Career
The band formed in 2005, playing their first ever gig in New York City and then returning to the UK to play nationwide shows. They gained recognition from radio coverage on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6, from DJs such as Marc Riley, [2] Huw Stephens [3] and Steve Lamacq. [4]
In May 2008, they were invited into the BBC Radio 6 studio to do a live session for Marc Riley's Brain Surgery show. In August of the same year, they were again invited back to the BBC to do a session for Huw Stephens, this time for BBC Radio 1. In October 2008, their first EP entitled Have You Ever Heard The Lovely Eggs? was released through Cherryade Records (a Manchester-based DIY bedroom label run by Rachael Neiman and Adam Wiseman), which was well received with positive reviews and more airplay. In the same month, the lead track from their Have You Ever Heard The Lovely Eggs? EP ("Have You Ever Heard A Digital Accordion?"), was named XFM 'Single of The Week'.
They released their debut album, If You Were Fruit, in June 2009 on Cherryade in the UK, and in August on HHBTM Records in the US, and promoted both with a tour of the UK and US, sleeping either on or under a beach towel in the houses of strangers for 21 days straight. The next release was a Twin Peaks inspired, limited edition Halloween CD released in October 2009. Following this, the band collaborated on a limited edition cassette release, with an all-female band from Manchester, Hotpants Romance, with songs that were won in a raffle by audience members whilst the two bands toured together in June 2009. The tape named Songs about People We met on Tour was released in February 2010.
The Lovely Eggs were invited to perform at SXSW in March 2010, where they recorded a live video collaboration with musician and artist Jad Fair from the band Half Japanese.
In January 2011, they released the first single from their new album "Cob Dominos" called "Don't Look at Me (I Don't Like It)", whose video featured a guest appearance from "John Shuttleworth" as the man with the sausage roll thumb which gained wide popularity on Youtube. Cob Dominos was released on 14 February 2011 with singles "Fuck It" and "Panic Plants" released thereafter.
The band toured the UK and Europe after the album's release, including a European tour supporting Art Brut in September 2011.
On 5 December 2011, they released the first 7" single "Allergies" from their third album Wildlife on the Too Pure Label. The single was produced by Gruff Rhys who also appeared in the video (produced by Casey Raymond). Their second single "Food" was released on 14 May 2012 and was remixed by Cornershop's Tjinder Singh. "Wildlife" was released on 26 November 2012, with alongside their third and final single from the album "I Just Want Someone To Fall In Love With".
The Lovely Eggs toured to promote Wildlife while Holly was five months pregnant, and the band took a short break before releasing their fourth album This Is Our Nowhere in April 2015.
On 27 April 2015, "Magic Onion" the first single from This Is Our Nowhere was released on 7" green splatter vinyl on the Cardiff-based label Flower of Phong, run by video director Casey Raymond and was accompanied by an illustrated booklet designed by Casey.
On Record Store Day 2015, the band released a special early edition black and white pressed vinyl LP of This Is Our Nowhere: a title which sums up the band's celebration and love of a scene which doesn't exist in the eyes of the manufactured mainstream.The record received 8/10 in NME magazine.
In November 2015, the band released the second single from the album "Goofin Around In Lancashire" released on 7" "Egg" Vinyl, presented in a hand-packaged plastic case. 6 Music DJ Marc Riley declared it one of his top tracks of 2015 and invited the band to play two sessions. That year The Lovely Eggs toured the UK in March, May and November playing mainly sold-out shows. They were described in NME as "One of the country's most beloved underground bands."
In October 2016, they released 7" Vinyl "Drug Braggin" on Egg Records. Follow-up 7", "I Shouldn't Have Said That" was released in November 2017 with artwork by David Shrigley. [5]
This Is Eggland, produced by Dave Fridmann and released in early 2018, displays a new musical direction for the band, a "heaviness that at one stage would have seemed unthinkable". [6]
On 3 April 2020, the band released the album "I Am Moron", The album was again produced by Dave Fridmann and reached number 1 in the Official UK Independent Album Chart . [7] [8]
The Lovely Eggs spent the time after touring "I Am Moron" between 2021-23 making "Eggs TV" a televisual odyssey with artist Casey Raymond: A 6 part TV show shining a light on alternative and underground art, music, spoken word, comedy and British subculture. Featuring... Gruff Rhys, Stewart Lee, Katie Puckrik, Ian MacKaye, David Shrigley, Tim Presley, John Grant, Cate Le Bon, The Space Lady, Gwenifer Raymond, Quentin Smirhes,Michael Cumming, Andy Votel, Paddy Steer, Thu Tran, Bedwyr Williams, Ewan Jones Morris, Jad Fair, Steve Aylett, Maxine Peake, John Cooper Clarke, Violet Malice, Gyuri Cloe Lee, pigs X7, gillian lees, Adam york-gregory, Tim Wells, Thick Richard, Lowri Evans, Toria Garbut, Craig Atkinson, White Hills, Sean McAnulty, Cissi Efraimsson, Laura Skilbeck and Darren Andrews. [9]
On 17 May 2024 the band released "Eggsistentialism" (Egg Records Egg 020). The album was again produced by Dave Fridmann and reached number 4 in the Official UK Independent Album Chart . [10]
