Balloon (band)

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Balloon were an early 1990s music duo from London, consisting of Ian Bickerton and David Sheppard. Their first album, Gravity , was released in 1992 by Dedicated Records, a British record label known for neo-psychedelia. [1]

Biography

Bickerton and Sheppard met in 1988. They recorded more than 60 demo tracks before they were signed by Dedicated Records. [2]

Critic Eve Zibart of The Washington Post described the band's music as "a peculiarly soothing mix of Feargal Sharkey, Storyville, white soul, mild social unrest punk and Leonard Cohen." [3] Jae-Ha Kim of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Balloon's music is atmospheric and winsome, with acoustic guitars caressing velvety voices." [4]

Their first album, Gravity , was released in 1992. Produced by Michael Brook, the record featured contributions from Sarah McLachlan (on the track "Tightrope Walker") [1] and James Pinker. Bickerton wrote the music and lyrics, while Sheppard played all sorts of instruments. The album was recorded mostly in New Orleans, [1] at Daniel Lanois' studio. The duo toured the US in 1992, [2] with percussionist James Pinker as a touring member. [5]

Balloon supported Bill Hicks on his final UK tour, including performing at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, on Dec 1st 1992.

Balloon played one-off shows for Violette Societa at the Social, London WC1, in November 2016, and Leaf, Liverpool, in November 2022. In late 2024, Balloon released Gas 'n' Air, a new LP recorded in Mexico City.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Jenkins, Mark. "Balloon Floating On Jazzy 'Gravity'", The Washington Post, 26 June 1992, p. N16.
  2. 1 2 Lozaw, Tristram. "Balloon bursting on scene with 'station-wagon' tour", Boston Herald , 1992-06-26, p. S16.
  3. ↑ Zibart, Eve. "Neil Young Not Growing Old Quietly", The Washington Post , 1992-06-26, p. N21.
  4. ↑ Kim, Jae-Ha. "Balloon's History: The First Volume", Chicago Sun-Times , 1992-08-14, p. 5.
  5. ↑ Augusto, Troy J. (August 1992). "Sarah Mclachlan; Balloon", Variety review database.


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