Shrubbies | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Also known as | Shrubby Veronica |
Origin | Wallington, London, England |
Genres | |
Years active | 1996–1999 [a] |
Labels | Merlin Audio |
Spinoffs | North Sea Radio Orchestra |
Spinoff of | Lake of Puppies |
Past members |
|
The Shrubbies were an English pop group from Southwest London, active from 1996 to 1999. The band was formed as Shrubby Veronica by Craig Fortnam (vocalist and guitarist), Sharron Saddington (vocalist and bass guitarist) and the former Cardiacs members Sarah Smith (vocals, saxophone, keyboards) and Dominic Luckman (drums). They gigged enthusiastically in London for several years and then split up as Fortnam was disillusioned with playing the traditional indie rock toilet circuit.
Fortnam had a chance meeting with William D. Drake which led to him joining Drake's band, Lake of Puppies, with Saddington. Fortnam and Saddington fell in love, forming the Shrubbies with Smith and Luckman. The band released an eponymous EP, The Shrubbies, in 1997 and the album Memphis in Texas in 1999. Fortnam and Saddington later married and recruited musicians associated with Cardiacs to form the North Sea Radio Orchestra.
After playing bass guitar in a jazz fusion band, Craig Fortnam had a chance meeting with the former Cardiacs member William D. Drake, which led to him joining Drake's post-Cardiacs psychedelic pop [2] combo Lake of Puppies with Sharron Saddington. [3] Fortnam fell in love with Saddington, and the couple formed the Shrubbies alongside former Cardiacs and Sea Nymphs member Sarah Smith on saxophone and keyboards, and Ben Clarke on drums. Former Cardiacs drummer Dominic Luckman joined the fold when Clarke left the band. [4] [5] [6] The pop group, [7] initially called Shrubby Veronica, [8] originated from Wallington, London in 1996. [9] [6] They gigged enthusiastically in London and beyond, [6] supporting a headlining gig by Huge Baby and playing concerts with like-minded bands the Monsoon Bassoon, Podsdarapomuk and Delicate AWOL. [10] Following Sarah's departure from the band (prior to 8 March 1999 [8] ), Dan Maitland signed up. [6]
I began to realise that most people were there for a social thing, and people were talking all the way through. That just started annoying me and I thought, 'I'll write music that doesn't have drums, that isn't loud, and we’ll play places where people sit down and then they won’t talk.'
Though the collaboration was creatively rewarding for Fortnam, he became disillusioned with playing the traditional indie rock toilet circuit. [3] Fortnam was annoyed the poor etiquette and atmosphere he encountered at concerts, so the band split up in 1999. [7] [11] [6] [a] Following their dissolution, Fortnam went to Dartington College to study composition and decided he "wanted to be Stravinsky", [2] married Saddington and recruited like-minded musicians associated with Cardiacs and classical connections to form the North Sea Radio Orchestra, with Sharron on lead vocals. [3]
Shrubbies, featuring Dominic Luckman, were set to specially reform for the Alphabet Business Convention at the Salisbury Arts Centre on 26 August 2017, [13] [14] but were replaced by the band Prescott on the revised bill. [15]
The Shrubbies' discography was produced by Cardiacs frontman Tim Smith and released though the record label Merlin Audio. [1] [16] The songs were recorded at Apollo 8 in Chessington, Surrey and Purple Studios in Norwich, Norfolk. [16] [6] The music has been described as folk-pronk and folk prog by Misfit City and Ondarock respectively, [17] [5] and their releases have been categorised as acoustic pop, baroque pop, electroacoustic folk, folk baroque, psychedelic folk, psychedelic pop and psychedelic rock. [18] A four-track EP released in 1997 and the album Memphis in Texas in 1999 following the dissolution. [18]
The Shrubbies | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by the Shrubbies | ||||
Released | 20 September 1997 | |||
Studio | Apollo 8 (Chessington) | |||
Length | 15:27 | |||
Label | Merlin Audio | |||
Producer | Tim Smith | |||
Shrubbies chronology | ||||
|
A self-titled EP featuring a selection of songs from Memphis in Texas was released by Merlin Audio on 20 September 1997, exclusively on CD. Misfit City described the tracks as "four complex and leaping songs, swinging through an adventure playground of sophisticated eccentric harmony based around Craig’s dextrous gut-strung acoustic guitars and Sharron’s fluffy chirrup", praising Sarah Smith's saxophone and keyboard riffs. [18]
All lyrics are written by Sharron Saddington except "Sabled Fur" by Craig Fortnam; all music is composed by Fortnam
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Carefree Clothes" | 3:31 |
2. | "Body Cried Alive" | 4:13 |
3. | "Perfect Present" | 4:08 |
4. | "Sabled Fur" | 3:26 |
Total length: | 15:27 |
Credits adapted from The Shrubbies EP liner notes. [1]
|
|
Memphis in Texas | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Shrubbies | ||||
Released | 1999 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Length | 46:03 | |||
Label | Merlin Audio | |||
Producer | Tim Smith | |||
Shrubbies chronology | ||||
|
The Shubbies' lone album was released on CD by Merlin Audio in 1999. [18] Memphis in Texas (stylised in all lowercase) was reissued on Bandcamp on 11 September 2011. [19]
All lyrics are written by Sharron Saddington except "Sabled Fur" by Craig Fortnam; all music is composed by Fortnam
No. | Title | Vocal | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "My Shoulder Ride" | Sharron | 2:55 |
2. | "No Sounds" |
| 2:21 |
3. | "Body Cried Alive" | Sharron | 4:15 |
4. | "Sabled Fur" | Craig | 3:30 |
5. | "Twiddle Your Thumbs Mum" | Sharron | 2:00 |
6. | "Carefree Clothes" | Sarah | 3:31 |
7. | "Visitors' Book" | Sharron | 3:50 |
8. | "Memphis in Texas" |
| 7:42 |
9. | "Perfect Present" | Sharron | 4:09 |
10. | "Hearty Connection" | Sharron | 5:07 |
11. | "Knives" | Sharron | 6:43 |
Total length: | 46:03 |
Adapted from the Memphis in Texas liner notes. [16]
|
|
Cardiacs are an English rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith and his brother Jim in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. One of Britain's leading cult rock bands, Cardiacs' sound folded in genres including art rock, progressive rock, art punk, post-punk, jazz, psychedelia and heavy metal, all of which was topped by Smith's anarchic vocals and hard-to-decipher lyrics. The band's theatrical performance style often incorporated off-putting costumes and make-up, complete with on-stage confrontations. Their sound and image made them unpopular with the press, but they amassed a devoted following.
Timothy Charles Smith was an English musician, record producer and music video director. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Smith rose to prominence as the frontman of the rock band Cardiacs, which he co-founded with his brother Jim. In addition to Cardiacs, Smith led, co-led or contributed to The Sea Nymphs, Panixphere, Tim Smith's Extra Special OceanLandWorld and Spratleys Japs. Recognised for the particular complexity, skill and idiosyncrasies of his songs and music, Smith was honoured with the Doctor of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018, two years before his death in 2020.
Sidi Bou Said were a British rock band formed in 1990 by Claire Lemmon, Gayl Harrison and Melanie Woods. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes—murder, religion, the workings of the human body and surrealist stories and films. Their name comes from a town in Tunisia.
Mimnermus in Church is a poem written by William Johnson Cory.
Kavus Torabi is a British-Iranian musician, composer, record label owner and radio broadcaster. A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the psychedelic, avant-garde rock field. Torabi was one of the founding members of the Monsoon Bassoon, was a member of the cult rock band Cardiacs, and fronts and plays guitar for the current lineup of legendary psychedelic band Gong.
The North Sea Radio Orchestra (NSRO) is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra. Formed in 2002, the NSRO was set up mainly as a vehicle for the compositions of its musical director, Craig Fortnam, but has also performed works by William D. Drake and James Larcombe. The ensemble is notable for its post-modern fusion of Romantic music and later twentieth-century forms, and for its bridging of the worlds of contemporary classical music, British folk music, London art rock and poetry.
William Derek Drake is an English musician, keyboardist, pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is best known as a former member of the cult English rock band Cardiacs, whom he played with for nine years between 1983 and 1992. He has also been a member of the Sea Nymphs, North Sea Radio Orchestra, Nervous, Wood, Lake of Puppies and The Grown-Ups, as well as pursuing a career as a solo artist.
Stars in Battledress are an English musical duo featuring brothers Richard and James Larcombe. They are notable for their complex but tuneful compositions, their unorthodox fusion of folk music sources and British/American art rock influences, and for their intricate and allusive lyrics.
Mark Andrew Cawthra is a British musician of the project Redbus Noface and formerly of Cardiacs.
Craig Edward Fortnam is an English composer, conductor and musician. As a boy he lived in Blewbury Oxfordshire, moving to Kingston-Upon-Thames in 1977. Fortnam is a skilled guitarist and bass guitarist, specialising in nylon-string acoustic guitar and also sings. He is best known as the leader, conductor and principal composer of the North Sea Radio Orchestra, but also leads the smaller band Arch Garrison and was previously a key member of several other bands, most notably the Shrubbies and Lake of Puppies.
North Sea Radio Orchestra is the first album by the English cross-disciplinary musical ensemble, North Sea Radio Orchestra. It was released in 2006 on Oof! Records.
Birds is the second album by the English cross-disciplinary musical ensemble North Sea Radio Orchestra. It was released on December 1, 2008, on Oof! Records.
I a Moon is the third album by the English cross-disciplinary music ensemble North Sea Radio Orchestra (NSRO). It was released on July 4, 2011, on the Household Mark label.
Knifeworld was a British-based psychedelic rock band led by Kavus Torabi. Originally a Torabi solo project, it became a full band in summer 2009. Knifeworld had connections with various English musical projects both inside and outside the rock world, having shared members with Cardiacs, Chrome Hoof, North Sea Radio Orchestra and Sidi Bou Said.
"Day Is Gone" is a song by English rock band Cardiacs from their third studio album, Heaven Born and Ever Bright (1992). It was released as a twelve-inch single preceding the album on 28 October 1991 alongside a free 7-inch titled "Appealing to Venus" by side project the Sea Nymphs from their eponymous debut studio album (1992). Both tracks were written by Tim Smith who solely produced the former, while the Sea Nymphs produced the latter. Musically, "Day Is Gone" has been described as a power pop song with a 5
4 time signature and prominent guitars.
The Sea Nymphs is the self-titled debut studio album by the English psychedelic folk band the Sea Nymphs, an offshoot of the rock band Cardiacs featuring Tim Smith, Sarah Smith and William D. Drake. It was originally released as a limited edition promotional cassette by All My Eye and Betty Martin Music in 1992 and was reissued on CD via Cardiacs' label the Alphabet Business Concern in 1995.
Robert G. Leith is an English musician, the drummer for the rock band Cardiacs from 1993 and Blurt from 2005 to 2008. Leith played in secondary school bands in Milton Keynes inspired by the punk ethos and co-formed the anarcho-punk band Part 1, which he played with from 1980 to 1983 in the early death rock scene.
Melanie Woods is an English musician and carpenter. She was the drummer and a vocalist for the rock band Sidi Bou Said in the 1990s. After their dissolution, she performed vocals on the first two albums of the North Sea Radio Orchestra and joined the cult rock band Cardiacs in 2004, performing on the single "Ditzy Scene" and playing on the subsequent 2007 tour before the band went on an indefinite hiatus.
Timothy Graham Quy was a British musician, best known as the percussionist for the rock band Cardiacs from 1981 to 1990. Initially the band's sound engineer, Quy first gigged as reserve bass player in 1980 and joined full-time on percussion in 1981. He became a key part of the band's classic six-piece lineup, performing on all their releases from The Seaside (1983) to On Land and in the Sea (1989), and was a popular face in the UK underground. Quy's last performance with Cardiacs was documented in the live video All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest (1992), where his marimba figures particularly high in the mix.