Gomez (band)

Last updated

Gomez
GOMEZ-bandpic.jpg
The band in June 2006
Background information
OriginSouthport, Merseyside, England
Genres Indie rock, post-Britpop, [1] alternative rock
Years active1997–present [2]
Labels ATO, MapleMusic Recordings (Canada), Eat Sleep, Independiente, Hut/Virgin [3]
Members Ian Ball
Ben Ottewell
Tom Gray
Paul Blackburn
Olly Peacock
Website http://www.gomeztheband.com/

Gomez are an English indie rock band from Southport, Merseyside, comprising Ian Ball (vocals, guitar), Paul "Blackie" Blackburn (bass), Tom Gray (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Ben Ottewell (vocals, guitars) and Olly Peacock (drums, synths, computers). [2] The band has three singers and four songwriters, employing traditional and electronic instruments. Their music covers the genres of blues, indie, alternative, rock, folk, psychedelic and experimental.

Contents

History

Formation (1995–1997)

Guitarist and vocalist Ian Ball and drummer Olly Peacock are long-time friends, having played in a three-piece band from the ages of 14 to 18. They met bassist Paul Blackburn and multi-instrumentalist Tom Gray at college. Ian Ball met vocalist/guitarist Ben Ottewell at Sheffield University.

The band played its first gig together in 1996 in Leeds at the Hyde Park Social Club on Ash Grove. At the time, they did not have a formal name. The band left a sign out which read "Gomez in here", for a friend of theirs whose surname was Gomez, to indicate that it was the site of their first gig. People saw the sign and assumed that the band's name was Gomez, and it was later made official. [4]

The band started recording four-track demos in Peacock's father's garage in Southport during the summer of 1996. The demos were given to Stephen Fellows (later their manager) who distributed them to four record labels. The band, having played only one performance, decided against playing showcases in London and instead made the record companies travel to Red Tape rehearsal studios. After several weeks of playing to over 25 labels, the band signed to Hut Records (Virgin Records), in September 1997.

Bring It On (1997–1998)

After signing to Hut Records in September 1997, they began recording their debut album. They entered Parr Street Studios with engineer Ken Nelson, recording new songs and improving the mixes of the demos. The band self-produced, and the album was certified platinum. A season of English Festivals (including two performances at Glastonbury) followed. The band won the Mercury Music Prize in September 1998.

In 1998, Philips Electronics chose Gomez to cover The Beatles' song "Getting Better" for an ad campaign for Philips' new lines of flat panel and high-definition television sets. [5] The cover song was not released on an album until 2000 with Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline , a collection of B-sides.

Liquid Skin (1999–2000)

The band's second album, Liquid Skin, was released in 1999, leading Gomez to success on the British and Australian albums charts. [2] The band also made the Billboard Heatseeker chart for the first time. After winning the Mercury Prize, the band went back to Parr Street Studios, recording as much material as they could between tours. Ken Nelson engineered once again and the band self-produced. The album went platinum and touring followed, including a performance at Glastonbury Festival on the second stage. [6]

In Our Gun (2000–2003)

The group's third album, In Our Gun, was released in 2002. It made the top 10 on the UK charts and the top 50 on the Australian charts. The single "Shot Shot" charted in the UK top 40, the Portugal top 20, and the Billboard Heatseeker chart. The band produced and recorded the record in Batsford Manor, Gloucestershire, with additional recordings in Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios. Giving the album a perfect score in his review for PopMatters , Matt Cibula wrote "everyone who doesn’t like this record is insane in a bad way. Screw Wilco; In Our Gun is sounding very much like the Album of the Year." [7]

Split the Difference (2004–2005)

While Gomez's first three albums were self-produced, the band worked with Tchad Blake as producer for their fourth record. The band were fans of his compressed sounds as heard on Los Lobos and Latin Playboys recordings. The album was met with mixed critical response, with Allmusic rating it as four stars out of five and BBC Internet Music Reviews describing it as "one of the finest releases of the year so far. If you were one of those people who wrote them off two years ago, it's time to get listening again." [8] However, the album received less favourable reviews from a number of other sources, including Pitchfork Media and NME .

The band built a studio in Portslade, just outside Brighton, England (where most of them were residing). They worked independently for months recording, until they developed a record with Tchad Blake at Real World Studios. In 2007, Gomez recorded a cover of The Band's hit "Up On Cripple Creek" for the tribute album Endless Highway: The Music of The Band . Their song "How We Operate" was played in the final scene of the film The Hitcher . Gomez continued to tour, including a co-headlining 2007 US tour with label-mate Ben Kweller. The band toured Australia and New Zealand before going back to the United States for a second headlining leg of their US tour. On 2 March 2007, Gomez recorded a concert at the Vic Theater in Chicago, Illinois, that was streamed via MSN Music. [9] Ian Ball released a solo project, an album entitled Who Goes There . [10] [11] In 2008, Gomez opened several shows for Dave Matthews Band. Their album reached the top 40 in the UK and Australia. The first single "Catch Me Up" entered the UK top 40 in March 2004 and "Silence" was released as the second single.

Virgin/EMI then closed down Hut Recordings; the band asked to be released from their contract and Virgin agreed.

How We Operate (2006–2007)

Gomez's fifth studio record, How We Operate, was produced by Gil Norton and released on 2 May 2006. The record was developed in the band's studio and later recorded in 6 weeks at RAK Studios, London. The album's title track was featured in the Grey's Anatomy episode "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response", and later covered by Kevin McKidd in the season seven episode "Song Beneath the Song". On 14 February 2006, their song "Get Miles" was featured in the House episode "Distractions", and on 6 March 2007, their song "See the World" was featured in the House episode "Half-Wit". "See the World" was also featured in the Bones episode "Widow's Son in the Windshield".

In 2005, Gomez signed a deal with Dave Matthews' ATO Records. Under the new label, the band released their first live album, Out West , in June 2005. The double disc CD was compiled from shows recorded at San Francisco's Fillmore Theater in January 2005. In January 2006, the band performed on Jam Cruise before returning to the studio to put the final touches on How We Operate . After playing the SxSW music festival in Austin, they debuted material from the upcoming release in several US cities. The band's 2006 spring tour included stops in Asheville, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, and Portland. They also performed at several large outdoor festivals, including the Beale Street and Bonnaroo Festivals in Tennessee, the Jazzfest in New Orleans and Sasquatch Festival in George, WA.

A collection titled Five Men in a Hut was released on 17 October 2006. The two-disc album consists of released and unreleased tracks recorded under the Hut/Virgin label from 1998–2004. A DVD with music videos and interviews from their time with Hut was also released. They were also one of the bands featured on a John Lennon tribute aired on BBC Radio 2 to mark the 25th anniversary of the musician's death. Gomez performed "Hey Bulldog" by The Beatles, and "Instant Karma!" by Lennon. "How We Operate" is also the ending song to the 2007 remake of the horror film The Hitcher, and acts as the title music for the pilot episode of The Riches .

A New Tide (2008–2010)

A wide range of styles were incorporated into Gomez's sound for their next record A New Tide, including blues, Krautrock and psychedelia. The record saw Gomez accompanied by a number of guest musicians, including vocalist Amy Millan, bassist Josh Abrams, cellist Oliver Krauss, and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie.

A New Tide was released on 31 March in the US, in the UK and Europe on 30 March, and in Australia on 28 March 2009. [12] Gomez recorded A New Tide in Chicago, and played festivals including Lollapalooza that year. The album marked a return to their more experimental roots, in particular with songs such as "Win Park Slope" and "Airstream Driver". With this album, the band wanted to create a collection of songs that would work well at live gigs. [4] With the band members scattered across two continents, early tracks were written and recorded individually and then merged online. The material took on its ultimate shape when Gomez convened in studios in Chicago and Charlottesville with producer Brian Deck.

In early 2004, Ian Ball and Olly Peacock were involved in a project called Operation Aloha with 14 other musicians including members from Phantom Planet and Maroon 5. They produced an album over the course of 30 days in Maui, Hawaii. A self-titled album was released on 12 May 2009. [13]

In April 2009, the band's song "Little Pieces" was used in the 19th episode of Grey's Anatomy season 5. It played at the start of the episode in a montage scene. In June 2009, Gomez opened for Pearl Jam on the European leg of the Backspacer Tour. [14]

Whatever's on Your Mind (2011–2020)

Gomez released their seventh studio album, Whatever's on Your Mind, on 21 June 2011. As with their last album, production on Whatever's on Your Mind was overseen by the band as well as Brian Deck.

Current activities (2020-present)

Since 2020, Tom Gray has been lobbying the British government to regulate music streaming with the Broken Record campaign group. [15] [16] [17] [18] He stood as a Labour Party candidate for Brighton Pavilion in the 2024 general election, but failed to win the seat. [19]

Members

Ian Ball, Beautiful Days Festival, Devon, August 2006 Ian Ball.jpg
Ian Ball, Beautiful Days Festival, Devon, August 2006
Ben Ottewell, Beautiful Days Festival, Devon, August 2006 Ben-Ottewell.jpg
Ben Ottewell, Beautiful Days Festival, Devon, August 2006

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitlePeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[20] 		AUS
[21] 		CAN
[22] 		NZ
[23] 		NOR
[24] 		US
[25] 		US Heat US Indie
1998 Bring It On 11———————
1999 Liquid Skin
  • Released: 13 September 1999
  • Label: Hut / Virgin
29494019—30—
2002 In Our Gun
  • Released: 18 March 2002
  • Label: Hut / Virgin
85—13——37—
2004 Split the Difference
  • Released: 17 May 2004
  • Label: Hut / Virgin
3524—39—19111—
2006 How We Operate 6937———10617
2009 A New Tide
  • Released: 30 March 2009
  • Label: ATO, Eat Sleep
6340———60—5
2011 Whatever's on Your Mind
  • Released: 6 June 2011
  • Label: ATO, Eat Sleep
6563———81—11

Live albums

YearTitleChart positions
UK
[30] 		US Heat
2005 Out West
  • Released: 7 June 2005
  • Label: Independiente / ATO / Sony BMG
14546

Compilations

YearTitleChart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
UK
[20] 		AUS
[21] 		US Heat
2000 Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline
  • Released: 25 September 2000
  • Label: Hut / Virgin
107544
2006 Five Men in a Hut
  • Released: 25 September 2006
  • Label: Hut / Virgin
—77—

EPs

YearTitle
2000 Machismo E.P.
2002 Detroit Swing '66/Ping One Down
  • Released: 1 July 2002
  • Label: Hut / Virgin
2006See the World E.P.
  • Released: October 2006
2006Girlshapedlovedrug E.P.
  • Released: 13 November 2006

Singles

YearTitle UK
[30] [20] 		US AAA
[32] 		Album
199830 March"78 Stone Wobble"44—Bring It On
1 June"Get Myself Arrested"45—
31 August"Whippin' Piccadilly"35—
199928 June"Bring It On"21—Liquid Skin
30 August"Rhythm & Blues Alibi"18—
15 November"We Haven't Turned Around"38—
20024 March"Shot Shot"28—In Our Gun
3 June"Sound of Sounds"/"Ping One Down"48—
20048 March"Catch Me Up"36—Split the Difference
200510 May"Silence"41—
30 August"Sweet Virginia"42 (UK Indie)—
200617 April"How We Operate"(US-only single)8How We Operate
29 May"Girlshapedlovedrug"66—
4 September"See the World"1071
200913 April"Airstream Driver"—7A New Tide
17 August"Little Pieces"——
201130 May"Options"7610Whatever's on Your Mind

Videos

YearTitle
2006 Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998–2004
  • Released: 25 September 2006
  • Label: Hut / Virgin

Other songs

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INXS</span> Australian rock band (1977–2012)

INXS were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, guitarist Tim Farriss, lead singer and main lyricist Michael Hutchence, and guitarist and saxophonist Kirk Pengilly. For 20 years, INXS was fronted by Hutchence, whose magnetic stage presence made him the focal point of the band. Initially known for their new wave/pop style, the band later developed a harder pub rock style that included funk and dance elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lostprophets</span> Welsh rock band

Lostprophets were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike Lewis on guitars, Stuart Richardson on bass and Mike Chiplin on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinspoon</span> Australian rock band

Grinspoon are an Australian rock band from Lismore, New South Wales, formed in 1995 and fronted by Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar and Kristian Hopes on drums. Also in 1995, Grinspoon won the Triple J–sponsored Unearthed competition for Lismore, with their post-grunge song "Sickfest". The name "Grinspoon" was taken from Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who supported marijuana for medical use.

<i>In Our Gun</i> 2002 studio album by Gomez

In Our Gun is the third studio album by English rock band Gomez, released on 18 March 2002 by Hut Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keane (band)</span> English alternative rock band

Keane are an English alternative rock band from Battle, East Sussex, formed in 1995. They met while at Tonbridge School together. The band comprises Tom Chaplin, Tim Rice-Oxley, Richard Hughes and Jesse Quin. Their original line-up included founder and guitarist Dominic Scott, who left in 2001.

<i>Bring It On</i> (Gomez album) 1998 studio album by Gomez

Bring It On is the debut album by English indie rock band Gomez, released on 13 April 1998 by Hut Records. Recording sessions for the album began in late 1997, during which time Gomez also toured the United Kingdom with Embrace. The first single, "78 Stone Wobble", was released in March 1998, while "Get Myself Arrested" and "Whippin' Piccadilly" were later released as singles.

<i>Liquid Skin</i> 1999 studio album by Gomez

Liquid Skin is the second album by English rock group Gomez, released on 13 September 1999 by Hut Records. Following the release of their debut studio album Bring It On (1998), the band began recording their follow-up between August 1998 and June 1999 at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, and Abbey Road Studios in London. Gomez were allowed to self-produce the sessions after their label heard the strength of their demos. Described as a blues rock album, Liquid Skin was compared to the work of Beck, the Grateful Dead, and Pearl Jam.

Gelbison were an Australian pop rock band formed in 2000 by Pete Farley on bass guitar, Dave Galafassi on drums, Edo Kahn on vocals and guitar, and his brother Nadav Kahn on vocals and keyboards. The Kahn brothers were also members of Nations by the River (2003–04). Gelbison released two studio albums, 1704 and See the World, and disbanded in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Talent</span> Canadian rock band

Billy Talent is a Canadian rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. There have been no lineup changes, although Solowoniuk has been on hiatus from the band since 2016 due to a relapse of multiple sclerosis. In the three decades since their inception, Billy Talent has sold well over a million physical albums in Canada alone and nearly 3 million albums internationally. During their most successful period, they were ranked as one of the top 10 best-selling native bands in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chas & Dave</span> British pop rock band

Chas & Dave were an English pop rock duo, formed in London by Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karnivool</span> Australian metal band

Karnivool is an Australian progressive metal band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1998. The group currently consists of Ian Kenny on vocals, Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking on guitar, Jon Stockman on bass, and Steve Judd on drums. Karnivool emerged from a band Kenny and Goddard formed during high school. They have released three studio albums to date, the most recent of which (Asymmetry) was released in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Music</span> English alternative rock band

The Music were an English alternative rock band, formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey, Adam Nutter, Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the release of their self-titled debut album in 2002. The band released two further studio albums, Welcome to the North (2004) and Strength in Numbers (2008), before parting ways in 2011.

<i>Detroit Swing 66/Ping One Down</i> 2002 EP by Gomez

Detroit Swing 66/Ping One Down is a seven-track EP by British rock band Gomez, released in 2002 on Hut/Virgin Records in Australia. Both Detroit Swing 66 and Ping One Down had been featured on the album In Our Gun. Detroit Swing 66 was played to radio in Australia only. However, Ping One Down had a video made and was released as another double A side single in the UK, together with Sound of Sounds. Consequently, Sound of Sounds never aired in Australia. The EP’s B-sides are mostly from the UK Gomez single Shot Shot, apart from Click Click, which had been featured on the UK Ping One Down/Sound of Sounds single. The five extra tracks were later that year put onto a bonus disc to be repackaged with In Our Gun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British India (band)</span> Australian indie rock band

British India are an Australian rock band from Melbourne. The band is made up of lead vocalist and guitarist Declan Melia, guitarist Nic Wilson, bassist Will Drummond and drummer Matt O'Gorman. In 2019, Jack Tosi replaced Nic Wilson as a touring member of the band. They have released six studio albums.

Daddy Cool is an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1970 with the original line-up of Wayne Duncan, Ross Hannaford, Ross Wilson and Gary Young. Their debut single "Eagle Rock" was released in May 1971 and stayed at number 1 on the Australian singles chart for ten weeks. Their debut, July 1971's LP Daddy Who? Daddy Cool, also reached number 1 and became the first Australian album to sell more than 100,000 copies. The group's name came from the 1957 song "Daddy Cool" by US rock group The Rays. Daddy Cool included their version of this song on Daddy Who? Daddy Cool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Ottewell</span> Musical artist

Benjamin Joseph Ottewell is an English singer-songwriter. He is one of the three lead singers of the English indie rock band Gomez. He was the recipient of the Mercury Music Award Prize in 1998, and is well known for his "deep, raspy voice" and "gravelly baritone". In 2011, Ottewell embarked upon a solo-project, with the debut album Shapes & Shadows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire of the Sun (band)</span> Australian electronic music duo

Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo formed in 2007. The duo is a collaboration between Luke Steele, of alternative rock band The Sleepy Jackson, and Nick Littlemore, of electronic dance band Pnau.

<i>Deep Purple in Rock</i> 1970 studio album by Deep Purple

Deep Purple in Rock is the fourth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 5 June 1970. It was the first studio album recorded by the Mark II line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.

<i>A New Tide</i> 2009 studio album by Gomez

A New Tide is the sixth studio album by the English indie rock band Gomez released on 30 March 2009 by ATO Records. The album was produced by the band as well as Brian Deck and received average reviews from music critics.

<i>Whatevers on Your Mind</i> 2011 studio album by Gomez

Whatever's on Your Mind is the seventh studio album by English indie rock band Gomez released on 6 June 2011 by ATO Records. As with their last album, production on Whatever's on Your Mind was overseen by the band as well as Brian Deck, known for his work on albums from bands such as Modest Mouse, Counting Crows and Iron & Wine. The album was met with wildly mixed reviews, and was panned by Popmatters and Pitchfork.

References

  1. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (25 April 2018). "Gomez review – reformed post-Britpoppers prove prescient". Theguardian.com.
  2. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 389–90. ISBN   1-84195-017-3.
  3. ↑ "Gomez JPEG". 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 Mulvey, Nick. "A Night With Gomez". Craccum. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  5. ↑ "Gomez Get Fabulous for Philips Advertisement". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Live Reviews: The Glastonbury FestivalJune 25-27, 1999" [usurped] . Chart Attack, Richard Beland, June 25–27, 1999.
  7. ↑ Cibula, Matt (2 May 2002). "Gomez: In Our Gun". PopMatters.
  8. ↑ Jones, Chris. "BBC - Music - Review of Gomez - Split The Difference". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  9. ↑ Archived 16 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "News". Gomez. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008.
  11. ↑ "| Live Nation Store". Shop.musictoday.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "GomezJournal: New Album!". Gomeztheband.blogspot.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Operation Aloha: An Experiment in Rock 'n' Roll". Laist.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  14. ↑ "Gomez Opening for Pearl Jam in Europe". PearlJam.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
  15. ↑ "How a new campaign aims to fix a broken music industry". 11 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "'Odds are against you': The problem with the music streaming boom". TheGuardian.com . 2 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "Announcing the #BrokenRecord Appeal and Festival".
  18. ↑ "Nadine Shah: 'I can't pay the rent on unfair music streaming revenues'". TheGuardian.com . 24 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Results - General Election 4 July 2024". Brighton and Hove City Council. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 "The Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  21. 1 2 3 Peaks in Australia:
    • All except noted: "Australian album positions". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
    • Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline and Five Men in a Hut: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  22. ↑ "Canadian album positions". RPM. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  23. ↑ "New Zealand album positions". charts.nz. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  24. ↑ "Norwegian album positions". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  25. ↑ "US Positions". allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  26. ↑ "Bring It On British sales certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  27. ↑ "Liquid Skin British sales certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  29. ↑ "In Our Gun British sales certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  30. 1 2 3 "UK Chartlog". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  31. ↑ "Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline British sales certification". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  32. ↑ "Gomez Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
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.