| Red Light Company | |
|---|---|
Richard Frenneaux at the Reading Festival in 2008. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Alternative rock Indie rock Post-punk revival |
| Years active | 2007–2009 |
| Labels | Lavolta Records Sony BMG |
| Website | redlightcompany.co.uk |
| Members | Richard Frenneaux (vocals, guitar) Paul Mellon (guitar) Chris Edmonds (keyboards, vocals) James Griffiths (drums) |
| Past members | Shawn Day (bass, vocals) |
Red Light Company were a five-piece alternative rock band based in London, England. The band was formed in 2007 by members Richard Frenneaux (vocals/guitar), Shawn Day (bass), James Griffiths (drums), Paul Mellon (guitar) and Chris Edmonds (keyboards). They came together following an advert Richard posted on the internet, to which Shawn quickly responded, and moved from his home in Wyoming, United States to London in order to pursue making music with the rest of the group. [1]
Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock. Although the genre evolved in the late 1970s and 1980s, music anticipating the sound of the genre can be found as early as the 1960s, with bands such as The Velvet Underground.
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
Contents
Currently signed to Lavolta Records, Red Light Company have received favourable comparisons to Arcade Fire, [2] U2 and Editors. [3]
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, along with Win's younger brother William Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member Sarah Neufeld, percussionist Tiwill Duprate and saxophonist Stuart Bogie.
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.. Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's effects-based guitar textures. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career.
Editors are an English rock band, formed in 2002 in Birmingham. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band currently consists of Tom Smith, Russell Leetch, Ed Lay, Justin Lockey, and Elliott Williams.
The band toured with Editors in early 2008, before releasing their debut single "With Lights Out," about a childhood friend of Frenneaux's who committed suicide. [4] Their second single "Meccano" was released on 11 August 2008, followed by their third single "Scheme Eugene" on 3 November 2008.
Red Light Company have been named as one of the hottest new bands of 2009 by both NME [5] and HMV. [6] Their debut album Fine Fascination was released on 2 March 2009, along with their fourth single "Arts & Crafts" on the same day.
New Musical Express (NME) is a British music journalism website and former magazine that has been published since 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the edition of 14 November 1952. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writings of Julie Burchill, Paul Morley and Tony Parsons. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s, changing from newsprint in 1998.
HMV is a UK based music and film retailer. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company on Oxford Street in 1921, and the HMV name was also used for television and radio sets manufactured from the 1930s onwards. The retail side of the business began to expand in the 1960s, and in 1998 was divested from EMI, the successor to the Gramophone Company, to form what would become HMV Group.
Fine Fascination is the debut album from multi-national, London, England-based rock band Red Light Company. The album is set for release on Lavolta/Sony BMG on 2 March 2009 in the UK. The album was produced by Adrian Bushby. Initial pressings of Fine Fascination ordered on online outlets only come with a limited edition 5-track bonus disc. Despite the album's promo CDs being watermarked, the entire album leaked onto the internet on February 7, 2009.
On 16 June 2009 the band's myspace blog posted that Shawn Day (bass, vocals) had left the band to pursue other projects, they also wrote they would be re-releasing "Meccano" on 3 August 2009, almost a whole year since the previous version, with the public assumption of a slightly different sound without Day's bass and vocal parts. [7]
Myspace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. Myspace was the largest social networking site in the world from 2005 to 2009. It is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California.
Red Light Company played their final show at V Festival 2009, they have since announced that the band is no longer together. [8]
Richard Frenneaux has now started a new band, Anothers Blood, with a scheduled release for their first single, "Lost Communication" on 3 October 2011. [9]
