Ballboy (band)

Last updated

Ballboy
Ballboy.jpg
Ballboy at The Marquee in 2005
Background information
Origin Edinburgh, Scotland
Genres Indie rock, indie folk, post-punk
Years active1997–present
Labels SL, Pony Proof, Lost Map
MembersGordon McIntyre
Nick Reynolds
Gary Morgan
Alexa Morrison
Past membersViv Strachan
Alexis Beattie
Kate Griffths
Website ballboymusic.com

Ballboy is a four-piece indie band from Edinburgh, Scotland. Formed in the late 1990s, the band released five albums between 2001 and 2008.

Contents

Biography

Originally comprising Viv Strachan (vocals), Gordon McIntyre (guitar), Nick Reynolds (bass) and Alexis Beattie (drums), Ballboy played gigs around Edinburgh for a few years, and recorded tracks for the Edinburgh indie compilation it's a life sentence..., released by the newly formed SL Records label in 1997.

By 1999 Gordon McIntyre, the band's main songwriter, had taken over vocal duties. Katie Griffiths had joined on keyboards, and Gary Morgan had taken over the drums. The band signed to SL Records that year, and released a series of EPs. The tracks from these EPs were collected on 2001's Club Anthems. [1] The band toured the United States in September / October 2002 and McIntyre's journal of the tour was published in The Scotsman newspaper. [2]

Their "proper" debut album, A Guide for the Daylight Hours , [3] was released in November 2002, featuring artwork by Glasgow-based artist David Shrigley. This album was followed in 2003 by the acoustic, and often melancholy, The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories , [4] virtually a solo record by McIntyre.

In 2004 Ballboy returned to full band mode, with a new keyboard player, Alexa Morrison, and their third album. The band continue to play live occasionally and released their fourth studio album I Worked on the Ships in August 2008. Gordon McIntyre has begun work on a side project, ++Money Can't Buy Music. [5]

From their early releases, the band were popular with the DJ John Peel, [6] and had several tracks featured in the Festive Fifty charts. They recorded several sessions for his BBC Radio 1 show, including a Christmas special live from Peel Acres, where McIntyre recorded a duet with American country singer Laura Cantrell.

In Autumn 2008 McIntyre composed the soundtrack for the Traverse Theatre Company production of Midsummer [a play with songs] by David Greig. Midsummer performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, from 24 October to 15 November 2008. [7]

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles / EPs

Contributions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay City Rollers</span> Scottish pop rock band

The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity in the 1970s. They have been called the "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh" and one of many acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beatles'".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth McGovern</span> American actress and musician (born 1961)

Elizabeth Lee McGovern is an American actress and musician. She has received many awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and one Academy Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magazine (band)</span> English post-punk rock band

Magazine were an English rock band formed in 1977 in Manchester in England by singer Howard Devoto and guitarist John McGeoch. After leaving the punk group Buzzcocks in early 1977, Devoto decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band. The original lineup of Magazine was composed of Devoto, McGeoch, Barry Adamson on bass, Bob Dickinson on keyboards and Martin Jackson on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fire Engines</span> Scottish post-punk band

The Fire Engines were a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin MacIntyre</span> Scottish musician and novelist

Colin MacIntyre is a Scottish musician and novelist. A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, he has released five albums under the name Mull Historical Society as well as two albums under his own name. His most successful album, Mull Historical Society's Us (2003), reached number 19 in the UK Albums Chart. His debut novel, The Letters of Ivor Punch, was published in 2015.

Sluts of Trust are a two-piece rock outfit from Glasgow, Scotland, originally comprising John McFarlane and Anthony O'Donnell (drums). O'Donnell was later replaced on drums by Roo Harris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Marra</span> Musical artist

Michael Marra was a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician from Dundee, Scotland. Known as the Bard of Dundee, Marra was a solo performer who toured the UK and performed in arts centres, theatres, folk clubs and village halls. While mainly known as a songwriter, he also worked extensively in theatre, radio and television. His songwriting was rooted in Scottish life and he found an audience within and beyond the folk music scene, which led to him working as a support musician for performers including Van Morrison, The Proclaimers, Barbara Dickson and Deacon Blue. His song "Hermless" was somewhat humorously suggested as a potential Scottish national anthem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altered Images</span> Scottish new wave/post-punk band

Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 1983. Their hits include "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodri Marsden</span> Musical artist

Rhodri Marsden is a London-based writer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbes Masson</span>

Forbes (Robertson) Masson is a Scottish actor and writer. He is an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He is best known for his roles in classical theatre, musicals, comedies, and appearances in London's West End. He is also known for his comedy partnership with Alan Cumming. Masson and Cumming wrote The High Life, a Scottish situation comedy in which they play the lead characters, Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight. Characters McCracken and Flight were heavily based on Victor and Barry, famous Scottish comedy alter-egos of Masson and Cumming. Forbes also stars in the 2021 film The Road Dance, set on The Isle of Lewis as the Reverend MacIver.

David Greig is a Scottish playwright and theatre director. His work has been performed at many of the major theatres in Britain, including the Traverse Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and been produced around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael McIntyre</span> British comedian

Michael Hazen James McIntyre is an English comedian, writer, and television presenter. In 2012, he was the highest-grossing stand-up comedian in the world. He currently presents his own Saturday night series, Michael McIntyre's Big Show, and the game show, The Wheel, on BBC One. He also hosts the US version on NBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Smiles</span> British playwright

Roy Smiles is a singer-songwriter & playwright from Ealing, West London. He is also an occasional actor.

I Worked On The Ships is the fourth studio album by Scottish group Ballboy, released in the UK on 25 August 2008. The album is the first to be recorded on the band's own label, Pony Proof Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kid Canaveral</span>

Kid Canaveral was a Scottish alternative pop band that formed in St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, but are now based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2007 the band have released a number of well received singles, an E.P. and an album on their own label, Straight to Video Records, and in 2011 they signed with Scottish independent label Fence Records. The band left Fence Records to join Johnny Lynch on his new label Lost Map Records in August 2013. The band have received praise for their pop hooks and melodies, and their energetic and engaging live performances. Their second record Now That You Are a Dancer was nominated for the 2014 Scottish Album of the Year Award. The group released their third record Faulty Inner Dialogue, via Lost Map Records, on 29 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagleowl</span>

eagleowl are a Scottish lo-fi, indie folk band from Edinburgh, Scotland.

<i>January Songs</i> 2011 studio album by Darren Hayman

January Songs is the fifth studio album by British singer-songwriter Darren Hayman. The album comes from a one-month project undertaken by Hayman whereby each song was written and recorded throughout January 2011 and accompanied by a music video and video diaries. A special anniversary physical release of the album was released in January 2012. A limited edition of 1500 came with sleeves individually hand-drawn by Hayman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Vickers</span> Musical artist

Paul Vickers is the vocalist and lyricist with cult rock band Dawn of the Replicants. After the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2007, he continued to release music with various collaborators as well as branching out into comedy and writing. Described by The Guardian as "a pioneer of the indie/fringe crossover", since 2010 he has performed an annual, award-winning cabaret show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as Mr. Twonkey. He has also released four albums with Edinburgh band The Leg. In 2013 he published his first book, Itchy Grumble, and in 2015 his first theatrical play Jennifer's Robot Arm debuted in London. Twonkey's Mumbo Jumbo Hotel won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2022 What Broke David Lynch? written about the Hollywood film director having difficulty making a costume for The Elephant Man was announced as Vickers 2nd theatre vehicle with Paul playing Lynch himself.

SL Records was a record label based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1997 and is known for releasing anti-folk, alternative rock, and indie pop albums. The label's first release was the compilation album It's a Life Sentence, which was released in May 1997. The album compiled tracks by different artists who had performed live on a radio show co-hosted by Ed Pybus, who later became the label's founder, along with his flatmate Merlin Kemp. Pybus started the label soon after graduating from university; "SL" in the label's name stands for "student loans". The label came to greater attention after its first single, Khaya's "Summer/Winter Song," was played on air by multiple British radio hosts, including John Peel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Waxing Lyrical</span> Scottish musical group

Dominic Waxing Lyrical is a musical band from Edinburgh. The band is centered around their frontman, musician and songwriter Dominic Harris.

References

  1. "Club Anthems: Ballboy: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  2. McIntyre, Gordon. "35 days on the highway - Scotsman.com Living". Living.scotsman.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  3. "A Guide for Daylight Hours: Ballboy: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  4. "The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories: Ballboy: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  5. UK (21 September 2008). "Money Can't Buy Music | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  6. "Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - Ballboy". BBC. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  7. "Midsummer [a play with songs]". Traverse Theatre. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2009.