Hatcham Social

Last updated

Hatcham Social
Origin New Cross, London, England
Years active2006–present
LabelsWaKs Records
PopGrooves
Loog Records
Vinyl Junkie (Japan)
TBD Records (USA)
MapleMusic Recordings (Canada)
Fierce Panda
MembersFinnigan Kidd
Toby Kidd
James Maynard Fry
Rachel Kenedy
Joanna Curwood
Past membersDavid Claxton
Dave Fineberg
Jerome Watson
Riley Difford
Website Hatcham Social's Official Website

Hatcham Social are an English indie pop band. The group first met and formed in New Cross, London in 2006 and have since released a string of singles on indie labels, followed by three studio albums. With the debut album, they made headway in the mainstream media with The Guardian describing them as "irrestistible" [1] and Tim Burgess (The Charlatans) calling them "a wonderful pop group with the world's coolest drummer."

Contents

The band is named partially after the Hatcham Liberal club on Queens Road, Peckham, [2] and the Old English word 'Hatcham', [3] meaning 'a clearing in the woods'. The Hatcham Liberal club was well known as 'Hatcham Social' around the time the band formed. The area in which it lies was, in previous times, known as Hatcham. [4] [5] [6]

Their debut album You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil was released in March 2009 in the UK, followed by the album About Girls in 2012. The third album Cutting Up the Present Leaks Out the Future was released on Ogenisis in February 2014 and their fourth and most recent album, The Birthday of the World, was released on Crocodile Records in 2015.

History

Hatcham Social formed in New Cross in 2006 when David Fineberg met brothers Toby and Finnigan Kidd. Drummer Finnigan Kidd was still a member of Klaxons, but left in order to devote his time to Hatcham Social; they soon released their self-recorded debut 7-inch single "Dance as If..." on the indie label WaKs Records (Daniel Devine). After showing considerable interest and forming a friendship with the band, Faris Badwan of The Horrors (a former art student at Central Saint Martins) agreed to create the artwork for the band's second single, "How Soon Was Then?", released on PopGrooves (the label set up by David Fineberg); the artwork to the single was hand-printed on 200 limited edition 7" sleeves. The single gave the band their first national radio airplay on the BBC 6Music show Mint, hosted by Marc Riley, in January 2007. [7]

Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, produced the band's next single, the double A-side of "Til the Dawn" and "Penelope (Under My Hat)". Both sides of the single were recorded with Burgess, for whom this was his production debut. Again, artwork was provided by Faris Badwan. Artrocker described the single as a "polka-dot-skirt-swirling number with credibility" [8] whilst Dazed & Confused saw it as "carefree and irresistibly catchy." [9] The success of the single prompted BBC 6Music DJ Gideon Coe to invite the band in for their first live radio session on Tuesday 14 August 2007, [10] whilst the Queens of Noize chose "Penelope (Under My Hat)" as their "trophy track" [11] on their BBC 6 Music show on 4 August 2007. Artrocker magazine also asked the band to perform a live radio session for them, and used one of the live tracks "Snap My Hands" on their cover mounted free CD in December 2007. [12]

The band's growing friendship with Badwan saw him switching from design to production for Hatcham's next single, "So So Happy Making". The single was released as a joint venture between Loog Records and Waks Records. Artrocker described the single as a "wonderful, life-affirming record" [13] whilst the NME proclaimed "twee-tastic basement recorded pop shouldn't be starting a south London revolution, but it is." [14] Vice described it as "one of the best things we've heard all year", [15] and Time Out magazine chose the self-recorded B-side, "Berlin", as one of their 'Picks of the Week', likening the band to The Pop Group, Josef K and Virgin Prunes. [16] The relative success of the single was proven when it reached number 14 in the Official Independent Singles Chart on 9 March 2008. [17]

Growing recognition has seen Hatcham Social headline a show at London's 100 Club in February 2008, and they have played the Camden Crawl, Great Escape and Dot to Dot music festivals in London, Brighton, Bristol and Nottingham, as well as Faraday in Barcelona, London Calling in Amsterdam and Lovebox in London.

Their debut album, entitled You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil was produced by Tim Burgess and Jim Spencer and released in March 2009 through Fierce Panda in the UK and TBD Records in the US.[ needs update ] It was critically acclaimed and received 10/10 in Vice magazine, 8/10 in NME and Album of the Month in Artrocker. It was included in many top 20 albums of the year lists, and the single "Crocodile" was the Single of the Year 2009 in Artrocker.

Second album About Girls was released in April 2012 and recorded with Jim Anderson (Transgressive, Cold Specks), Laurie Latham (Echo and the Bunnymen, Squeeze) and some of the album was produced and mixed entirely by the band at Helcion Mountain in London and Drummers Hill in Wales. It received an equally good reception: Loud and Quiet: "full of nagging hits"; NME: "a stunner"; Steve Lamacq (6 Music/Radio 2) "...pure indie pop brilliance"; BBC America: "one of the top 5 UK bands to see at SXSW"; The Quietus: "loving Hatcham Social’s new direction."

"Like an Animal" was the first taster track to be released off of the second LP and was given away as a free download from the band's Bandcamp page. It was limited to 500 free downloads and then went on to being available to buy. Artrocker said the single was "awesome" and gave it a five star rating.

The third studio album Cutting Up the Present Leaks Out the Future was released in February 2014. Recorded and produced by the band themselves in a 12-day stint in a studio in Wales, they recorded onto reel to reel tape, using a computer only at mixdown stage. Q magazine called the album a "career high" and "a thrilling dark night of the soul", awarding it 4 stars out of 5.

A fourth studio album The Birthday of the World was released in October 2015 via Crocodile Records. [18]

A career-spanning compilation We Are the Weirdos was released in April 2022 on Fierce Panda as a collection of best and lost singles as well as featuring remixes from Tim Burgess and Baxter Dury.

Influences and sound

Hatcham Social derive heavy influence from indie pop of the 1980s including bands such as The Pastels, Orange Juice and Josef K, as well as post-punk and shoegaze bands such as The Jesus & Mary Chain and The Fall. Their music (particularly their early singles) also features a 1960s beat music influence, including the pop sensibility of The Kinks.[ citation needed ]

They have also taken an influence from story books and children's literature, [19] most notably through their rendition of the Lewis Carroll poem "Jabberwocky", [20] which they performed live at their 100 Club [21] gig with a performing arts group, SKIPtheatre (they also made a brief appearance in the music video to "So So Happy Making"). [22] The band's love of story books and children's literature (and as a nod to the 1980s) influenced them in choosing to release two cassette tapes of their self-recorded material, Found in the Woods (versions 1 & 2). [23] [24] [25] The first edition brought together the five tracks on their first two vinyl only singles, and was released on 25 May 2007. The second edition brought together six other previously unreleased self-recorded tracks, and was released on 31 December 2007. [26]

Associated artists

Hatcham have frequently played with bands including The Violets, Neils Children, and Electricity in Our Homes, and are associated with The Horrors and The Charlatans (whom they have supported in a number of concerts) through their work with Faris Badwan and Tim Burgess. Finnigan Kidd, as well as having drummed for Klaxons before concentrating on Hatcham Social, is also a part-time member of the indie rock supergroup collective The Chavs. Hatcham Social have also played and been associated with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Crystal Stilts, Veronica Falls, The Maccabees and Cold Specks.

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleFormatLabel
2009 You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil CD, downloadFierce Panda (UK) TBD Records (US)
2012About GirlsCD, downloadFierce Panda
2014Cutting Up the Present Leaks Out the FutureCD, download, vinylOgenesis Records
2015The Birthday of the WorldCD, download, vinylCrocodile Records

Compilations

YearTitleFormatLabel
2022We Are the WeirdosDownload, vinylFierce Panda

EPs

YearTitleFormatLabel
2007Found in the Woods (edition 1)CassettePopGrooves
2007Found in the Woods (edition 2)CassettePopGrooves
2008Partymp3 downloadPopGrooves
2008Crystal World (Japan only)CDVinyl Junkie
2009Postcard in Colours (US and Canada only)CDTBD Records

Singles

YearTitleFormatLabel
2006"Dance As If…" / "Catch Me If You Can (You Can't)"7"WaKS Records
2006"How Soon Was Then?" / "Land of Maybe" / "Rhinoceros" (DJ Sinjin Mix)7"PopGrooves
2007"Til the Dawn" / "Penelope (Under My Hat)"7", downloadWaKS Records
2008"So So Happy Making" / "Berlin"7", CDLoog Records
2009"Murder in the Dark" / "Mimicry"7", downloadFierce Panda
2009"Crocodile" / "Dissected"7", downloadFierce Panda
2009"Sidewalk"10" (Ltd.100)Fierce Panda
2011"Like an Animal"Download only (Ltd.500)Fierce Panda
2012"You Look Like a God When You Dance with Me"Download onlyFierce Panda
2012"Lois Lane"Download onlyFierce Panda
2013"More Power to Live" / "Ketamine Queen"Free downloadO Genesis
2014"Lion with a Laser Gun" / "Confessions of an English Opium Smoker"Download onlyO Genesis
2021"If You Go Down to the Woods Today (Three Cheers For Our Side)"Download onlyFierce Panda

Related Research Articles

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

The Charlatans are an English rock band formed in West Midlands, England in 1988. The current line-up comprises lead vocalist Tim Burgess, guitarist Mark Collins, bassist Martin Blunt and keyboardist Tony Rogers.

<i>Up at the Lake</i> 2004 studio album by the Charlatans

Up at the Lake is the eighth album by the British alternative rock band The Charlatans, released on 17 May 2004 through Universal and Island Records Group. As promotion wrapped up for their seventh album Wonderland (2001), Universal wanted them to follow it up with another one quickly. However, frontman Tim Burgess began working on his debut solo album in late 2002. At the end of the year, the band reconvened to write songs; by March 2003, they relocated to their own studio, Big Mushroom in Cheshire, Greater Manchester with them and James Spencer serving as producers. Recording halted in May 2003 to allow for Burgess to finish on his album, I Believe (2003); sessions would resume by the end of the year, and finish in February 2004. Up at the Lake is a pop rock album that pursues the country rock direction that they had first explored on their sixth album Tellin' Stories (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Burgess (musician)</span> Musical artist

Timothy Allan Burgess is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record label owner, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band the Charlatans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Brut</span> English indie rock band

Art Brut are an English indie rock band. Their debut album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll, was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, It's a Bit Complicated, released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Jean Dubuffet's definition of outsider art – art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation – South London's Art Brut were tagged by NME as part of the "Art Wave" scene that also included bands such as The Rakes, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. The band released further albums, Art Brut vs Satan in 2009 and Brilliant! Tragic! in 2011. A fifth album, Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!", was released in 2018.

<i>Us and Us Only</i> 1999 studio album by the Charlatans

Us and Us Only is the sixth album by British rock band the Charlatans, released by Universal on 18 October 1999. After touring for their fifth studio album Tellin' Stories wrapped up by the end of 1997, they played minimal shows throughout 1998 and planned its follow-up. They built their own recording studio, aiming to start recording by early 1999; sessions eventually took place in March and April 1999 with the band self-producing. Us and Us Only is a country rock, folk and roots rock album that strayed from the band's British roots in lieu of American-focused music.

<i>Wonderland</i> (The Charlatans album) 2001 studio album by the Charlatans

Wonderland is the seventh album by British rock band the Charlatans, released on 10 September 2001 through Universal. Following promotional efforts for their sixth studio album Us and Us Only, vocalist Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins wrote new material at the former's house in Los Angeles, California. Cocaine would be an impact on the writing, and later on recording; sessions were held at producer Danny Saber's house studio, Krevorkian's Lab, also in Los Angeles. The band worked with him for seven weeks from October 2000, only completing five tracks, and later went to their own studio, Big Mushroom in Cheshire, Greater Manchester, in early 2001. Wonderland is a funk-soul and electronica record, evoking the work John Mellencamp, Oasis and Primal Scream. Burgess remarked that Los Angeles itself became a member of the band; critics referred to it as a drug-enhanced party album. He employed a falsetto in the vein of Curtis Mayfield and Kurt Wagner.

<i>Simpatico</i> (The Charlatans album) 2006 studio album by the Charlatans

Simpatico is the ninth studio album by British rock band the Charlatans, released on 17 April 2006 through Creole and Sanctuary Records. After signing to the latter label in early 2005, frontman Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins went to Palm Springs, California to write new material. With Jim Lowe and the band producing, recording was held at Hook End Manor in Oxfordshire, with overdubs later being down at Townhouse Studios in London. Simpatico is a dub reggae and rock album that drew comparison to the work of the Dead 60s, Hard-Fi and UB40. Bassist Martin Blunt and Burgess attributed the sound shift to them listening to Ken Boothe, Gregory Isaacs and Studio One.

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

The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurgeon. Their music has been classified as garage rock, garage punk, gothic rock, shoegaze and post-punk revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faris Badwan</span> English musician

Faris Adam Derar Badwan is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the Horrors, and more recently as half of Cat's Eyes.

<i>You Cross My Path</i> 2008 studio album by the Charlatans

You Cross My Path is the tenth studio album by British rock band the Charlatans, released on 3 March 2008 as a free download from radio station Xfm's website. Following promotion for the band's ninth studio album Simpatico (2006), frontman Tim Burgess and manager Alan McGee devised an idea to give away their music for no charge. Guitarist Mark Collins and keyboardist Tony Rogers visited Burgess in Los Angeles, California, where they would write new material, and followed this up with jam sessions with the whole band in early 2007. Recording sessions were split across Hollywood, California, Blessington, Ireland and Cheshire, Greater Manchester, with Rogers given a separate producer credit independent of the band. You Cross My Path is an electro and pop album that evoked the work of Kasabian, New Order and Simple Minds. Following the reggae direction of Simpatico, Rogers' organ returned to the forefront of the band's sound on You Cross My Path.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombay Bicycle Club</span> English indie rock band

Bombay Bicycle Club are an English indie rock band from Crouch End, London, consisting of Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram, and Ed Nash. They are guitar-fronted and have experimented with different genres, including folk, electronica, world music and indie rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvery</span> London-based 4-piece indie rock band

Silvery are a London-based 4-piece indie rock band, signed to Blow Up Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chapman Family</span> English indie rock band

The Chapman Family were an English indie rock band from Stockton-on-Tees, that formed in 2006. The band's final lineup consisted of Kingsley Chapman, Pop Chapman, Owen Chapman, Kevin James Chapman and Scott Chapman. The band's debut album Burn Your Town was released on 7 March 2011. They were notably part of the "10 Tips for 2009" shortlist published by NME.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids Love Lies</span>

Kids Love Lies were a London pop punk band from November 2007 to July 2010.

<i>You Dig the Tunnel, Ill Hide the Soil</i> 2009 studio album by Hatcham Social

You Dig the Tunnel, I'll Hide the Soil is the debut album by Hatcham Social, released on 16 March 2009 on Fierce Panda Records in the UK and TBD Records in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coco Electrik</span>

Coco Electrik is an electropop band and musical alias of Australian singer, musician and songwriter Anne Booty and producer Paul Harrison aka Royal Appointment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HTRK</span>

HTRK is an Australian band formed in 2003. The band is currently a duo of vocalist Jonnine Standish and guitarist Nigel Yang; bassist Sean Stewart was a member until his death in 2010.

Rachel Zeffira is a Canadian soprano, composer and multi-instrumentalist, currently based in London, England. She is also one half of the duo Cat's Eyes, the other being Faris Badwan of the Horrors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete and the Pirates</span> English indie rock band

Pete and the Pirates were an English indie rock band from Reading, Berkshire, England. The band consisted of Thomas Sanders (vocals), Peter Hefferan, David Thorpe (guitar), Peter Cattermoul (bass) and Jonny Sanders (drums).

<i>V</i> (The Horrors album) 2017 studio album by The Horrors

V is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Horrors, released on 22 September 2017 by Wolf Tone and Caroline International.

References

  1. ↑ Maddy Costa (19 February 2008). "Hatcham Social, 100 Club, London | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. Music.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Transpontine: Goodbye to the Hatcham?". Transpont.blogspot.com. 10 January 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "New Cross". 23 November 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2007.
  4. ↑ "Social Prominence | Hatcham Social | London Tourdates Magazine | issue #007". Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Artrocker Magazine, 1–17 August 2007, page 6 - band interview
  6. ↑ Artrocker Magazine, Issue 76, March 2008, pages 26 - 29 - four-page article on the band
  7. ↑ [ dead link ]
  8. ↑ Artrocker Magazine, 1–17 August 2007, page 26 - single review
  9. ↑ Dazed & Confused, Volume 2, Issue 52, August 2007, page 172 - single review
  10. ↑ Radio Times, 11–17 August 2007, page 122 - 6 Music Radio listing
  11. ↑ "6 Music - Queens of Noize Tracklisting". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  12. ↑ Artrocker Magazine, Issue 73, December 2007 - Artrocker Unsigned Volume 3 CD
  13. ↑ Artrocker Magazine, Issue 75, Feb 2008, page 59 - single review
  14. ↑ NME, 9 February 2008, page 46 - single review
  15. ↑ Vice, Volume 6 Number 1, page 124 - photo shoot with band
  16. ↑ Time Out Magazine, No.1956, 13–19 February, page 113 - 'Tracks, a pick of the weeks's A-Sides, B-Sides, downloads and miscellaneous'
  17. ↑ "Wing Management - Hatcham Social chart at No.14". 26 September 2009. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009.
  18. ↑ "Hatcham Social | Album Discography". AllMusic. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  19. ↑ "Time Out". 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  20. ↑ "Access: InterZone: In the Shadow: Hatcham Social's "Jabberwocky"". Accessinterzone.blogspot.com. 27 January 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Hatcham Social & SKIPtheatre - Jabberwocky". YouTube. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "Hatcham Social - 'So So Happy Making' Music Video". YouTube. 17 February 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  23. ↑ Flux Magazine, Issue 59, page 22 - interview with band
  24. ↑ Artrocker Magazine, 1–17 August 2007, page 6 - interview with band
  25. ↑ Dazed and Confused, Vol.2, Issue 53, September 2007, page 239 - article on the band
  26. ↑ . 8 September 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080908030537/http://www.popgrooves.co.uk/. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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.