Cornershop | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Leicester, England |
Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, alternative dance, Britpop [1] |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | Wiiija, Rough Trade, Ample Play, Luaka Bop, Warner Bros. |
Members |
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Past members |
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Website | www |
Cornershop are an English indie rock band formed in Leicester, in 1991. The group are best known for their single "Brimful of Asha" from their third album When I Was Born for the 7th Time , whose remixed version topped the UK singles chart in 1998. They were formed by Tjinder Singh (singer, songwriter, and guitar), his brother Avtar Singh (bass guitar, vocals), David Chambers (drums), and Ben Ayres (guitar, keyboards, and tamboura), the first three having previously been members of General Havoc, who released one single (the Fast Jaspal EP) in 1991. [2] [3] The band name originated from a stereotype referring to British Asians often owning corner shops. Their music is a fusion of Indian music, indie rock, alternative and electronic dance music.
Tjinder Singh formed General Havoc whilst a student at Lancashire Polytechnic in Preston in 1987. [2] He relocated to Leicester, where his brother and sister lived. He formed Cornershop in 1991 along with his brother Avtar and Chambers and Ayres while working as a barman at Leicester's Magazine pub, a popular local music venue near O'Jays, where the band played their first gigs. [4] Named after the stereotype of South Asians owning corner shops, [5] Cornershop drew inspiration from Singh's experiences as a British-born Sikh, mixing traditional Punjabi music with British indie rock. [6] In the early 1990s, when the UK music press criticised singer Morrissey after accusations of racism, the band were invited to comment and the Melody Maker ran a story featuring the band burning a picture of the singer outside the offices of EMI. [7]
Their debut release, the In The Days of Ford Cortina EP, produced by John Robb was pressed on "curry-coloured vinyl" [3] [8] and contained a blend of Indian-tinged noise pop. The sound mellowed somewhat with the release of debut album Hold On It Hurts in 1994, described by Trouser Press as "a politically charged popfest, ten tracks of noisy delights that meld incisive social commentary with a firm hold on British post-punk." [9] The album impressed David Byrne, who signed the band to his label Luaka Bop. [3] Although David Chambers left the band in 1994 and was replaced by Nick Simms, the band re-emerged in 1995 with the "6 a.m. Jullandar Shere" single and the album Woman's Gotta Have It , also touring the United States including some dates on the Lollapalooza tour. [3] The band also toured Europe with Beck, Stereolab and Oasis. [3]
The band released their critically acclaimed album, When I Was Born for the 7th Time , in September 1997. The album incorporates a variety of genres, combining indie rock, Britpop, electronic music, and hip-hop. Tracks such as "When the Light Appears Boy" feature Allen Ginsberg, while "Candyman" includes Justin Warfield, and "Good to Be on the Road Back Home" features Paula Frazer. The band also covers The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" in Punjabi.
Recorded in multiple studios across London, San Francisco, and Preston, Lancashire, the album was produced by Tjinder Singh in collaboration with Dan the Automator and Daddy Rappaport. Rolling Stone named it one of the essential recordings of the 1990s, and it was ranked No. 1 on Spin 's list of "Top 20 Albums of the Year" for 1997. The album reached No. 17 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold. [10]
The album's lead single, "Brimful of Asha," topped John Peel's Festive 50 list in 1997 and became an international hit following a popular remix by Fatboy Slim. The song is a tribute to the Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle and reflects Singh's love for Trojan Records and vinyl culture. [11]
Cornershop took a break from touring in 1998, during which frontman Tjinder Singh and guitarist Ben Ayres worked as DJs and formed the side project Clinton. In 2000, they released a disco inspired album, Disco and the Halfway to Discontent, as part of their side-project. This inspired the launch of the London-based club night called Buttoned Down Disco, which took its name from the third track on the album. [12]
Cornershop's next official release was the 2002 album Handcream for a Generation. The album was recorded between 2000 and 2001 at West Orange Studios in Preston, Lancashire, and Eastcote Studios in London, with Singh producing most of the album and Rob Swift co-producing two tracks. Drawing on soul, funk, disco, house, reggae, and psychedelic rock, featuring instruments like sitar and tabla, the album also featured a collaboration with Noel Gallagher on guitar. [3] Two singles, "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" and "Staging," peaked at 37 and 80 on the UK Singles Chart. Cornershop promoted the album with UK and US tours, festival appearances, and performances with Oasis.
Despite initial success, Cornershop parted ways with Wiiija in October 2002 due to low album sales. Since 2003, they have reportedly been working on a film about London's independent music scene. In 2004, they released Topknot with Bubbley Kaur on Rough Trade Records, followed by the 2006 single Wop the Groove, featuring Rowetta from Happy Mondays. Their song "Candyman" was later used in Nike's LeBron James VI shoe commercial, The Six "Chalk," in 2008. In July 2009, they released the album Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast , led by the single "The Roll-Off Characteristics (Of History in the Making)," on their label, Ample Play. [13]
In 2011, Cornershop were awarded a prize for Commitment to Scene in the UK Asian Music Awards. [14] and released Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of , a collaborative album with Punjabi folk singer Bubbley Kaur, which was critically acclaimed. [15] They also launched the "Singhles Club," a subscription service featuring musical collaborations and digital artwork. Their eighth album, Urban Turban , came out in May 2012, followed by their ninth album, Hold On It's Easy , in February 2015. [16] In July 2015, they released the single "Pinpoint" with Welsh singer Angharad Van Rijswijk, aka Accü. [17]
In 2017, they gave an instrumental track called 'Demon is a Monster' to the anti-Brexit podcast 'Remainiacs' as a theme tune. [18] The track was then released digitally. [19] Cornershop are fiercely anti-Brexit. [20] In March 2020, they released a new album, England Is a Garden to generally positive reviews. The first official video from the album accompanying the track 'St Marie Under Canon' was released in February 2020. [21]
Release date | Title | Charts | Certifications | |
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UK [22] | AUS [23] | |||
31 January 1994 | Hold On It Hurts | — | — | |
23 October 1995 | Woman's Gotta Have It | — | — | |
8 September 1997 | When I Was Born for the 7th Time | 17 | 81 | |
1 April 2002 | Handcream for a Generation | 30 | — | |
27 July 2009 | Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast | 145 | — | |
14 March 2011 | Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of | — | — | |
14 May 2012 | Urban Turban | — | — | |
2 February 2015 | Hold On It's Easy | — | — | |
6 March 2020 | England Is a Garden | — | — |
Release date | Title |
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19 July 1993 | Elvis Sex-Change |
4 March 2013 | Snap Yr Cookies |
22 April 2013 | The Hot for May Sound |
Release date | Title | Charts | Certifications | Album | |
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UK [22] | AUS [23] | ||||
1993 | In the Days of Ford Cortina EP | - | - | Non-album singles | |
30 April 1993 | Lock Stock & Double Barrel EP | - | - | ||
10 January 1994 | "Reader's Wives" | 91 | - | Hold on It Hurts | |
28 March 1994 | "Born Disco, Died Heavy Metal" | - | - | ||
March, 1994 | "Seetar Man" (split single with Blood Sausage) | - | - | Non-album single | |
17 April 1995 [25] | "6 a.m. Jullander Shere" | - | - | Woman's Gotta Have It | |
1995 | "My Dancing Days Are Done" (split single with Prohibition) | - | - | ||
26 February 1996 | "6 a.m. Jullander Shere: The Grid and Star Liner Mixes" | - | - | ||
24 June 1996 | "W.O.G. – The U.S Western Oriental Mixes" | - | - | ||
25 November 1996 | "Butter the Soul" | - | - | When I Was Born for the 7th Time | |
9 June 1997 | "Good Ships" / "Funky Days Are Back Again" | 107 | - | ||
18 August 1997 | "Brimful of Asha" | 60 | 35 |
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16 February 1998 | "Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)" | 1 | - | ||
4 May 1998 | "Sleep on the Left Side" | 23 | - | ||
26 October 1998 | "Candyman" | - | - | ||
4 March 2002 | "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" | 37 | - | Handcream for a Generation | |
19 August 2002 | "Staging (The Plaguing of the Raised Platform)" | 80 | - | ||
26 July 2004 | "Topknot" / "Natch" (Cornershop presents Bubbley Kaur) | 53 | - | Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of... | |
6 February 2006 | "Wop the Groove" (Cornershop featuring Rowetta) | 145 | - | Non-album single | |
25 May 2009 | "The Roll Off Characteristics of History in the Making" | - | - | Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast | |
3 May 2010 | The School of Soul EP | - | - | ||
9 August 2010 | "Brimful of Asher" (12" Bosom Mix by The Naked Ape) | - | - | Non-album singles | |
30 August 2010 | "The Electronic E-Mail Mixes" (Cornershop & Matsuki Ayumu) | - | - | ||
22 November 2010 | The Battle of New Orleans EP | - | - | ||
17 January 2011 | "Topknot" / "Natch" (reissue) (Cornershop presents Bubbley Kaur) | - | - | Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of… | |
14 February 2011 | "United Provinces of India" (Cornershop presents Bubbley Kaur) | - | - | ||
9 May 2011 | "Supercomputed" (Cornershop presents Bubbley Kaur) | - | - | ||
30 May 2011 | "Non-Stop Radio" (Cornershop featuring Celeste) | - | - | Urban Turban - The Singhles Club | |
27 17 June 2011 | "What Did the Hippie Have in His Bag?" (Cornershop featuring Castle Hill Primary) | - | - | ||
30 May 2011 | "Non Stop Radio (The Italian Job Remixes)" (Cornershop featuring Celeste) | - | - | ||
19 September 2011 | "Don't Shake It (Let It Free)" (Cornershop presents Bubbley Kaur) | - | - | Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of… | |
9 April 2012 | "Milkin' It" (Cornershop featuring in Light of Aquarius) | - | - | Urban Turban - The Singhles Club | |
25 June 2012 | "Who's Gonna Lite It Up" (Cornershop featuring Izzy Lindqwister) | - | - | ||
9 July 2012 | "Solid Gold" (Cornershop featuring Katie) | - | - | ||
5 November 2012 | "Something Makes You Feel Like" (Cornershop featuring Soko) | - | - | ||
3 December 2012 | "Every Year So Different" (Cornershop featuring Trwbador) | - | - | Non-album singles | |
15 July 2015 | "Pinpoint" (Cornershop featuring Accu) | - | - | ||
4 December 2015 | "Let the Good Times Roll" | - | - | ||
1 April 2016 | Hold the Corner EP (Cornershop featuring Mike Flowers Pops) | - | - | ||
20 October 2017 | "Demon Is a Monster" | - | - | ||
27 July 2018 | "Double Denim" / "Sugar Sugar" | - | - | ||
26 November 2019 | "No Rock: Save in Roll" | - | - | England Is a Garden | |
27 January 2020 [26] | "St Marie Under Canon" | - | - |
Asha Bhosle is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the greatest and most influential singers in Hindi cinema. In her career spanning over eight decades she has recorded songs for films and albums in various Indian languages and received several accolades including two National Film Awards, four BFJA Awards, eighteen Maharashtra State Film Awards, nine Filmfare Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award and a record seven Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer, in addition to two Grammy nominations. In 2000, she was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 2008, she was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour of the country. The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged her in 2011 as the most recorded artist in music history.
Prolapse were an English indie rock band formed in Leicester, England, originally active from c. 1992 to 2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock, krautrock and shoegazing styles. The band's sound was also characterised by the alternating, contrasting vocal styles of Linda Steelyard and Mick Derrick.
"Brimful of Asha" is a song by English alternative rock band Cornershop from their third album, When I Was Born for the 7th Time (1997). The recording, released by Wiiija, originally reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997. After a remixed version by Norman Cook became a radio and critical success, the song was re-released and reached number one on the UK chart and number 16 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The lyric is a tribute to the Indian singer Asha Bhosle. Its music video was directed by Phil Harder.
Raga rock is rock or pop music with a pronounced Indian influence, either in its construction, its timbre, or its use of Indian musical instruments, such as the sitar, tambura, and tabla. The term "raga" refers to the specific melodic modes used in Indian classical music.
Swell Maps were an English experimental DIY, early punk and post-punk rock group from Birmingham, England active in various forms between 1972 and 1980. Influenced by bands such as T. Rex and German krautrock groups such as Can and Faust, they went on to be influential to many others in the post-punk era.
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually dominated by indie and rock songs which did not fully represent the diversity of music played by Peel but rather the majority opinion among his listeners. After Peel's death the tradition of the Festive Fifty was continued, first by other Radio 1 DJs and then by the Internet radio station Dandelion Radio.
When I Was Born for the 7th Time is the third studio album by the English indie rock band Cornershop, released on 8 September 1997 by Wiiija. The album received high acclaim from music critics and features the international hit single "Brimful of Asha".
Crazyhead are an English garage punk band from Leicester, England. Though lumped in with the largely media-created grebo scene, they were more influenced by the garage rock of the late 1960s, as well as bands like the Ramones, The Stooges and Captain Beefheart. They have often described themselves as an "urban bastard blues band", and their songs range in theme from trenchant social commentary to the surreal, but always with an underlying vein of black humour.
Woman's Gotta Have It is the second album by Cornershop, released in 1995.
Handcream for a Generation is the fourth studio album to be recorded by the British rock band Cornershop. It was released on 1 April 2002 by Wiiija. Following the release of their third studio album When I Was Born for the 7th Time (1997), the band abstained from touring for the majority of 1998. During their hiatus, frontman Tjinder Singh and guitarist Ben Ayres worked as disc jockeys (DJs), formed the side project Clinton and released an album under that moniker while Singh was suffering from fatigue. Between mid-2000 and June 2001, Cornershop recorded their next album at West Orange Studios in Preston, Lancashire, and Eastcote Studios in Ladbroke Grove, London. Singh produced the album and Rob Swift co-produced two of the songs.
Hold On It Hurts is the 1994 debut album by Cornershop. It failed to reach commercial success, but went some way in helping the band find its niche in the following years.
Black Star Liner were formed in Leeds in 1994, by Choque Hosein, Tom Salmon, and Chris Harrop. Their music consisted of a mix of Asian music, dance music and dub.
Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast is a 2009 studio album by British band Cornershop. It was their first album in seven years following 2002's Handcream for a Generation. The band were dropped by Beggars Banquet Records after disagreements about the promotion of their previous album, and Tjinder Singh explained the reasons for the seven-year gap before this album: "We needed to take a break from doing music. I didn't stop working but the climate didn't seem very fertile for what we were doing. It was really a case of waiting for a time when it was more receptive." The band also made a film in that time, which has yet to be released, and set up their own Ample Play record label. The band released the album independently through their website and in local shops.
Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of... is a 2011 studio album by the British band Cornershop. It follows their 2009 album Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast. The album had been six years in the making and is a collaboration album with Bubbley Kaur, a previously unrecorded Punjabi singer. The funds for its release were raised via Pledgemusic.
Punjabi by Nature was a seven piece bhangra band founded in Toronto in 1993. They were nominated for a Juno Award for Best Global Album at the Juno Awards of 1996, for their album Jmpn For Joy.
Urban Turban is a 2012 studio album by the British band Cornershop. It follows their 2011 album Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of. Like their previous effort, the album consists mostly of collaborations; however, unlike its predecessor, which consisted solely of music with vocalist Bubbley Kaur, Urban Turban includes a variety of collaborators, including SoKo and Amar. The album originated as a project called The Singhles Club, in which the band sent subscribers a new song on a monthly basis via e-mail along with unique cover art. All six tracks from this project appear on the album.
The Bombay Royale was an 11-piece Australian band fronted by singers Parvyn Kaur Singh and Shourov Bhattacharya and led by Andy Williamson. The band performed original music that blends funk, disco and pop music with the classical and folk music of India, much like the soundtracks of 1960s and 1970s Bollywood movies. The band was conceived by musical director Andy Williamson who also plays saxophone and flute.
Hold On It's Easy is a 2015 studio album by the British band Cornershop. It consists of easy listening re-recordings of tracks from the band's 1994 album Hold On It Hurts, with the Elastic Big Band. Singer Tjinder Singh said of the album "There was also an element of humour about doing a very noisy Riot Grrrl album in an easy-listening format. It came about because over the years we have got to know many a different musician, so it made the whole thing possible."
Elvis Sex-Change is a compilation album by the British indie rock band Cornershop, released in 1993. It compiles the band's first two EPs In the Days of Ford Cortina and Lock Stock & Double Barrel.
England Is a Garden is a studio album by British indie rock band Cornershop. It was released on 6 March 2020 under the band's own label, Ample Play Records.