Blueboy (band)

Last updated

Blueboy
Origin Reading, Berkshire, England
Genres Indie pop
Years active19891999, 2023
Labels Sarah Records
Shinkansen Recordings
Prenew
MembersPaul Stewart
Gemma Townley
Mark Cousens
Martin Rose
Past membersKeith Girdler (deceased)
Harvey Williams
Lloyd Haggar
Cath Close
James Neville
Ian Gardner

Blueboy are an indie pop band formed in Reading, Berkshire who were signed to Sarah Records and later Shinkansen Recordings. Core members Keith Girdler and Paul Stewart also recorded as Arabesque and Beaumont. After breaking up in 1998 and Girdler's passing in 2007, Stewart resumed the band in 2023 with several of its previous members. [1]

Contents

History

Blueboy formed around 1989 and initially consisted of Keith Girdler (on vocals) and Paul Stewart (on guitars), formerly of little-known band Feverfew. [2] [3] They soon signed to Sarah Records, releasing the home-recorded single "Clearer" in 1991, and took on more members, including singer/cellist Gemma Townley and second guitarist Harvey Williams (of The Field Mice/Another Sunny Day). [2] "Clearer" was followed by several singles and two albums on Sarah, If Wishes Were Horses and Unisex. [2] In October 1994, Blueboy recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. [4] Their final release before going on hiatus, The Bank of England, was released in 1998 on Sarah head Matt Haynes' new label, Shinkansen Recordings. [3] By then, Girdler and Stewart were the only original members of the band. Girdler and Stewart were also involved in two other bands, Arabesque and Beaumont, [2] and Girdler also recorded with Lovejoy. [3] Townley later joined Trembling Blue Stars, as did Williams.

Keith Girdler was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and he died on 15 May 2007. Prior to his death he was working as volunteer manager for Age Concern in Eastbourne.

In 2008, Siesta Records issued a compilation album called Country Music (Songs for Keith Girdler). The compilation was put together by Richard Preece (of Lovejoy) to raise money for the Martletts Hospice in Hove who cared for Girdler.

In 2018, Blueboy's music was released to Bandcamp as part of the release of all the Sarah Records back-catalogue. [5]

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paul Stewart recorded acoustic versions of some Blueboy songs and posted them to the "OfficialBlueboy" Youtube channel to connect with those interested in the band.

October 2023 saw a reunion described as "almost accidental" when Townley (now going by Gemma Malley) and Stewart played at the launch of These Things Happen: The Sarah Records Story. This was followed by a new single in May 2024, "One", which was recorded as a four-piece with Stewart and Townley rejoined by Mark Cousens on bass and Martin Rose on drums. To mark the release of "One" and celebrate the 30th anniversary of Unisex, Blueboy performed a full-band show on the 18th of May at the Water Rats in London. [6] Another new single, "Deux", followed on the 2nd of November. [1]

Discography

[7]

Albums

YearAlbumLabel
1992If Wishes Were HorsesSarah Records
1994UnisexSarah Records
1998The Bank of EnglandShinkansen Recordings

Singles

Compilations

Discography as Arabesque

[8]

Discography as Beaumont

[9]

Compilation album appearances

Related Research Articles

Sarah Records was a British independent record label active in Bristol between 1987 and 1995, best known for its recordings of indie pop, which it released mostly on 7" singles. On reaching the catalogue number SARAH 100, the label celebrated its 100th release by throwing a party and shutting itself down. In March 2015, NME declared Sarah to be the second greatest indie label of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Future Sound of London</span> British electronic group

The Future Sound of London is a British electronic music duo composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. They have been described as a "boundary-pushing" electronic act, covering techno, ambient, house music, trip hop, psychedelia, and dub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Datblygu</span> Welsh experimental rock group

Datblygu were a Welsh experimental rock group formed in 1982. They are regarded as a catalyst of the new wave of Welsh rock in the early 1980s.

Urusei Yatsura were a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1993.

Another Sunny Day was an indie pop solo project of Harvey Williams, signed to Sarah Records. Williams later recorded two albums under his own name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Even as We Speak</span> Australian indie band

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.K. Subs</span> English punk rock band

U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. One of the first hardcore punk bands, elements of rhythm and blues music - including harmonica - also remained an occasional element of their work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muruga Booker</span> American musician (born 1942)

Steven Bookvich known as Muruga Booker is an American drummer, composer, inventor, artist, recording artist, and an autonomous Eastern Orthodox priest.

Trembling Blue Stars was the London-based band music project of Robert Wratten, started in 1996. Later consisting of Harvey Williams, Jonathan Akerman, Keris Howard, Michael Hiscock, and Beth Arzy who replaced Annemari Davies in 2000. Initially begun as a side project of Wratten's previous band Northern Picture Library, Trembling Blue Stars became Wratten's main band when Northern Picture Library broke up in 1995. Wratten took the name of his band from The Story of O by Pauline Réage. Trembling Blue Stars are characterized by melancholic songs with shimmering guitars and introspective lyrics.

Fat Tulips were an indie pop band from Nottingham, England, who released one album, on the Vinyl Japan label, and over 10 singles on the band's own Heaven Records and others.

Arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of plant tendrils, leaves and flowers, very common in Islamic art. It may also refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comet Gain</span> British indie pop band

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".

Skyscraper were a British-based rock band active between 1992 and 1998. They released three singles on Food Records and two albums and one single on their own Dynosupreme Records, also touring the UK extensively and appearing on MTV and British national radio. The band were favourites of the UK rock press, with Metal Hammer magazine calling Skyscraper's 1995 album Superstate "... the best debut by far of any British rock band in recent years".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kev Hopper</span> English bass guitarist

Kev Hopper is an English bass guitarist.

The Psylons were an English post-punk band formed in Portsmouth, England in 1984 by Keith Wyatt, Carl Edwards, Jack Packer and Warren Grech. The band produced four singles, an EP and two albums, the second of which, “Gimp” was produced by Jim Shaw of Cranes. The debut single "Run To The Stranger" was a New Musical Express Single of the Week and reached number 13 in the Alternative/Indie chart. Two sessions were recorded for BBC Radio One and broadcast on the John Peel and Andy Kershaw shows.

Monograph was a London-based indie rock band that began recording music in 1995 and broke up in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trixie's Big Red Motorbike</span> British indie pop band

Trixie's Big Red Motorbike was an indie pop band formed on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, in 1981. They released two singles, one EP and one flexi disc. A vinyl compilation album of their music called The Intimate Sound of Trixie’s Big Red Motorbike was released by Accident Records in 1995. A retrospective album called All Day Long in Bliss was released on Lobby Lud Records in February of 2012. They reformed that same year.

Glorium was a prolific art punk band that was formed in San Antonio, Texas, in 1991. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1992, the band released several 7-inch records and albums, many on local Austin independent record labels. The band's music is a blend of post-punk, emo, art rock, classic rock, garage rock, progressive rock and noise rock with a strong DIY ethic.

Muruga Booker has played on many different recordings by a wide variety of artists including Weather Report, Bob Dylan, James Gurley, Tim Hardin, Al Kooper, Mitch Ryder, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, David Peel, Babatunde Olatunji, Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, Buzzy Linhart and many more. He has appeared on albums released by A&M, Bear Family Records, Capitol Records, Chesky Records, Columbia Records, Elektra, Grateful Dead Records, P-Vine, Paramount Records, RCA Records, Relix Records, Uncle Jam and Verve Forecast, among others. He has also self-released many recordings on his own Musart record label through Bandcamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Day Is Gone</span> 1991 single by Cardiacs

"Day Is Gone" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their third studio album, Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992). It was released as a twelve-inch single preceding the album on 28 October 1991 alongside a free 7-inch titled "Appealing to Venus" by side project the Sea Nymphs from their eponymous debut studio album (1992). Both tracks were written by Tim Smith who solely produced the former, while the Sea Nymphs produced the latter. Musically, "Day Is Gone" has been described as a power pop song with a 5
4
time signature and prominent guitars.

References

  1. 1 2 Morehead, Jason (3 November 2024). ""Deux" by Blueboy". Opus. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ankeny, Jason "Blueboy Biography", allmusic.com, Macrovision Corporation
  3. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 633-4
  4. Details of Blueboy's Peel session from the BBC's Keeping It Peel site
  5. Bandcamp announcement of Sarah's arrival
  6. Key, Iain. "Blueboy to Release First Single in 25 Years". Louder Than War. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. Blueboy on Discogs.com
  8. Arabesque on Discogs.com
  9. Beaumont on Discogs.com