Trophy Wife (English band)

Last updated

Trophy Wife
Origin Oxford, England
Genres
Years active2010–2013
Labels Moshi Moshi Records
MembersJody Prewett
Ben Rimmer
Kit Monteith
Website trophywifeband.tumblr.com

Trophy Wife were an English indie rock band from Oxford, England, consisting of Jody Prewett (vocals, guitar, bass), Ben Rimmer (keyboards, sampler) and Kit Monteith (drums, percussion, sampler). [1] The band disbanded after playing their last show at the O2 Academy, Oxford, on 14 June 2013. [2]

Contents

History

Founding

The three were all formerly members of fellow Oxford band Jonquil. [2] They describe their sound on their Facebook page as "pentatonic pop". [3] When asked in a 2010 interview with UK music blog There Goes the Fear about the origin of their name, they responded, "We’ve had the name for a while and it seemed to suit the sounds we started making. To us, it’s a name that is both glamorous and glitzy yet somehow inherently dark. In many ways this is also how we see our music; Kit had heaps of old manual photographs of these desolate, windswept English locations and we pasted the words ‘Trophy Wife’ in big pink letters onto them and we really liked the relationship between the two." [1]

Releases

After releasing their acclaimed debut single "Microlite" on 8 November 2010 on Moshi Moshi Records, [4] the band played their first live shows, which included a string of successful support slots with the likes of Foals and Bombay Bicycle Club. The follow-up double A-side single to "Microlite" was "The Quiet Earth" / "White Horses", released on 28 February 2011. [5]

Trophy Wife describes their music as "ambitionless office disco". They clarified this genre to There Goes the Fear further: "Most descriptions of bands are often misplaced or too generic. We wanted to connect ourselves to something that is specific to us so we came up with our own term to describe our music. We also came up with commuter pop and pentatonic disco." [1] Paul Lester of The Guardian described their debut single "Microlite" like this: It exudes melancholy even as the beat fires up; it's our old friend, sad disco, something to dance to even as you ponder the vapidity and meaninglessness of frivolous self-expression. [6]

Trophy Wife are part of the Blessing Force movement currently active in the Oxford area. [7] The band's sound and aesthetic is informed by influences as diverse as Hank Marvin, The Notwist, Studio, Tortoise, Ennio Morricone, PJ Harvey, Polmo Polpo, Fleetwood Mac, [1] The Shadows, Glissandro 70, Caribou, and Donna Summer. [8] These influences can not only be heard in the band's music and production but are also echoed in their artwork, photography and videos – all facets of which the three band members contribute to equally.

Trophy Wife were the main support for Esben and the Witch's early 2011 tour [9] and were chosen to play an HMV Next Big Thing show on 10 February 2011 alongside James Yuill, CocknBullKid, and Visions of Trees. [10] The band went on a headline tour of the UK in November 2011, following the release of their Bruxism EP on 17 October 2011. [11] All five tracks on the EP were inspired by the sleeping disorders suffered by their band members. Each song is unique in that each had their own producer(s). [12] The band co-produced early previewed track "Canopy Shade" with Plaid, the title track "Bruxism" with James Yuill, and "Seven Waves" with Andrew Halford and Aidan Laverty. "Sleepwalks" was produced by Ewan Pearson (Tracey Thorn, Delphic), and "Wolf" was produced by friend and Foals band leader Yannis Philippakis. [13]

As revealed in a news story on One for the People on 9 August 2012, Trophy Wife's debut album is almost completed and the band will be releasing previews of its songs (11 in total) visually in collage format on their official Tumblr. [14]

Disbandment

On 20 May 2013, the band posted a statement on Facebook releasing their first full length album and also their plans to split up saying they were "putting Trophy Wife to rest." That also released details for a group of farewell shows. [15]

Discography

Albums

Trophy Wife

Singles

"Microlite"

"The Quiet Earth / White Horses"

EPs

Bruxism EP

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keane (band)</span> English alternative rock band

Keane are an English alternative rock band from Battle, East Sussex, formed in 1995. They met while at Tonbridge School together. The band currently comprises Tom Chaplin, Tim Rice-Oxley, Richard Hughes, and Jesse Quin. Their original line-up included founder and guitarist Dominic Scott, who left in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paper Aeroplanes</span> Welsh alternative pop band (2009-2015)

Paper Aeroplanes were a Welsh alternative pop band founded in 2009 by Sarah Howells and Richard Llewellyn, although both members had played together in Halflight since 2003. The band built up a fanbase through gigging in Cardiff in their early years, before later touring UK-wide and across Europe.

Moshi Moshi Records is a small London-based record label founded in 1998 by Adrian Pike, Michael McClatchey and Stephen Bass. The label has released music by bands including Lykke Li, Fimber Bravo, Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Late of the Pier, Hot Club De Paris, Kate Nash, Florence and the Machine, Architecture in Helsinki, the Wave Pictures, Disclosure, Sweet Baboo, Tilly and the Wall, Blue Foundation, Slow Club, Happyness, and Au Revoir Simone. Mates Of State's 2008 record Re-Arrange Us was Moshi Moshi's 50th release. Adrian Pike left the set up within a couple of years leaving McClatchey and Bass to carry on the business. These days it also includes a Management Company who manage Metronomy, Teleman, Slow Club and Sweet Baboo among others and has publishing interests in conjunction with Tummy Touch Music, Eagle-I Music and Blue Mountain Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Heroes</span> American alternative rock band

House of Heroes is an American alternative rock band from Columbus, Ohio. They have released six albums: What You Want Is Now (2003), House of Heroes (2005), The End Is Not the End (2008), Suburba (2010), Cold Hard Want (2012), and Colors (2016). The band also released the album Ten Months (2001) under their original name, No Tagbacks, which had more of a punk sound than their releases as House of Heroes. They also re-released their self-titled record under the name of Say No More (2006). The band was last composed of Tim Skipper, Colin Rigsby, A.J. Babcock, Jared Rigsby, and Eric Newcomer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Will Destroy You</span> American post-rock band

This Will Destroy You is an American post-rock band from San Marcos, Texas, formed in 2004. They typically compose lengthy atmospheric instrumental pieces, featuring layers of effects-laden guitar and a heavy usage of dynamics. Their fourth album Another Language, released in 2014, entered the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart at number 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dananananaykroyd</span> Scottish band

Dananananaykroyd was a Scottish six-piece, self-dubbed 'Fight Pop' band formed in 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland. Their name is a play on the name of Canadian-American actor Dan Aykroyd. They announced via Facebook and Twitter on 29 September 2011 that they would be disbanding after one farewell tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood Red Shoes</span> English alternative rock band

Blood Red Shoes are an English alternative rock duo from Brighton consisting of Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell. They have released six full-length albums, Box of Secrets (2008), Fire Like This (2010), In Time to Voices (2012), Blood Red Shoes (2014), Get Tragic (2019) and Ghosts On Tape (2022) as well as several EPs and a number of singles. In 2014, they founded their own label, Jazz Life.

Rory Attwell is an English musician, best known for his part in UK punk trio Test Icicles, who formed in 2004 and played a handful of concerts before disbanding on 22 April 2006, after their sold out final show at the Astoria in London. During their time together they released the album For Screening Purposes Only, and had UK Top 40 singles with "What's Your Damage" and "Circle. Square. Triangle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friendly Fires</span> English indie rock band

Friendly Fires are an English indie rock band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008, and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on 21 July 2009.

Chris Moore is an American record producer, mixer, and recording engineer currently based in New York, New York. He has produced, recorded and mixed albums by Midnight Juggernauts, TV On The Radio, Scarlett Johansson, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yeasayer, Au Revoir Simone, Foals, Dragons of Zynth, and The Ohsees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yannis Philippakis</span> Greek-born musician (born 1986)

Yannis Barnabas Emanuel Philippakis is a Greek-born singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is a founding member and the lead vocalist of the British indie rock band Foals, with whom he has released seven studio albums since their founding in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Yuill</span> Musical artist

James Yuill is an English folktronica musician from London, currently signed to the Moshi Moshi record label.

General Fiasco are an indie rock group from Bellaghy, Northern Ireland. Since their formation in 2006, they have toured with Little Comets, Fighting With Wire, The Wombats, One Night Only, The Pigeon Detectives, The Enemy, Jet and Kids in Glass Houses. They released their debut album Buildings on 22 March 2010 on Infectious Records and released their second album Unfaithfully Yours on 30 July 2012 on Dirty Hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Door Cinema Club</span> Northern Irish indie rock band

Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor, Northern Ireland. The band formed in 2007 and is composed of three members: Alex Trimble, Sam Halliday, and Kevin Baird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Allen</span> American singer-songwriter

Carson Cole Allen is an American singer-songwriter known for his roles in former bands: lead vocalist for On the Last Day and Me vs. Myself, tracemyveins keyboardist and founding member of Escape the Fate, as well as his current project Something Witchy, and his solo music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clock Opera</span>

Clock Opera are a British indie rock band based in London. Formed in 2009 by singer, guitarist and sampler Guy Connelly, the quartet also comprises Andy West on bass and guitar, Che Albrighton on drums, and Dan Armstrong on keyboards and vocals. Their singles include "Belongings" and "Once and for All," and their debut album Ways to Forget was released on 23 April 2012. Guy Connelly also does remixes for other artists under the name Clock Opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Have Band</span> British electronic music group

We Have Band, also known as "WHB", is a three-piece electronic music group from Manchester and London consisting of Darren Bancroft and the husband-and-wife duo Thomas Wegg-Prosser and Dede Wegg-Prosser. They have released three albums through the French-based Naïve Records. Their first album, WHB, was released on 5 April 2010 and a ten-track second album, Ternion, was released on 29 January 2012. We Have Band have remixed many artists including Gorillaz, Bloc Party, Micachu, Peter Bjorn and John and M83.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Macfarlane</span> Musical artist

Edward David Macfarlane is an English singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and the lead vocalist of the English electronic music band Friendly Fires. He is often called by the nickname "Ed Mac" to avoid confusion with his bandmate and guitarist Edd Gibson. He has written, co-written, produced or co-produced all of the Friendly Fires' songs.

Elizabeth Maniscalco, better known by her stage name Elizabeth Rose, is an Australian electronica DJ, record producer and singer-songwriter. Her first single, "Ready", was released in January 2012 to good reviews, with Radar Music marking her as one of the "20 Aussie Indie Bands to Watch in 2012". Elizabeth now goes under the alias 'Brux' and is signed to Dim Mak Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagulls</span> English rock band

Eagulls were an English rock band, formed in Leeds in 2009. The band consisted of Mark Goldsworthy (guitar), Henry Ruddel (drums), Liam Matthews (guitar), Tom Kelly (bass), and George Mitchell (vocals).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Chang, Mary (22 December 2010). "10 for 2011 Interview: Trophy Wife". There Goes the Fear. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 "New music: Jonquil – It's My Part". The Guardian . 6 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "Trophy Wife on Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 Chang, Mary (11 October 2010). "Single Review: Trophy Wife – Microlite". There Goes the Fear. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  5. 1 2 Chang, Mary (20 January 2011). "Single Review: Trophy Wife – The Quiet Earth / White Horses". There Goes the Fear. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  6. ↑ Lester, Paul (28 September 2010). "New Band of the Day: Trophy Wife (No 876)". The Guardian .
  7. ↑ Snapes, Laura (17 November 2010). "Oxford's Blessing Force: Hear the Bands". NME.
  8. ↑ "Introducing: Trophy Wife". 1forthepeople.com. 7 June 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Chang, Mary (11 February 2011). "Esben and the Witch / April 2011 UK Tour". There Goes the Fear. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "HMV NEXT BIG THING: James Yuill + Cocknbullkid + Trophy Wife + Visions Of Trees + more". Timeout.com. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  11. ↑ Chang, Mary (4 October 2011). "Trophy Wife / November 2011 UK Tour". There Goes the Fear. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  12. 1 2 Chang, Mary (13 October 2011). "EP Reviews - Trophy Wife - Bruxism". This is Fake DIY. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "Watch: Trophy Wife & Yannis Foals In The Studio With 'Wolf'". This is Fake DIY. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Trophy Wife update". Lftp.tumblr.com. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Trophy Wife". Facebook.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Trophy Wife - Microlite single". Moshimoshi.greedbag.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  17. ↑ "Trophy Wife - The Quiet Earth single". Moshimoshi.greedbag.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "Trophy Wife - Bruxism EP". Discogs.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
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.