries (U.S.A.), Hands In The Dark / All Time Low, Lancashire & Somerset, critical MASS...
Glaxo Babies are a Bristol-based post-punk band, formed in late 1977. There were three distinct phases in the band's life and after initially breaking up in 1980, they reformed in 1985, only to finally break up again in 1990. The band reformed once again in 2015 for the Un-Peeled 2015 event with Steve Street on bass and Tony Wrafter's son Oscar on vocals.
Clive Painter is an English musician, record producer and mastering engineer based in London.
Tex La Homa is a Dorset, UK-based post-rock project formed in the year 2000 by Matthew Shaw. The music combines "soft vocals with sort of distortion, surrounded by soft melodies, guitars and a bit of electronics to create almost pop-like modern ballads".
Damnably is an independent record label based in Stratford, East London. It was founded by George Gargan and Janice Li. Primarily created to promote a John Peel night at The Brixton Windmill in 2006, Damnably then undertook tour booking and evolved into a record label. It has since grown, adding a roster of artists from all around the world including USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, France and the UK.
Cures for Broken Hearts is a CD released by Antony Harding as ANT in 2000 on Fortune And Glory Records.
The Birds Sing Goodnight to You and Me is the 2012 full-length album by ANT, singer songwriter Antony Harding.
"Zerox" is an Adam and the Ants' stand-alone single written by Adam Ant. It was later included on the 1983 CBS reissue of the band's debut album Dirk Wears White Sox and as part of the bonus material on the 2004 Columbia Records Remaster. The line-up on this track include Dave Barbarossa on drums, Matthew Ashman on guitar & Andy Warren on bass guitar. The track has been included on the compilations Antics in the Forbidden Zone, Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant, The Very Best Of Adam And The Ants, Antbox, The Essential Adam Ant & Stand & Deliver: The Very Best of Adam & the Ants.
