Time Lord rock | |
---|---|
Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | 2008 Doctor Who fandom; United Kingdom |
Typical instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards |
Regional scenes | |
Predominantly the United Kingdom and Australia. |
Time Lord rock (sometimes shortened to Trock) is a genre of geek rock music based on, and about, the Doctor Who television series. It was created in 2008 in the United Kingdom with the formation of Chameleon Circuit.
The first Doctor Who inspired songs were recorded during the Dalekmania of the mid 1960s. [1] The most famous of these was the novelty song I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek, recorded by Newcastle band The Go-Go's in 1964. [2] Other notable songs of this time included Who's Who? by Roberta Tovey, [3] Frazer Hines' [4] album Time Traveller, and also the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee's hit single I Am the Doctor. [5]
In 1988, The KLF released the single "Doctorin' the Tardis" under the alternative band name The Timelords, which reached number 1 in the UK singles chart as well as charting in other countries. However, the group never released anything else under this name or with the same subject, nor did any other band follow up on the single, leaving it as a novelty rather than a genre. [6]
In the summer of 2008, Alex Day, a fan of Doctor Who , was inspired by the growing phenomenon of wizard rock (formed from Harry Potter fandom) to begin writing songs about Doctor Who, dubbing the resulting genre "Time Lord Rock" (abbreviated to "Trock", after the "Wrock" abbreviation used for wizard rock). [6] [7] [8] [9] Charlie McDonnell, also a fan, did the same, and released an acoustic video performance of "Blink" on YouTube. [10] Combined with the Scottish vloggers Liam Dryden and Chris Beattie, they formed the first Time Lord rock band, Chameleon Circuit. [8]
Time Lord rock performers are usually British or Australian. [6] Chicago-based Time Crash may have been the first American band playing in the genre. [6] In 2013 Legs Nose Robinson became a trock-rocking [11] American band picking up the new genre and broad in range. "references to the series, while present, are subtle, with styles ranging from glam-tinged rock to a burlesque reminiscent of Kurt Weill." [12]
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 Doctor Who serial The Daleks, in casings designed by Raymond Cusick.
The TARDIS is a fictional hybrid of a time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. While a TARDIS is capable of disguising itself, the exterior appearance of the Doctor's TARDIS typically mimics a police box, an obsolete type of telephone kiosk that was once commonly seen on streets in Britain. Paradoxically, its interior is shown as being much larger than its exterior, commonly described as being "bigger on the inside".
Remembrance of the Daleks is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovitch and directed by Andrew Morgan.
Attack of the Cybermen is the first serial of the 22nd season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 5 and 12 January 1985. It was credited to the pseudonymous author "Paula Moore"; there are conflicting accounts concerning to whom this credit belongs. Beginning with this serial and continuing for the remainder of Season 22, episodes were 45 minutes in length ; for syndication, in some markets, this serial is re-edited into four 25-minute segments.
Dalek I Love You were a synthpop group from the Wirral, England. At various points in their existence, the band was also known as Dalek I. Record executives at Phonogram shortened the band's name without telling them for the "Freedom Fighters" single.
The Rescue is the third serial of the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by outgoing story editor David Whitaker and directed by Christopher Barry, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in two weekly parts on 2 January and 9 January 1965. In the serial, the time travellers the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, and Barbara Wright befriend Vicki, an orphan girl marooned on the planet Dido who is being threatened by an apparent native of Dido called Koquillion while awaiting rescue.
The Time War, also called the Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The war occurs between the events of the 1996 film and the 2005 revived series, with the Time Lords fighting the Daleks until the apparent mutual destruction of both races. The war was frequently mentioned when the show returned, but was not directly seen until the show's 50th anniversary special.
Wizard rock is a type of novelty rock music themed around the Harry Potter franchise. The music was largely prevalent in the United States in the early 2000s. Wizard rock initially started in Massachusetts with Harry and the Potters, though it has grown internationally.
Fans of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who are referred to as Whovians, or collectively as the Doctor Who fandom.
"Doctorin' the Tardis" is a novelty single by the Timelords. The song is predominantly a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll" with sections from "Block Buster!" by The Sweet. The single was not well received by critics but was a commercial success, hitting number one on the UK and New Zealand singles charts, and reaching the top 10 in Australia, Finland, Ireland and Norway.
Brian Reginald Miller is a British actor and television personality. He is known for his music and television appearances. Miller was married to Elisabeth Sladen, who was a recurring cast member on the BBC show Doctor Who and also in her own spin off series The Sarah Jane Adventures.
"Blink" is the tenth episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 9 June 2007 on BBC One. The episode was directed by Hettie MacDonald and written by Steven Moffat. The episode is based on a previous short story written by Moffat for the 2006 Doctor Who Annual, entitled "'What I Did on My Christmas Holidays' By Sally Sparrow".
Alex Richard George Day is an English musician, vlogger and writer. Day has released seven studio albums, two EPs, and had three UK Top 40 hits. Day amassed more than 1,000,000 subscribers and over 130 million views on his YouTube channel before sexual misconduct allegations arose in 2014 that resulted in the end of his YouTube success.
Chameleon Circuit were an English rock band known for creating music inspired by the British television series Doctor Who. Composed of popular UK YouTube vloggers and Doctor Who fans, the band released their self-titled debut album on 1 June 2009.
Geek rock is a musical subgenre derived from pop rock and alternative rock within the nerd music group. It is characterized by the standard instruments of rock music often combined with electronic and unusual instruments, references to geek culture and specialized yet mundane interests, whimsy, and offbeat humor in general.
Time Crash was a Time Lord rock group from Chicago. The band formed between June 2011 and June 2012 following a Facebook post by vocalist Ronen Kohn. The concept of the band was inspired by wizard rock and bands like Harry and the Potters. Time Crash's first EP was recorded in July 2012 and their live debut was in September 2012.
Time Lord Victorious is a multiplatform story set within the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story was announced in April 2020. The first instalment of the story was released in March 2020, and the final instalment was made available in April 2021 as a ticketed live experience. The serialised story is told through a variety of multimedia including audio dramas, comics, books, short stories, immersive experiences, collectables, and an animated series.