Elliot Minor

Last updated

Elliot Minor
Elliotminorlive.jpg
Elliot Minor live at the 02 Academy Islington (2009)
Background information
Origin York, England, United Kingdom
Genres
Years active2000–2010, 2014, 2024-
Labels Warner Bros. Records Inc. (distribution)
Repossession Records
Dreamusic Incorporated (Japan)
MembersAlex Davies
Ed Minton
Dan Hetherton
Ed 'Teddy' Hetherton
Ali Paul
Website ElliotMinor.com

Elliot Minor are an English rock band from York, England. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Davies, vocalist and guitarist Ed Minton, drummer Dan Hetherton, bassist Ed Hetherton and keyboardist Ali Paul. The band had a string of Top 40 singles in the UK chart, including "Jessica", "The White One Is Evil", "Still Figuring Out" alongside their biggest hit "Parallel Worlds". In 2010, the band entered an indefinite hiatus which lasted until 2014 when they played some reunion shows and released a new single before returning to their hiatus. In November 2024, they announced their return from hiatus and are releasing new music and playing select London shows in 2025.

Contents

History

The Academy: Formation and early days: 2000–2006

Elliot Minor started as 'The Academy' with Alex Davies and Ed Minton as an acoustic duo when they met at Uppingham School, both aged thirteen years old. [1] Alex Davies, Dan and Ed Hetherton, and Ali Paul originally attended The Minster School, York, and had music scholarships to sing in the cathedral choir at York Minster. [2] Davies invited childhood friend Dan Hetherton as a drummer to a band practice to see if he was interested in joining. Dan Hetherton recruited his brother Ed (nicknamed 'Teddy') to join the band on bass. Ali Paul was eventually invited to join the band on keyboard, completing the band's lineup. The band name was changed to 'Elliot Minor' to avoid copyright issues with 'The Academy'.

Elliot Minor: 2006–2008

In 2006, Elliot Minor won a MySpace competition to support McFly for one show on their Motion in the Ocean tour with an audience of over 11,000 at Newcastle. They signed to Repossession Records, an independent label run by their manager, Gary Ashley. Their first single, "Parallel Worlds", reached No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart; [3] subsequent singles, "Jessica", "The White One Is Evil", and "Still Figuring Out", all reached the top 30. [3] "Parallel Worlds" was reissued, [4] followed by "Time After Time". In 2007 they headlined a new music festival in the south called Butserfest.

Elliot Minor signed a distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records and recorded their debut album in Santa Monica, California, with Jim Wirt, producer for Hoobastank, Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate, Incubus and others, and it debuted on 14 April 2008. Many of the songs from the album were written during their school days. Upon release, the album managed to debut at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, [3] and at No. 30 on the Irish Albums Chart. [5]

That same year (2008), Elliot Minor played at several large music festivals, including T in the Park, Reading and Leeds, and Download Festival. Davies and Minton performed an acoustic cover of Propane Nightmares by Pendulum at T in the Park for Radio 1. [6] Elliot Minor also made an appearance on Jo Whiley's Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 3 , recording a cover of Take That's "Rule the World". Their song "Running Away" was featured on the BBC's coverage of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

Solaris and Solaris Acoustic: 2009–2010

Elliot Minor took a break from touring to write their second album, Solaris . In June 2009, the band announced that their distribution deal with Warner Bros. had come to an end, and that they had decided to part ways from the label and release Solaris on Repossession Records as an independent album. [7]

Alex Davies drew from experiences and changes in his life over the years Elliot Minor had been formed until the present when writing the album. He says, "The majority of the songs are uplifting as I was being positive in a pretty tough year to work through and the others are more personal and intimate." They have described their first album as being a collection of singles, while their second is more of a proper album with a beginning, middle, and end. This album was also recorded with Jim Wirt.

"Solaris" was announced to be the first single from the band's second album; however, due to technical problems with the format of the single, it was not released on iTunes as planned on 10 August 2009. The band decided to go with "Electric High" as the first single instead. The tracks "Solaris" and "Discover (Why the Love Hurts)" were rerecorded before the album was released on 19 October 2009. The album, mixed by John Greatwood and Tom Lord-Alge, reached No. 9 in the UK Indie Chart. The album was released in Japan, along with exclusive bonus tracks, on 21 April 2010.

An alternate version of "Solaris" was featured on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics BBC coverage. The band recorded a cover of Owl City's "Fireflies" for fun, posting it on their YouTube channel along with footage of their video blogs. The song was picked up by Kerrang! and gained popularity when the station aired an edited version of the video on Kerrang! TV. The song has also received radio airplay by Kerrang!.

An hour long live special featuring the band playing live at the Relentless Garage in London on their April 2010 tour was shown on Kerrang! TV on 16 August. At the start of 2010, it was announced that an acoustic version of the album Solaris was to be recorded and released later that year. Solaris Acoustic , was released on 15 November 2010, along with a DVD of the Kerrang! live special.

Hiatus: 2010–present

On 28 August 2010, keyboardist Ali Paul announced that after completing tour commitments with Elliot Minor in September he would be leaving the band and would go on to recommence university studies. On 14 September 2011, Ali appeared on BBC One quiz show Pointless alongside his then girlfriend. Ali stated "They (Elliot Minor) haven't gone for good, everyone's just taking time out to do their own thing for now". They got to the final round but left empty handed.

In November 2010, drummer Dan Hetherton started working on a project with James Matthews, former singer of Go:Audio. They formed the band The Dead Famous with close friends Luke Bayliss and Satoshi, playing bass and guitar respectively. Satoshi was replaced in early 2011 by another close friend, Fred. In December 2011 Dan Hetherton stated via his Facebook page that other members of Elliot Minor wanted a break, so he formed the Dead Famous to continue his passion of making music.

When Ed Minton was interviewed in 2014, he spoke about Elliot Minor's hiatus stating, "It's a tough one, when a band doesn't work out well... it just doesn't work out! We had a load of issues with our label, management and all the backend stuff in general, the fans were never the reason we parted.". [8]

Davies continued musical endeavours, producing his new band called 'Spirits' which was announced on his Twitter page. Davies currently works as a composer, composing music for the BBC TV series Silent Witness. [9] Minton studied business management at King's College London, and is now a director in a private equity firm. Ed Hetherton studied geophysics at University College London and works in industry. Ali Paul studied law at the University of York and works as a legal professional.

Reunion: 2014

As of 30 November 2013 the band started to post on their Facebook page, merely posting "2014" for the first few days, but building up with hints. Originally taken by fans as a reunion, the band announced on 7 December that they would play a one-off show at Camden Underworld 28 March 2014 supported by Maven, They Say Fall and Forever The Foundations. [10] The band sold the show out in minutes and they added another show, and would go on to play another show later in 2014 to promote their new song "All My Life", a one-off single. The band then returned to their hiatus, continuing to be active on social media.

The Fever the Focus

In 2016, Alex Davies and Ed Minton came together for a one-off mini-project known as The Fever the Focus. They released an album, Fading Lights, after gaining funds through the crowd-funding website Pledge Music.

Musical background and style

The members of Elliot Minor are classically trained musicians and play a wide variety of instruments including violin, piano, clarinet, cello, double bass, saxophone, guitar and drums. Davies was taught piano by musician, composer and broadcaster, Alexis Ffrench; Davies acknowledged “I got a lot of advice from him to pursue my rock career as well”. The Hetherton brothers also have a classical music grounding from playing in the Pocklington School orchestra.

Their music is described as "pop/rock with a lot of classical harmonies", and is known for being rich in minor and dissonant chords. [11] Many of their songs are characterised by their vocal harmonies, including the use of polyphony. Davies cited influence from his English choral traditions stating "Renaissance harmonies have always been a big go-to for me, I just love all the harmonic clashing. I definitely tried to use that in Elliot Minor.". [12] Their recorded songs are rich in complex string and choral arrangements, all written by Davies, which are difficult to replicate live without a full orchestra. However, the classical elements in their song "Jessica" have been replicated during performances on stage, with Davies using an electric violin. Davies also cites influence from film composer John Williams.

Band members

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Dreamin'</span> Single by the Mamas & the Papas

"California Dreamin'" is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips in 1963 and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in December 1965. The lyrics express the narrator's longing for the warmth of Los Angeles during a cold winter in New York City. It is recorded in the key of C-sharp minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Simpson</span> British musician (born 1985)

Charles Robert Simpson is an English singer, songwriter, and musician from Suffolk. He is a member of the BRIT Award winning pop-punk band Busted and he is also lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the post-hardcore band Fightstar. AllMusic has noted that Simpson is "perhaps the only pop star to make the convincing transition from fresh-faced boy bander to authentic hard rock frontman". Simpson is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fightstar</span> British rock band

Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generally considered a post-hardcore band as a whole, Fightstar are known to incorporate metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound. Their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was released in 2005 and was a critical success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parallel Worlds (song)</span> 2007 single by Elliot Minor

"Parallel Worlds" is the debut single from York based rock band Elliot Minor taken from their self-titled album. It was originally released on April 9, 2007, and later due to interest from radio stations and the band's label it was decided to be re-released on April 7, 2008, almost a year later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica (Elliot Minor song)</span> 2007 single by Elliot Minor

"Jessica" is the second single from York-based rock band Elliot Minor. It was released on August 6, 2007. The band wrote this song out of their affection for Jessica Alba. The song was originally called "Walk With Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The White One Is Evil</span> 2007 single by Elliot Minor

"The White One Is Evil" is the third single from York-based rock band Elliot Minor. It was released on 29 October 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gaslight Anthem</span> American rock band

The Gaslight Anthem is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The band consists of Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Gods</span> British rock band

Stone Gods were a British hard rock band formed by former members The Darkness in 2006. Their debut album, titled Silver Spoons & Broken Bones, was released in July 2008, with the first single "Knight of the Living Dead" being released in June 2008. In December 2010 they officially went on hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Still Figuring Out</span> 2008 single by Elliot Minor

"Still Figuring Out" is the fourth single from British rock band Elliot Minor, taken from their top 10 album Elliot Minor. The song was released on the 28 January 2008.

Furthest Drive Home were a four-piece pop and rock band from Farnham, England, which formed in 2003. The band released their EP Lost in Genre in the summer of 2005, before playing the side stage at Brighton's "Taste of Chaos" festival, alongside The Used, Killswitch Engage and Funeral For A Friend. In the same year Furthest Drive Home were featured on a special Drive-Thru Records, Pure Volume compilation album alongside Midtown and Gym Class Heroes with the song "Future Full of Jive", which was erroneously track listed as "Control Yourself".

<i>Elliot Minor</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Elliot Minor

Elliot Minor is the debut album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor, released on 14 April 2008 through Repossession and Warner Bros. Records.

"Time After Time" is a single from the rock band Elliot Minor. It combines traditional pop rock with classical instruments such as the piano. It is Elliot Minor's fifth overall single and comes from their self-titled debut album. The song debuted at 47 on the UK Charts on 5 July 2008. It dropped out of the top 100 the week after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey Monday</span> American rock band

Hey Monday is an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold On Tight in 2008, which produced the singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate commercial success, and the Candles EP in 2011. Their most recent release, The Christmas EP, was released on December 6, 2011. Cassadee Pope has since released three studio albums as a solo artist and became the first female winner of The Voice.

<i>Solaris</i> (Elliot Minor album) 2009 studio album by Elliot Minor

Solaris is the second studio album from the English pop rock band Elliot Minor. Solaris was released on 19 October 2009 in all territories except Japan, where it was released several months later on 21 April 2010 with additional bonus tracks. It was the last album released by the band before their indefinite hiatus in late 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric High</span> 2009 single by Elliot Minor

"Electric High" is the second single from Elliot Minor's Solaris album, written by Alex Davies, produced by Jim Wirt, who also worked with Elliot Minor on their debut self-titled album, and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge. Wirt said of the song's recording: "Electric High was a natural ... everything came together immediately! We ended up using the original scratch vocal, and the original guitars, this is what makes this song stand out, nothing contrived about it." It was released on October 5, 2009, charting at #120.

"All Along" is a song from Elliot Minor's Solaris album, written by Alex Davies and produced by Jim Wirt, who also worked with Elliot Minor on their debut self-titled album. The song is a piano ballad featuring vocal harmonizing by Alex Davies and Ed Minton. This track was not released as a single.

<i>Solaris Acoustic</i> 2010 studio album by Elliot Minor

Solaris Acoustic is an acoustic album by English pop rock band Elliot Minor. The album was released on 15 November 2010 along with a live DVD filmed at the Relentless Garage, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Set It Off (band)</span> American rock band

Set It Off is an American rock band formed in 2008 in Tampa, Florida. The band consists of lead vocalist Cody Carson, guitarist and bassist Zach DeWall, and drummer Maxx Danziger.

"Black Honey" is a song by American rock band Thrice. The song was released on April 27, 2016 as the second single from their ninth studio album, ToBe Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere. It was the first single the band released following their hiatus in 2012 and subsequent reunion in 2015. The political track uses the imagery of a man swatting at a beehive in search of honey as a metaphor for the creation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as a consequence of United States involvement in the Middle East, using the titular "black honey" as a euphemism for oil. The song was a large comeback hit for the band, charting at No. 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, their highest-charting single to date and their first charting single since "Image of the Invisible" in 2005.

<i>Cycle of Suffering</i> 2020 studio album by Sylosis

Cycle of Suffering is the fifth studio album by British heavy metal band Sylosis, released on 7 February 2020 through Nuclear Blast. It is the band's first studio album since their hiatus in 2016, as well as their first to feature Conor Marshall on bass, and drummer Ali Richardson, replacing Carl Parnell and Rob Callard.

References

  1. ↑ Matt Seymour (13 April 2007). "Elliot Minor". BBC North Yorkshire. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Charles Hutchinson (6 April 2007). "Interview: Elliot Minor". York Press. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Elliot Minor". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Hazel Robinson (5 April 2008). "Elliot Minor - 'Parallel Worlds'". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Irish Charts - 2008, Irma.ie
  6. ↑ "Elliot Minor covering Pendulum's Propane Nightmares". YouTube . 14 July 2008.
  7. ↑ "Elliot Minor go DIY". Rock Sound. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "One More Time: An Interview with Elliot Minor". 18 March 2014.
  9. ↑ https://www.alexdaviesmusic.com/ [ bare URL ]
  10. ↑ "Elliot Minor". Facebook . Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Jitty: Interview: Elliot Minor". Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  12. ↑ "Wide Eyed: 'Renaissance harmonies have always been a big go-to for me'". 15 April 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.