SugarComa

Last updated

SugarComa
SugarComa Promo Photo 2001.jpg
SugarComa in 2001. From left to right: Claire Simson, Jessica Mayers, James Cuthbert and Heidi Fisk
Background information
Origin Romford, Essex, UK
Genres Nu metal, alternative metal
Years active1999–2004; 2013
LabelsVelocity Recordings, Music for Nations
MembersJessica Mayers
Claire Simson
Heidi Fisk (née McEwen)
Iain "Slomo" Scott
Past membersJames Cuthbert
Website https://myspace.com/sugarcoma
http://www.sugarcomaonline.com

Sugarcoma (commonly stylised in camel case as SugarComa) were a British alternative metal band from Romford, who were active between 1999 and 2004. They were founded by vocalist and lyricist Jessica Mayers, bassist Heidi Fisk, drummer James Cuthbert and guitarist Claire Simson. SugarComa released one studio album, Becoming Something Else , in August 2002. They reunited for a one-off reunion show in October 2013.

Contents

History

Early career

In March 1999 the band formed when vocalist Jess Mayers joined forces with guitarist Claire Simson, who had previously played in a band called Little Green Pants. Simson's childhood friend James Cuthbert joined as a drummer, while Heidi McEwen (later Fisk) became the bass player. The four members were all teenage pupils at St Edward's Church of England School and they recorded a demo tape using the school's facilities. [1] [2]

The band was named after a Hole song. [3] [note 1] They played their first gig at The Walthamstow Standard, supporting a Metallica tribute act. [1]

Velocity Recordings

The band started sending their demo out and, as they did so in alphabetical order, the first record label to show interest was the first to receive the tape, Abuse Records. [4] Reading-based club promoter and music executive Sid Siddle had started a zine called Abuse and then an eponymous record label. He later established a business relationship with Tony Defries' management company MainMan and changed the name of his label to Velocity Recordings. Defries had engaged Siddle's services to help find him a heavy metal girl band. [5]

After attending the band's fourth performance at The Walthamstow Standard, [1] Siddle agreed to fund and market their first single. [6] With Iestyn Polson as producer, the band recorded an EP called Blisters which became Velocity Recordings' first ever release in August 2000. [1]

Blisters was named Single of the Week in both Melody Maker and Kerrang! [7] [8] Melody Maker's guest reviewer Lauren Laverne was effusive in her praise: "This is fantastic. It starts off like Duran Duran, the chorus is totally Hole with a little Metallica thrown in." [9]

As the band members were minors they were unable to sign a formal recording contract without parental consent. Their parents called in lawyers who advised against signing the Velocity Recordings/MainMan contract, aspects of which fell below the industry standard. [6]

Music For Nations

A degree of marketing buzz surrounded the band as they continued to play small venues. They recorded a BBC Radio 1 Evening Session and were played on national radio by John Peel and Steve Lamacq. [6] Samantha Fox attended one gig, [6] while Metal Hammer's review of a November 2000 performance at the Pack Horse in Manchester described the scene: [10]

"This tiny pub rammed to the rafters with more A&R men than you can shake a suitably large stick at... must be time for SugarComa then! After fighting their way through the veritable sea of industry types to get to the stage, the diminutive London-based foursome let rip with their awesome brand of post-grunge nu metal."

In December 2000 the band were announced as the support act for My Ruin on their 2001 UK concert tour. They impressed My Ruin's volatile singer Tairrie B and moved up the billing when original main support act Snake River Conspiracy pulled out. [11] [12] In early 2001 they secured their biggest gig so far, supporting Disturbed at the London Astoria alongside earthtone9. They then played a few dates with Guano Apes before returning to the studio to work on writing their debut album. [1]

In spring 2001 they signed with the Music For Nations label and set to work on another EP, What Goes Around, with Colin Richardson, an experienced heavy metal producer. The rest of 2001 was predominantly taken up with writing and rehearsing new material for the forthcoming album. This was punctuated by a week-long holiday to Majorca, which inspired subsequent album tracks "Shots", "Last Orders" and "Lost Morning". [1]

In April 2002 the band headlined a UK tour for the first time, supported by Music For Nations label mates InMe. [13] They documented their progress in a Tour Diary feature written for Metal Hammer magazine. [14]

Although the band enjoyed supporting the established metal bands they admired, they sometimes faced hostility from audiences whose fierce loyalty was to the headline acts. In April 2002 Cuthbert said: "One Minute Silence wasn't so bad, but with bands like Fear Factory and Machine Head who have had the same fans for years they just don't give you a chance." [15]

The band were unhappy when label executives interfered with their creative process, rejecting some songs outright and seeking to impose a more "commercial" sound on others. [16] The band also expressed irritation at the label's promotional efforts on their behalf, which included being sent to appear on BBC children's television programme "The Saturday Show". [16] Fisk lamented: "We felt a bit uncool as the musicians we looked up to and aspired to be like were not the types to be found on Saturday morning TV." [6]

"The music industry is a brutal place, especially for the young and female. We were patronised and told we knew nothing about our fans, we were told to focus on our appearance and weight, and we didn't know any better."

—SugarComa in 2013 on the band's relationship with their former record label [16]

To tie in with their April 2002 UK tour, the band released a double A-side "(You Drive Me) Crazy/Windings". [13] The Britney Spears cover version was conceived as a joke during early rehearsal sessions and had been successfully deployed as an encore when the band lacked enough material of their own. [6] Although by the time of its release Simson admitted to some ambivalence: "We just wanted to get it out of the way because we knew we would have to release it at some point." [15]

The "(You Drive Me) Crazy" cover was not universally derided – The Manchester Evening News called it a "top rock version" [17] – but it cost the band credibility within the heavy metal subculture and alienated their core audience. An angry and disparaging review on Drowned in Sound awarded one star out of ten. [18] Kerrang! bestowed another Five 'K' review and Single of the Week, but guest reviewer Mat Hoffman's rationale was sardonic: "Do I like Britney? No. I just like the fact they're ripping apart her music. They get a five, just for going there." [19]

The release dates of the first album Becoming Something Else and accompanying single "Zero Star" were delayed several times, due to what was reported as "unforeseen problems with the album's artwork". In the meantime, another headline tour was scheduled for June 2002. [20] The album had been completed by January 2002 [21] but was not released until 5 August 2002 in Europe and 27 August 2002 in the United States. [22]

In September 2002 the band was announced as the support act for SOiL and The Wildhearts on their respective UK tours. [23] Ginger Wildheart expressed interest in producing SugarComa's next album. [24]

In May 2003 it was reported that the band had recorded a batch of demos for their second album, which was three quarters complete and provisionally scheduled for release on Music For Nations in early 2004. [25] By March 2004 they had recorded some more demos but had been released from Music For Nations (which folded that year due to changes at its parent company Sony Music) [26] and were looking for another record deal. [27]

Fisk reported that the band "fizzled out" during 2004 because they all wanted more secure employment, but that they had never formally split up. [6]

Later activities

When The End Records label obtained the rights to rerelease 50 titles from then-defunct Music For Nations' back catalogue in December 2011, Becoming Something Else was included in the deal. [28] In February 2015 Music For Nations reformed and made several of its titles including Becoming Something Else available digitally for the first time. [29]

Although the band had declined to sign with Velocity Recordings in 2000, they were bemused when the label continued to release their early material without their knowledge or consent. They disavowed Never Born (2001) and Life Before Colin (2011) as "unsanctioned bunches of old demos which purport to be official albums". [16] Fisk said both recordings consist of the same tracks, namely: "incomplete demos with car alarm noises dubbed over them". [6]

In July 2013 a band statement carried by Rock Sound announced one-off reunion concert at The Garage, London in October 2013. [16] Hearts Under Fire were later named as the support act. The statement explained that the band regretted the manner of their sudden departure from their record company. They wanted to play a final gig to gain closure and go out on their own terms. [16]

Due to "phenomenal demand", the reunion show was switched from The Garage to The Jazz Café in Camden Town. [30] Gasoline Thrill were added to the bill and the concert went ahead on 26 October 2013. [31] As Cuthbert was unable to participate in the reunion he was replaced on drums by a friend of the band, Iain "Slomo" Scott. [16]

In April 2015 Mayers was running a human resources department, Simson was a digital project manager working in mobile app development and Fisk was a train driver on the London Underground. Cuthbert had lost contact with the rest of the band. [6]

Musical style and influences

Media coverage of SugarComa tended to categorise them within the nu metal subgenre. [32] Their artist page at Velocity Recordings carried a short biography branding them: "A feisty nu-metal foursome from London". [33] They were also frequently bracketed alongside Kittie, a contemporary Canadian female-fronted metal band. The band disliked both the nu metal label and constantly being likened to Kittie. [4]

A November 2000 article in Total Guitar noted the band's rejection of Kittie comparisons and instead declared Sepultura and Babes in Toyland to be primary influences. The article also carried quotes from Simson, which expressed the band's preference for the label "alternative metal" over "nu metal". [34]

Explicitly refuting their nu metal credentials in a January 2001 interview with Drowned in Sound, Fisk and Cuthbert argued that they used drop D tuning only sparingly, lacked a DJ and had no connection to American godfather of nu metal, Fred Durst. [4] Cuthbert added: "We get loads of riot grrrl types at our gigs even though we're not really that kind of music [either]". [4]

In a review of an early gig at The Water Rats, NME magazine likened Mayers to Saffron from Republica and praised her as a: "truly mercurial frontwoman". [35] Mayers typically combined screaming with clean vocals. She was also the bands' lyricist and tended to base her words on her preoccupations as a teenage girl. [15] Stressing the band's authenticity, Mayers told Drowned in Sound: "When I sing my words I mean and feel them. Our songs are not fake angry shit!" [4]

Despite their objections, the band's long term legacy was to be situated within the long tail of nu metal. [36]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Unsanctioned albums

Extended plays

Singles

Notes

  1. ↑ An early incarnation of the "Boys on the Radio" track from Celebrity Skin had been titled "Sugar Coma". It was reported that Hole's Eric Erlandson wanted to call the Celebrity Skin album Sugar Coma, but was vetoed by Courtney Love who deemed it: "pedestrian". Love said: "It denotes the end of a cycle. Something deadly." She added, ominously: "If executives like it, you know it's bad."

Related Research Articles

Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korn</span> American nu metal band

Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band L.A.P.D. Their current lineup features Shaffer (guitar), Arvizu (bass), Brian "Head" Welch (guitar), Jonathan Davis (vocals), and Ray Luzier (drums), the last of whom replaced Silveria in 2007. The band is notable for pioneering and popularizing the nu metal genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orgy (band)</span> American industrial rock band

Orgy is an American industrial rock band formed in 1997, from Los Angeles, California. They have described their music as "death pop". The band is best known for their cover version of the New Order song "Blue Monday", and the song "Stitches", both from their 1998 album Candyass. Then they released their second album, Vapor Transmission, which was released in 2000, with "Fiction " and "Opticon" as singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kittie</span> Canadian metal band

Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band from London, Ontario, formed in 1996 by lead guitarist Fallon Bowman and the Lander sisters, drummer Mercedes and lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Morgan. Tanya Candler completed the band's early line-up on bass. The Lander sisters have remained the band's sole constant members. Collectively, their material released via independent record labels has sold over two million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacuna Coil</span> Italian gothic metal band

Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, and they have recorded nine studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums, two compilation albums, one video album, and sixteen singles and music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothingface (band)</span> American metal band

Nothingface was an American nu metal band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1994. Their best-known and most prolific line-up consisted of Matt Holt (vocals), Tom Maxwell (guitar), Bill Gaal (bass) and Chris Houck (drums). They disbanded in 2004, only to reform the following year, reuniting with Gaal and Houck, and then disband four years later. In 2017, Holt died from a degenerative disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vader (band)</span> Polish death metal band

Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn. Formed in 1983, the group was founded by then-bassist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek and guitarist Zbigniew "Vika" Wróblewski. Vader went through several lineup changes over the years, with Wiwczarek as the only constant member. Since 2022, the band has comprised Wiwczarek on lead guitar and vocals, rhythm guitarist Marek "Spider" Pająk, bassist Tomasz "Hal" Halicki, and drummer Michał Andrzejczyk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papa Roach</span> American rock band

Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonpoint</span> American nu metal band

Nonpoint is an American nu metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn, and lead guitarist Jaysin Zeilstra.

downset. American rap metal band

Downset is an American rap metal band from Los Angeles, California. Originally called Social Justice, the band's music blends influences from rap, funk, hardcore punk, and metal with "socially aware lyrics."

Brides of Destruction was an American hard rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band's last lineup consisted of singer London LeGrand (vocals), Tracii Guns and Scot Coogan. Previous members of the band were Nikki Sixx (bass), Kris Kohls (drums), Adam Hamilton (keyboard), John Corabi, Scott Sorry (bass) and Ginger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cruachan (band)</span> Irish folk metal band

Cruachan are an Irish folk metal band from Dublin that have been active since the 1990s. They are recognised as one of the founders of folk metal, and have been acclaimed as having "gone the greatest lengths of anyone in their attempts to expand" the genre. With a specific focus on Celtic music and the use of Celtic mythology in their lyrics, Cruachan's style of folk metal is called Celtic metal.

40 Below Summer is an American nu metal band from New Jersey. Formed in 1998, the band broke up seven years later in 2005. After two small reunions in 2006 and 2010, they permanently reformed in 2011. Their latest album, Transmission Infrared, was released in 2015.

Slaves on Dope is a Canadian nu metal band based in Montreal, Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enuff Z'Nuff</span> American glam metal band

Enuff Z'Nuff is an American glam rock band from Blue Island, Illinois, founded by singer Donnie Vie and bassist Chip Z'Nuff. The band charted two times on the US Hot 100; "Fly High Michelle" (#47) and "New Thing" (#67).

<i>Coal Chamber</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Coal Chamber

Coal Chamber is the debut studio album by American nu metal band Coal Chamber. It was released on February 11, 1997, by Roadrunner Records and contains the single "Loco". The special edition of the album contains the bonus tracks "Headstones and the Walking Dead", "Big Truck ", "Pig (Demo)", "Sway (Demo)", "Unspoiled (Demo)", and "Loco (Demo)". The DVD features two of the band's concerts, a live video of "Loco", and the music video of "Loco".

<i>Scars</i> (Soil album) 2001 studio album by Soil

Scars is the second studio album by American rock band Soil, released on September 11, 2001, via J Records. It was the band's major label debut, and J Records' first rock album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tura Satana (band)</span> American metal band

Tura Satana was an American rock band formed by rapper and singer Tairrie B after she departed from her contract with the rap label Ruthless Records. Initially formed as a rap rock band under the name Manhole, the band changed their name due to a conflict with a Texas band of the same name, and shifted to a nu metal sound.

<i>¡Chutzpah!</i>

¡Chutzpah! is the eighth studio album by British rock band The Wildhearts. Recorded at producer Jacob Hansen's studio in Ribe, Denmark, it was released on 31 August 2009 by Backstage Alliance. The album was the band's final studio release for ten years as well as the last to feature bassist Scott Sorry, who left in 2012. ¡Chutzpah! reached number 53 on the UK Albums Chart and was the band's first album since 1997's Endless, Nameless to top the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.

<i>Becoming Something Else</i> 2002 studio album by SugarComa

Becoming Something Else is the only studio album by British nu metal band SugarComa. The album was released on 5 August 2002 by Music For Nations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Biography". Last.fm . Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Torreano, Bradley. "Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "Single Review Blisters EP". Music Week. 12 August 2000. Archived from the original on 2 September 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Thomas, Andy (16 January 2001). "Sweet Dreams Are Made of These". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  5. ↑ "Eden Music PR/Velocity Recordings News". Music Industry News Network. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ives, Martin (9 April 2015). "#TBT – What ever happened to SugarComa??". Waffle Mag. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Session: Soundtracks". Reading Post. 16 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Mickey, Metal (16 November 2000). "Sugarcoma twice as nice as Spice!". Oxford Mail . Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "Single Review - Blisters EP". Melody Maker. 16 August 2000. Archived from the original on 28 July 2003. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "Live Review Manchester Pack Horse (MH In The City)". Metal Hammer. 1 November 2000. Archived from the original on 5 September 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  11. ↑ of S-B-S, Fedja (2 November 2000). "My Ruin - Interview with Tairrie B and Mick Murphy". Strength Beyond Strength. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "My Ruin: Interview at the London Highbury Garage W/ Tairrie & Mick- December 7th 2000 Supported by SugarComa". My Ruin. 7 December 2000. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  13. 1 2 "SugarComa Headlining UK Tour Announced". Blabbermouth.net. 28 February 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Simson, Claire (26 April 2002). "Sugarcoma Tour Diary (Part 3)". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 McCann, Alex (April 2002). "Sugarcoma". Designer Magazine. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "SugarComa to return for one-off live show in October!". Rock Sound. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  17. ↑ Donohue, Simon (17 February 2007). "Sugarcoma, P Diddy and Primal Scream". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  18. ↑ Mather, Rob (4 April 2002). "SugarComa (You Drive Me) Crazy". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  19. ↑ "SugarComa (You Drive Me) Crazy/Windings". Kerrang!. 27 March 2002. Archived from the original on 5 September 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  20. ↑ "SugarComa Push Back Album Release Date, Announce Upcoming Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 17 May 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  21. ↑ "SugarComa Finalize Track Listing For Debut Album". Blabbermouth.net. 22 January 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  22. ↑ "SugarComa's Single Gets Delayed (Again)". Blabbermouth.net. 10 July 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  23. ↑ "SugarComa To Support SOiL, The Wildhearts In Britain". Blabbermouth.net. 10 September 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  24. ↑ "The Wildhearts Mainman To Produce Murderdolls, SugarComa". Blabbermouth.net. 29 January 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  25. ↑ "SugarComa Finish Recording Pre-Production Demos". Blabbermouth.net. 24 May 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  26. ↑ "Music For Nations closes its doors". Metal Storm. 12 June 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  27. ↑ "SugarComa Record New Demo, Seek New Label Home". Blabbermouth.net. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  28. ↑ Maloney, Devon (5 December 2011). "Exclusive: The End Records To Rerelease Music For Nations Catalog". Billboard . Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  29. ↑ "Legendary Label Music For Nations Returns To Life". Ghost Cult Magazine. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  30. ↑ "Sugarcoma + Hearts Under Fire". MAMA & Company. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  31. ↑ Clark, Lewis (28 October 2013). "Live Review: Sugarcoma Farewell Show". UK Scumscene. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  32. ↑ "SugarComa". Spirit of Metal. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  33. ↑ "SugarComa". Velocity Recordings. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  34. ↑ "Claire Simson Interview". Total Guitar. 1 November 2000. Archived from the original on 28 July 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  35. ↑ "London King's Cross Water Rats". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  36. ↑ Connick, Tom (9 May 2017). "20 years of nu-metal: the rise, fall and revival of rock's most maligned offshoot". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 December 2019. On the upside, though, it made the most mild-mannered teenager into a feminist powerhouse! That was a much-needed element of the time, creating short-lived bands like Sugarcoma and Defenestration.
  37. ↑ "SugarComa". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 December 2019.
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.