Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles | |
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 Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles at Telford's Warehouse | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Llandudno, North Wales, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Unsigned |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles are a British rock band formed in the autumn of 2015 in the area around Llandudno, North Wales and Chester, England.
Billy Bibby names Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, Noel Gallagher, and George Harrison of The Beatles as key musical influences. [1]
The band is fronted by Billy Bibby, former lead guitarist and founding member of Catfish and the Bottlemen. In 2014, Billy Bibby began writing songs and playing acoustic shows in various UK cities in order to test public response to his new music. In the spring of 2015, Billy Bibby began seeking musicians to form a new band. Auditions were conducted with the help of Simon Jones, formerly of The Verve, and his business partner James Coe, at their recording studio (Faktory Studios) in Great Barrow, Chester. Band members Rob Jones (lead guitar), Matt Thomas (bass), and Michael Pearce (drums) were selected to form the original lineup of the four-piece ensemble. [2] On 3 February 2018, Thomas Hill (lead guitar) and Ailís Mackay (drums) played their first live gig with the band at Nambucca in London, replacing former members Rob Jones and Michael Pearce.
Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles released their debut single "Waitin' for You" on 3 November 2015. The song has received radio play on BBC Radio Wales, Radio X, UIC Radio Chicago, RKC, and other independent radio stations. The band played their first live show at Telford's Warehouse in Chester, UK on 28 November 2015 and toured extensively throughout the UK playing more than 70 shows in 2016. [3] Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles released their debut EP Bide Your Time on 5 February 2016. It was recorded at Orange Sound Recording Studio in Penmaenmawr, North Wales with record producer Russ Hayes who had previously worked with Bibby on two EPs released by Catfish and the Bottlemen. All songs on the debut EP are written by Billy Bibby. On 17 June 2016, the band released another single produced by Hayes called "Are You Ready?". The song received advance radio play by Adam Walton of BBC Radio Wales and Jo Good of Radio X as well as coverage by NME [4] and emerging music websites such as XS Noize [5] and Best New Bands. [6] On 27 January 2017, a third single, "Substitute" was released. It was immediately playlisted on BBC Radio Wales, [7] Virgin Radio UK. [8] and Indie FM 103.1 Los Angeles. [9] The single "Always Something" was released 31 March 2017, coinciding with two summer 2017 festival announcements: a headline slot on the Crystal Stage at Tramlines Festival 2017 and an appearance on the Calling Out Stage at Kendal Calling 2017. [10] [11]
On 9 November 2016, it was announced by BBC Music that Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles had been awarded Horizons Launchpad 2016 funding for new music development. Billy Bibby and Matt Thomas were interviewed by Eleri Siôn of BBC Radio Wales about the award the same day. [12] [13] On 31 January 2017, the band announced in a second interview with Eleri Siôn of BBC Radio Wales that the band had been awarded a grant from Arts Council of Wales for audience development over the next six months. [14]
In mid-2019 Bibby and Hill formed a new band, HAiG, with bass player Carl Rutherford and drummer Joe Mooney.
| Year | Title | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Bide Your Time | Independent |
|
| Year | Title | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Waitin' for You" | Independent | Digital download |
| 2016 | "Are You Ready?" | Independent |
|
| 2017 | "Substitute" | Independent | Digital download |
| 2017 | "Always Something" | Independent | Digital download |
| 2017 | "Hamburg" | Independent | Digital download |
Huw Meredydd Stephens is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music.
BBC Music Introducing is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. The backbone of that network consists of 32 BBC local radio shows on stations across England and the Channel Islands, various network shows in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which also give artists the opportunity to be played nationally on BBC Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 6 Music and the Asian Network, as well as playing Introducing stages at festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, South by Southwest, Latitude Festival and BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.
The Shallow Call were an indie rock band from Northwich, England, established in 2004. They played with such notable bands as Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Charlatans, The Pigeon Detectives and The Enemy.
Eleri Siôn is a Welsh radio and television presenter.
The Tramlines Festival is an annual music festival held in Sheffield, UK. The festival was originally free to attend, but now requires tickets. The line-up consists of national and local artists. The festival was curated and organised by a panel comprising local venue owners, promoters and volunteers. The name of the festival is inspired by the city's tram network. Tramlines held its first festival in 2009, which attracted 35,000 fans and was seen as a huge success, and 2010's event doubled that figure. The success of Tramlines Festival 2011 led to the event winning 'Best Metropolitan Festival' at the UK Festival Awards. Superstruct Entertainment, the live entertainment platform backed by Providence Equity Partners, owns the festival after it entered definitive agreement for the acquisition of several live music and entertainment festivals from Global Media & Entertainment and Broadwick Live.
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Catfish and the Bottlemen is a British indie rock band formed in Llandudno, Conwy, Wales, in 2007. The band's debut album, The Balcony, reached number 10 in the UK Albums Chart and achieved Platinum status on 30 December 2016. The band have toured in South America, Japan, UK, Europe, North America, and Australia performing a wide selection of festivals including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Latitude, Falls Festival, Community Festival, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park, Governors Ball, All Points East, Bonnaroo, Splendour in the Grass, and TRNSMT. They won a Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act on 24 February 2016. On 27 May 2016, they released their second album, The Ride, which reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and has sold 300,000 units in the UK since its release. On 26 April 2019, they released their third album, The Balance, which reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart. The band will be headlining the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK in 2024.
The Balcony is the debut studio album by Welsh indie rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen. It was released on 15 September 2014 in the United Kingdom and 15 January 2015 in the United States. On 20 March 2015, The Balcony was awarded a Gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry. The album cover depicts outlines of two headless people pleasuring each other's genitals. The illustration is by New York artist Tim Lahan who originally posted it to his Flickr account in 2009 and was subsequently contacted by the band.
Catfish the Bottleman is an Australian busker, musician and singer-songwriter; he uses drums and tuned beer bottles. His nickname, Catfish, was earned in 2000 due to his styled spiky beard, which was reminiscent of the whiskers of a catfish.
The Welsh Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from Wales, as voted for by members of the music industry. It was founded by music promoter John Rostron and radio presenter Huw Stephens in 2011. It was originally scheduled to take place alongside Sŵn music festival in Cardiff but now takes place later in the year.
The Slow Readers Club are an English rock band from Manchester. Their third studio album, Build a Tower, was a UK Top 20 hit album, reaching number 18. Their follow-up, The Joy of the Return, made it to the top 10, peaking at number 9 in March 2020.
Bide Your Time is the debut extended play (EP) by British rock band Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles, produced by Russ Hayes at Orange Sound Recording Studio in Penmaenmawr, North Wales. It was released on 5 February 2016 digitally and on CDs available for purchase at shows. The EP's title refers to a song that Billy Bibby has said will be released at a later date. Bibby has also stated that Bide Your Time describes the music business in that one must be patient and hardworking to succeed.
The Ride is the second studio album by Welsh indie rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen. It was released on 27 May 2016 through Island Records and Capitol Records. The album was produced by Dave Sardy, who has previously worked with bands such as Oasis, Jet and Wolfmother. The Ride became the band's first UK no.1 album and was promoted by four singles; "Soundcheck", "7", "Twice" and "Outside", the second of which became the band's highest charting UK single at the time. The album received generally mixed reviews upon release.
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"Rango" is the second single by Welsh indie rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen. The song was included in their EP, Kathleen and the Other Three, and their debut studio album, The Balcony. The single was released on 13 August 2013.
The Balance is the third studio album by Welsh band Catfish and the Bottlemen. It was released on 26 April 2019 through Island Records and Capitol Records. It was preceded by the lead single "Longshot", which reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart, also becoming the band's highest-charting song on the chart. The album was supported by a European tour, which began in April 2019. The album received mixed reviews from critics.
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Welsh pop and rock music is popular music of Wales produced commercially in Wales.
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