Eureka Machines
Encyclopedia
Eureka Machines are a British pop-rock band based in Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, who formed in 2007. The band consists of Chris Catalyst
(also of The Sisters of Mercy
and The God Damn Whores) on lead vocals & guitar, Davros (aka Dave) on guitar & backing vocals, Pete Pseudonym on bass guitar & backing vocals and Wayne Insane on drums. Described as "power pop" by The Sun and Classic Rock magazine, they are something of a cottage industry, putting out their own records and being self-managing and self-promoting while also touring and gaining press coverage and airplay at a national level.
) were invited to join the band.
All 4 members had previously been in other local, and in some cases more well-known acts. Chris Catalyst
is a current member of The Sisters of Mercy
, The God Damn Whores and was previously in AntiProduct
, The Scaramanga Six
, The Dead Pets, Catylyst (with 2 'y's) and used to do a solo act as Robochrist which he has described as being currently on indefinite hold. Steve Morricone is a founding member of The Scaramanga Six
and also plays with Kava Kava and Being 747. Wayne Insane had previously been in Vatican Jet and Orka. Dave had previously played alongside Chris in Catylyst but had then taken a break from music before being invited back to join Eureka Machines.
The band played their debut gig supporting Forward Russia at the Brudenell Social Club
on 14 December 2007 (a line-up which also included The Scaramanga Six
). Further local gigs followed, with 3-track demo CDs being sold at the shows.
From the start they had a uniform appearance onstage, wearing black suits with white ties and matching T.U.K.
shoes. Chris has described this as being part of the act: "so many bands nowadays look the same. I wanted to stand out from that."
of The Wildhearts
, this was an acoustic tour with Chris and Dave playing acoustic as support. During the tour they sold their original demo CD and a limited edition 6-track live acoustic session CD, selling almost 500 CDs over the 13 date tour.
In March the band appeared on the Raw Talent show on BBC Radio Humberside
to do a live session, again acoustic (9 March). Regular airplay followed on both BBC Radio Humberside
and BBC Radio Leeds
with another full band live session being broadcast on 5 October 2008.
In April a planned UK tour supporting AntiProduct
was cancelled due to health problems within the AntiProduct
camp. Instead they quickly organised their own local dates instead, and amongst other gigs they played Live at Leeds
, a local weekend-long festival which saw Eureka Machines play twice on Saturday 3 May, once during the afternoon as part of Live at Leeds and again in the evening at local rock night 'Rock of Ages'.
In July the band recorded their first videos with Ash TV, one was a promo for the track Everyone Loves You, the other was a spoof version of MTV Cribs which appeared on YouTube in early August. More live videos were recorded at another local festival, Leeds Unity Day on 16 August.
Their largest live date for the summer was being asked to appear on the BBC Introducing
Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
.
(run by Steve and Paul Morricone) on 1 September both digitally and physically, with an album launch party taking place the same day in local Leeds curry house The Bengal Brasserie.
The album was both self-released and self-produced, and grew out of recordings Chris had started with additional tracks being added on in stages. The album was mastered by Jase Edwards (of Wolfsbane
and The God Damn Whores) and as well as guitar, bass and drums it included Chris playing piano, trombone and xylophone and Steve playing saxophone.
Describing the album, Chris said 'it's basically like rock and roll cabaret - a big heap of rock music that makes people smile'. 'Do or Die' gained positive reviews from The Sun
, Kerrang!
, Classic Rock
, Rock Sound
, Leeds Guide
, Sandman magazine, No Title magazine and Black Velvet Fanzine, as well as airplay on BBC Radio 1
, BBC 6 Music
, Xfm
, Channel Five, MTV2, Scuzz and various local stations.
at their sold out show at Shepherd's Bush Empire on 20 September. More touring followed throughout January and February 2009.
Increasing workload led to a parting of the ways as Chris Catalyst left The Scaramanga Six
in October 2008 to concentrate on Eureka Machines (although he remains a member of The Sisters of Mercy
) and Steve Morricone left Eureka Machines in February 2009 to focus more on The Scaramanga Six
and the educational Being 747 show 'Amoeba to Zebra'. Both parties have been quoted as saying they still remain friends. Steve was replaced on bass by Pete Pseudonym, previously from Leeds band The Gushers.
In May they released the single 'Everyone Loves You' and album title track 'Do Or Die' was made Classic Rock
magazine's track of the day. The single was supported with further live dates both headlining and supporting other artists such as Ginger
of The Wildhearts
, Laika Dog (featuring Tony from Terrorvision
), The Stranglers
and Sigue Sigue Sputnik
.
In the Summer of 2009 they played festivals including Guilfest
, Moor Music Festival, Wickerman Festival
and Trashstock in Nottingham.
Single 'Being Good Is Okay, But Being Better's Better' was released as a free download on 2 September through their website, with a video to accompany it made by Paul Morricone of Poison Pen Films
.
Classic Rock Magazine
featured the band again in November 2009 by putting ‘The Story of My Life’ on a cover mounted CD
In December the band completed their biggest UK tour yet, supporting Electric Six
for 14 dates throughout the UK in Academy venues.
At the end of the year they picked up nominations in 2 categories for the 2010 Pure Rawk awards and a piece in American Spin magazine where the album 'Do or Die' was reviewed as a 'gem you may have missed'.
Work started on recording album two at the start of February 2010, and was completed almost exactly a year later. The album will be released at the start of May 2011.
Eureka Machines won the two awards for which they were nominated at the 2010 Pure Rawk Awards - Best Band and Best Frontman.
On 2 December 2010, Eureka Machines released the first single from the second album, These Are The People Who Live In My House, as a free download on their website, premiering the video at the same time.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, who formed in 2007. The band consists of Chris Catalyst
Chris Catalyst
Chris Catalyst is the guitarist from the rock bands Eureka Machines and The Sisters of Mercy. He was also known as Robochrist, a solo industrial comedy set with face paint and props which he used to perform, but which is now on hold for the time being.He was born in Beverley, East Riding of...
(also of The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
and The God Damn Whores) on lead vocals & guitar, Davros (aka Dave) on guitar & backing vocals, Pete Pseudonym on bass guitar & backing vocals and Wayne Insane on drums. Described as "power pop" by The Sun and Classic Rock magazine, they are something of a cottage industry, putting out their own records and being self-managing and self-promoting while also touring and gaining press coverage and airplay at a national level.
Formation and origins
Eureka Machines began with Chris asking Wayne to join but since Wayne was still committed to his previous band, Chris had to wait for him to become available before they could start working together in 2007 on early tracks. Some of these tracks then appeared on MySpace in August 2007. Dave/Davros and then Steve Morricone (also of The Scaramanga SixThe Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
) were invited to join the band.
All 4 members had previously been in other local, and in some cases more well-known acts. Chris Catalyst
Chris Catalyst
Chris Catalyst is the guitarist from the rock bands Eureka Machines and The Sisters of Mercy. He was also known as Robochrist, a solo industrial comedy set with face paint and props which he used to perform, but which is now on hold for the time being.He was born in Beverley, East Riding of...
is a current member of The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, The God Damn Whores and was previously in AntiProduct
AntiProduct
AntiProduct are a UK-based glam punk band, fronted by Alex Kane, formerly of Clam Abuse, Enuff Z'nuff, Holland, and Life, Sex & Death.The band formed in 2000, and have played alongside acts such as Rachel Stamp, The Wildhearts, Ginger, The Quireboys, Enuff Z'Nuff, Electric Eel Shock, Tyla from...
, The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
, The Dead Pets, Catylyst (with 2 'y's) and used to do a solo act as Robochrist which he has described as being currently on indefinite hold. Steve Morricone is a founding member of The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
and also plays with Kava Kava and Being 747. Wayne Insane had previously been in Vatican Jet and Orka. Dave had previously played alongside Chris in Catylyst but had then taken a break from music before being invited back to join Eureka Machines.
The band played their debut gig supporting Forward Russia at the Brudenell Social Club
Brudenell Social Club
The Brudenell Social Club is a social club in the Hyde Park area of Leeds, England. It is best known as a venue for live music.The Brudenell was formed as a 'gentleman's social and recreational club' in 1913 and originally was a social club for cabaret and bingo...
on 14 December 2007 (a line-up which also included The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
). Further local gigs followed, with 3-track demo CDs being sold at the shows.
From the start they had a uniform appearance onstage, wearing black suits with white ties and matching T.U.K.
T.U.K.
T.U.K. is a British boot and shoe manufacturer, who has maintained popularity with the British punk scene as they are on of the few remaining boot makers who are based in the United Kingdom....
shoes. Chris has described this as being part of the act: "so many bands nowadays look the same. I wanted to stand out from that."
Early momentum
In February 2008 the band were asked to appear as support on a UK tour with GingerGinger (singer)
Ginger is a rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his band The Wildhearts.-Early career:...
of The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
, this was an acoustic tour with Chris and Dave playing acoustic as support. During the tour they sold their original demo CD and a limited edition 6-track live acoustic session CD, selling almost 500 CDs over the 13 date tour.
In March the band appeared on the Raw Talent show on BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside is a BBC Local Radio service covering the area of the former English county of Humberside, which was returned to North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Kingston upon Hull on 1 April 1996....
to do a live session, again acoustic (9 March). Regular airplay followed on both BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Humberside is a BBC Local Radio service covering the area of the former English county of Humberside, which was returned to North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire the East Riding of Yorkshire and the City of Kingston upon Hull on 1 April 1996....
and BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
with another full band live session being broadcast on 5 October 2008.
In April a planned UK tour supporting AntiProduct
AntiProduct
AntiProduct are a UK-based glam punk band, fronted by Alex Kane, formerly of Clam Abuse, Enuff Z'nuff, Holland, and Life, Sex & Death.The band formed in 2000, and have played alongside acts such as Rachel Stamp, The Wildhearts, Ginger, The Quireboys, Enuff Z'Nuff, Electric Eel Shock, Tyla from...
was cancelled due to health problems within the AntiProduct
AntiProduct
AntiProduct are a UK-based glam punk band, fronted by Alex Kane, formerly of Clam Abuse, Enuff Z'nuff, Holland, and Life, Sex & Death.The band formed in 2000, and have played alongside acts such as Rachel Stamp, The Wildhearts, Ginger, The Quireboys, Enuff Z'Nuff, Electric Eel Shock, Tyla from...
camp. Instead they quickly organised their own local dates instead, and amongst other gigs they played Live at Leeds
Live at Leeds (festival)
Live at Leeds is a music festival that takes place across various venues in Leeds, England on the weekend of the May Day bank holiday.The festival began in 2007 to mark the city of Leeds's 800th birthday and was jointly hosted by Leeds City Council and music promotion company Futuresound...
, a local weekend-long festival which saw Eureka Machines play twice on Saturday 3 May, once during the afternoon as part of Live at Leeds and again in the evening at local rock night 'Rock of Ages'.
In July the band recorded their first videos with Ash TV, one was a promo for the track Everyone Loves You, the other was a spoof version of MTV Cribs which appeared on YouTube in early August. More live videos were recorded at another local festival, Leeds Unity Day on 16 August.
Their largest live date for the summer was being asked to appear on the BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
.
Debut album: Do or Die
The debut album 'Do or Die' was released on local label Wrath RecordsWrath Records
Wrath Records is a small independent record label based in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Unlike some 'indie labels', Wrath does not feature backing from any major record companies....
(run by Steve and Paul Morricone) on 1 September both digitally and physically, with an album launch party taking place the same day in local Leeds curry house The Bengal Brasserie.
The album was both self-released and self-produced, and grew out of recordings Chris had started with additional tracks being added on in stages. The album was mastered by Jase Edwards (of Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (band)
Wolfsbane are an English heavy metal band. Formed in 1984, the band remained active until lead singer Blaze Bayley went on to join Iron Maiden in 1994. After a couple of reunion shows in 2007 and 2009, Wolfsbane officially reunited in June 2010...
and The God Damn Whores) and as well as guitar, bass and drums it included Chris playing piano, trombone and xylophone and Steve playing saxophone.
Describing the album, Chris said 'it's basically like rock and roll cabaret - a big heap of rock music that makes people smile'. 'Do or Die' gained positive reviews from The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
, Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
, Leeds Guide
The Leeds Guide
The Leeds Guide is now a monthly what's on magazine and has been published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England since 1997 and is the longest established 'What's on' magazine for Leeds. Originally a monthly A5 magazine printed in black and white...
, Sandman magazine, No Title magazine and Black Velvet Fanzine, as well as airplay on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
, Xfm
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, Channel Five, MTV2, Scuzz and various local stations.
Touring and further releases 2008 and 2009
Following the album release the band toured throughout September, including supporting The WildheartsThe Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
at their sold out show at Shepherd's Bush Empire on 20 September. More touring followed throughout January and February 2009.
Increasing workload led to a parting of the ways as Chris Catalyst left The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
in October 2008 to concentrate on Eureka Machines (although he remains a member of The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
) and Steve Morricone left Eureka Machines in February 2009 to focus more on The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six
The Scaramanga Six are an English rock band noted for their aggressive live act, their flamboyant and theatrical songs and their independent business practices...
and the educational Being 747 show 'Amoeba to Zebra'. Both parties have been quoted as saying they still remain friends. Steve was replaced on bass by Pete Pseudonym, previously from Leeds band The Gushers.
In May they released the single 'Everyone Loves You' and album title track 'Do Or Die' was made Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
magazine's track of the day. The single was supported with further live dates both headlining and supporting other artists such as Ginger
Ginger (singer)
Ginger is a rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his band The Wildhearts.-Early career:...
of The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
, Laika Dog (featuring Tony from Terrorvision
Terrorvision
Terrorvision are an English rock band. They were formed in 1987 in Keighley, and initially disbanded in 2001...
), The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
and Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band created in 1982 by the former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band had three UK Top 40 hit singles, including the song "Love Missile F1-11".-Early years:...
.
In the Summer of 2009 they played festivals including Guilfest
GuilFest
GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...
, Moor Music Festival, Wickerman Festival
Wickerman Festival
The Wickerman Festival is an annual music festival held near to Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dubbed 'Scotland's Alternative Music festival', the festival will celebrate its 10th Birthday in 2011 on Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd July....
and Trashstock in Nottingham.
Single 'Being Good Is Okay, But Being Better's Better' was released as a free download on 2 September through their website, with a video to accompany it made by Paul Morricone of Poison Pen Films
Poison Pen Films
Poison Pen Films is a film production company based in Leeds, Yorkshire, UK and affiliated to Metro Films. It is run as a collective by its members - Paul Morricone, Dave Aspinall. Joe Costello and Nous Vous...
.
Classic Rock Magazine
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
featured the band again in November 2009 by putting ‘The Story of My Life’ on a cover mounted CD
In December the band completed their biggest UK tour yet, supporting Electric Six
Electric Six
Electric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
for 14 dates throughout the UK in Academy venues.
At the end of the year they picked up nominations in 2 categories for the 2010 Pure Rawk awards and a piece in American Spin magazine where the album 'Do or Die' was reviewed as a 'gem you may have missed'.
2010 and the future
In January 2010 Eureka Machines were included on a charity download album called The Haiti Project put together by Round Records.Work started on recording album two at the start of February 2010, and was completed almost exactly a year later. The album will be released at the start of May 2011.
Eureka Machines won the two awards for which they were nominated at the 2010 Pure Rawk Awards - Best Band and Best Frontman.
On 2 December 2010, Eureka Machines released the first single from the second album, These Are The People Who Live In My House, as a free download on their website, premiering the video at the same time.
External links
- www.eurekamachines.com Official Website
- BBC Music page artist profile
- Leeds Music Scene artist profile