Cornershop are a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
indie band formed in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in 1991 by
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
-born Tjinder Singh (singer, songwriter, and guitar), his brother Avtar Singh (bass guitar, vocals), David Chambers (drums) and Ben Ayres (guitar, keyboards, and tamboura), the first three having previously been members of
PrestonPreston is a city and non-metropolitan district of Lancashire, in North West England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...
-based band General Havoc, who released one single (the "Fast Jaspal EP") in 1991. The band name originated from a stereotype referring to
British AsianBritish Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia. In British English, the term the 'Asian' usually excludes East Asians ....
s that they often own
street corner storesA convenience store is a small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Stores that are part of gas stations may also sell motor oil, windshield washer fluid,...
.
Cornershop are a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
indie band formed in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in 1991 by
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
-born Tjinder Singh (singer, songwriter, and guitar), his brother Avtar Singh (bass guitar, vocals), David Chambers (drums) and Ben Ayres (guitar, keyboards, and tamboura), the first three having previously been members of
PrestonPreston is a city and non-metropolitan district of Lancashire, in North West England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...
-based band General Havoc, who released one single (the "Fast Jaspal EP") in 1991. The band name originated from a stereotype referring to
British AsianBritish Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia. In British English, the term the 'Asian' usually excludes East Asians ....
s that they often own
street corner storesA convenience store is a small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Stores that are part of gas stations may also sell motor oil, windshield washer fluid,...
. Their music is a
fusionA fusion genre is a music genre which combines two or more genres. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm and sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be...
of
Indian musicThe music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
, British
indie rockIndie rock is a genre of rock music that originated in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1980s. The term is often used to describe the means of production and distribution of independent underground music, as well as the style of music that was first associated with this means of...
, and electronic
danceThis article is about dance music in general. You may also be looking for electronic dance music or dance-pop.Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
.
History
Tjinder Singh formed The General Havoc whilst a student at
Lancashire PolytechnicThe University of Central Lancashire is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England, UK.The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. In 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council...
in 1987. He relocated to Leicester, where his brother and sister lived, and formed Cornershop in 1991 along with his brother Avtar, and Chambers and Ayres, while working as a barman at Leicester's
Magazine pub, also a popular local music venue. The band played their first gig at Leicester's
O'Jays venue.
In the early 1990s, when popular singer
MorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known primarily as Morrissey, is a British singer-songwriter. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths...
was being vilified by the UK music press (particularly the
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
) after accusations of racism, the band were invited to comment and the
NME ran a story featuring the band burning a picture of the singer outside the offices of
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
.
Debut single, the
In The Days of Ford Cortina EP, which came in "curry-coloured vinyl", was a blend of Indian-tinged noise pop, the sound mellowing somewhat by the release of debut album proper "
Hold On It HurtsHold On It Hurts is the 1994 debut album by Cornershop. It failed to reach commercial success, but went some way in helping the band find its niche in the following years.- Track listing :#"Jason Donovan/Tessa Sanderson"#"Kalluri's Radio"...
" in 1994, described by
Trouser PressTrouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow Who fan Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" ...
as "a politically charged popfest, ten tracks of noisy delights that meld incisive social commentary with a firm hold on British post-punk." The album impressed
David ByrneDavid Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer...
sufficiently for him to sign the band to his
Luaka BopLuaka Bop is a world music-oriented record label established by David Byrne, former guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer of the art rock/new wave band Talking Heads. It is considered a semi-independent label, since it receives major-label distribution...
label. Although David Chambers left the band in 1994, the band re-emerged in 1995 with the "6 a.m. Jullander Shere" single and the album
Woman's Gotta Have It-Side one:#"6 A.M. Jullandar Shere" – 6:22#"Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu" – 3:23#"Roof Rack" – 3:48#"My Dancing Days Are Done" – 3:30#"Call All Destroyer" – 3:24#"Camp Orange" – 3:48-Side two:#"Wog" – 3:12#"Jansimram King" – 3:34#"Looking for a Way In" – 7:48...
, also touring the United States including some dates on the
LollapaloozaLollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring alternative rock, hip hop, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups...
tour. The band also toured Europe with
BeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known by the stage name Beck...
.
The departure of Avtar Singh around the end of 1995 led to a major line-up change, with Anthony Saffery (
sitarThe sitar is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, keyboards and harmonium), Nick Simms (drums) and Peter Bengry (percussion) joining.
They were more widely noticed after the success of a
Fatboy SlimNorman Quentin Cook , also known by the stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, big beat musician, record producer and pioneer of the electronic dance genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
remix of their song "
Brimful of Asha"Brimful of Asha" is an East-West Fusion pop-rock song by the British band Cornershop, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart in 1997. A remix by Fatboy Slim became a hit in 1998 on the US and UK charts, reaching #1 in the UK. The original hit #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock...
", from their
1997
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 - David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed,...
third album
When I Was Born for the 7th TimeWhen I Was Born for the 7th Time is a 1997 album by Cornershop.In 2000, Q magazine placed it at number 68 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever....
. The song was a tribute to the prolific Indian
playback singerA playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer doesn't appear on screen...
,
Asha BhosleAsha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is best known as a Bollywood playback singer, although she has a much wider repertoire. Her career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 1000 Bollywood movies and sold many records...
, and the entire Indian music industry in general. Norman Cook mixed the track without charging a fee because he liked it so much.
Paula FrazerPaula Frazer is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in Georgia and Arkansas and moved to San Francisco in 1981. Her music is frequently described as melancholic alternative country, but with an eclectic mix of folk, blues and pop, among other genres...
appears as a guest vocalist on the track "Good To Be On The Road Back Home".
Allen GinsbergIrwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet. Ginsberg is best known for the poem "Howl" , in which he celebrates fellow members of the Beat Generation and critiques what he saw as the destructive forces of materialism and conformity in the United States.-Early life and family:Ginsberg was born into...
recites his poem "When the Light Appears Boy" on the track with the same name.
In 2000 Ayres and Singh released a
discoDisco is a genre of dance music that that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
inspired album
Disco and the Halfway to Discontent as part of their side-project, Clinton. This album inspired the launch of the London based clubnight called Buttoned Down Disco, which took its name from the third track on the album.
Their next official Cornershop release was the 2002 album,
Handcream for a GenerationHandcream for a Generation is the fifth album by the English indie band Cornershop. It featured contributions from two Oasis members - Noel Gallagher contributed guitar to "Spectral Mornings" and former Oasis bassist Guigsy played bass on "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III".-Track listing:#...
, which featured
Noel GallagherNoel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician, best known as the former principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and occasional vocalist of British rock band Oasis...
on sitar.
According to their official website, Cornershop have been making a
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
about London’s independent music industry since 2003. In February 2006, some four years after their last album, they released a new single "Wop the Groove" featuring guest vocals from
Happy MondaysHappy Mondays are a British alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day , keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
backing singer and
The X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music talent show, contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is broadcast on the ITV network in the United Kingdom and on TV3 in Ireland, with spin-off "behind-the-scenes" shows The Xtra Factor and The X Factor 24/7 screened on ITV2 and TV3...
finalist
RowettaRowetta Satchell, simply known as Rowetta is an English singer, best known for her appearance on series 1 of The X Factor, in which she came fourth after Tabby Callaghan, G4 and Steve Brookstein and was the last female in the competition.-Early Years:Rowetta was born to a Jewish mother and a...
.
In 2008, their song "Candyman" was featured in the Nike Advertisement for the Lebron James VI shoe, the commercial was entitled, The Six "Chalk" Commercial Ad.
Cornershop's latest album
Judy Sucks a Lemon for BreakfastJudy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast is a 2009 studio album by the British band Cornershop. It was their first album in seven years following 2002's Handcream for a Generation. The band released the album independently through their website and in local shops.The album has received generally positive...
was released in July 2009, and was preceded by the single "The Roll-Off Characteristics (Of History in the Making)" in May.
Albums
- Hold On It Hurts
Hold On It Hurts is the 1994 debut album by Cornershop. It failed to reach commercial success, but went some way in helping the band find its niche in the following years.- Track listing :#"Jason Donovan/Tessa Sanderson"#"Kalluri's Radio"...
(1994)
- Woman's Gotta Have It
-Side one:#"6 A.M. Jullandar Shere" – 6:22#"Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu" – 3:23#"Roof Rack" – 3:48#"My Dancing Days Are Done" – 3:30#"Call All Destroyer" – 3:24#"Camp Orange" – 3:48-Side two:#"Wog" – 3:12#"Jansimram King" – 3:34#"Looking for a Way In" – 7:48...
(1995)
- When I Was Born for the 7th Time
When I Was Born for the 7th Time is a 1997 album by Cornershop.In 2000, Q magazine placed it at number 68 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever....
(1997) UKThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
#17
- Disco and the Halfway to Discontent (as Clinton) (1999)
- Handcream for a Generation
Handcream for a Generation is the fifth album by the English indie band Cornershop. It featured contributions from two Oasis members - Noel Gallagher contributed guitar to "Spectral Mornings" and former Oasis bassist Guigsy played bass on "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III".-Track listing:#...
(2002) UK #30
- Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast
Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast is a 2009 studio album by the British band Cornershop. It was their first album in seven years following 2002's Handcream for a Generation. The band released the album independently through their website and in local shops.The album has received generally positive...
(2009)
Singles
- "In The Days Of Ford Cortina EP" (1993)
- "Lock Stock & Double Barrel EP" (1993)
- "Reader's Wives" (1993)
- "Born Disco, Died Heavy Metal" (1994)
- "Seetar Man" (1994) (split single with Blood Sausage)
- "6 a.m. Jullander Shere" (1995)
- "My Dancing Days are Done" (1995) (split single with Prohibition)
- "6 a.m. Jullander Shere: The Grid and Star Liner mixes" (1996)
- "W.O.G. - The U.S Western Oriental mixes" (1996)
- "Butter The Soul" (1996)
- "Good Ships" (1997)
- "Brimful of Asha
"Brimful of Asha" is an East-West Fusion pop-rock song by the British band Cornershop, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart in 1997. A remix by Fatboy Slim became a hit in 1998 on the US and UK charts, reaching #1 in the UK. The original hit #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock...
" (1997) UKThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
#60
- "Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)" (1998) UK #1
- "Sleep on the Left Side" (1998) UK #23
- "Buttoned Down Disco" (as Clinton) (1999)
- "People Power In The Disco Hour" (as Clinton) (2000)
- "Lessons Learned From Rocky I to Rocky III" (2002) UK #37
- "Staging The Plaguing Of The Raised Platform" (2002) UK #80
- "Topknot" (2004) UK #53
- "Wop the Groove" (2006) UK #154
- "The Roll Off Characteristics Of History In The Making" (2009)
- "Who Fingered Rock And Roll" (2009)
External links