Guillemots are a
BRIT AwardThe Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
nominated
indie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band formed in November 2004 by Fyfe Dangerfield. The band consists of 4 members:
Fyfe DangerfieldFyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots.-Early life:...
, MC Lord Magrão, Aristazabal Hawkes & Greig Stewart. Although formed in Birmingham and now based in London, the band's members have been compiled from England, Scotland, Brazil and Canada. Their first album,
Through the WindowpaneThrough the Windowpane is the debut full-length album from the British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on July 10, 2006 in the United Kingdom and reached number 17 in the UK Album Chart. The album was highly anticipated following the strength of the singles "Trains to Brazil" and...
, was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize. The band has experienced some chart success, with their single "
Get Over It"Get Over It" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's second album, Red. It was released as the first single from their second album on 17 March 2008.The music has a disco-influenced pop sound....
" reaching number 20 in the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in March 2008. Their second album,
RedRed is the second album from British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on 24 March 2008 in the United Kingdom and reached number 9 in the UK Album Charts...
, reached number 9 in the
UK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
in the same month. After touring all through 2008 and Fyfe releasing a solo record the band finished their third record
Walk the RiverWalk The River is the third full-length album from the British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on April 18, 2011 in the United Kingdom and reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart...
released on April 18, 2011.
Formation and early years (2004-2006)
Fyfe DangerfieldFyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots.-Early life:...
began writing songs in his native
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and then in Bromsgrove. His early band,
Senseless PrayerSenseless Prayer were a British three-piece pop/rock band from Bromsgrove, near Birmingham. The band consisted of Fyfe Hutchins , Charles Hildebrandt and Alex Rajkowski – who were fellow pupils with Hutchins at the independent Bromsgrove SchoolThe band recorded four tracks for a "'Peel Session",...
, recorded a session for
John PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's
Radio 1BBC 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...
show in 1999. Dangerfield then began song writing under the name "Fyfe Dangerfield and the Accident", and in 2004 he featured alongside
Misty's Big AdventureMisty's Big Adventure are an eight piece band from Birmingham, England. Their music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk....
, Mike in Mono, Dreams of Tall Buildings, and X Is Greater Than Y on a promotional CD that was offered free with
The Birmingham PostThe Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
, called
Broader Than Broad Street. He then joined old school friend, Paul "Booby" Tooby, on his "Ragamuffin Blues but Holes in my Shoes" tour.
Dangerfield had moved to
BromsgroveBromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, attending
Bromsgrove SchoolBromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. The school has a long history and many notable former pupils.-History:...
in 1988; he moved to
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 2002, where he recruited the current line up (although Alex Ward was also at Bromsgrove School). He also became a maverick music teacher for
Cranbrook CollegeCranbrook is an independent co-educational school, located in Ilford, Greater London, England. The Cognita Group own and operate the school. The academic years go up from junior to senior starting from reception then working the way up the academic ladder to Year 11. Pupils usually go on to other...
.
The name of the band is the plural of the name of a group of seabirds (but most often meaning the
Common GuillemotThe Common Murre or Common Guillemot is a large auk. It is also known as the Thin-billed Murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North-Atlantic and North Pacific...
Uria aalge) and should be pronounced 'gillimott' (and not with a
FrenchFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
accent). The 4-piece have often been joined by two saxophone and woodwind players, Alex Ward and
Chris CundyChristopher Cundy is a British free jazz musician, both solo and with Guillemots.He mainly plays the Bass clarinet and Contrabass clarinet.He is from Cheltenham, UK....
, who are known as the "Bridled Guillemots" (a real-life variation of the band's namesake). Guillemots often use quirky musical instruments, such as the sound of a
typewriterA typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
in the song "Who Left The Lights Off, Baby?", and MC Lord Magrao has used industrial power tools to create new sounds on their records.
Dangerfield, Ward and Cundy are also founding members of the jazz ensemble Gannets.
Birds are the source of inspiration for the band not just in name. For example, their 2006 EP
From the CliffsFrom the Cliffs is an EP by British indie rock band Guillemots, released on March 14, 2006. It compiles their previous releases, the I Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP and the first "Trains to Brazil" single, to form a mini-album in itself .-Track listing:# "Sake" –...
continues the Guillemot theme, the bird's natural habitat being steep sea cliffs. In their
MySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
entry their influences are given as 'BIRDSONG first and foremost', although the only artist that all the band members have publicly stated as being an influence is
BjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
. Their first album features recordings of
Red-throated DiverThe Red-throated Loon or Red-throated Diver is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. It breeds primarily in Arctic regions, and winters in northern coastal waters. It is the most widely distributed member of the loon or diver family. Ranging from in length, the Red-throated...
Gavia stellata and
European RobinThe European Robin , most commonly known in Anglophone Europe simply as the Robin, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family , but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher...
Erithacus rubecula, as well as the line 'flitting like a
flycatcherThe Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
', a reference to the mercurial movements of these birds, and the song "Redwings", after the thrush species of the same name. In June 2007, the band appeared on the
BBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
documentaryDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
,
Why Birds Sing, contributing their musical talents to a Birdsong-inspired collaboration called "The Twitch".
The band were initially signed to
Fantastic PlasticFantastic Plastic Records is a London based record label. It was independent until 15 June 2007 when the Sanctuary Group was bought by the Universal Music Group.-Current artists:* Bearsuit* Bricolage* Guillemots* Luke Haines* New Cassettes* Oppenheimer...
, who released their debut album in 2006, but after offers from several majors they eventually moved to Polydor.
The band released their debut EP, I Saw Such Things in My Sleep, in September 2005, all 1000 copies sold out on the day of release. The band ended a very successful 2005 opening for
Rufus WainwrightRufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
's sold-out
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour and began 2006 by being awarded fifth place in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Sound of 2006 survey. The single "We're Here" was named "Single of the Week" on the
Jungalist website on 27 March 2006, and on 19 June 2006 they played their first
Top of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
performance to promote their third single "
Made-Up Lovesong #43"Made-Up Lovesong #43" is a song by Guillemots, from their album, Through the Windowpane. It was released as a single; their first to be chart-eligible, reaching number 23 in the UK Singles Chart...
". It was a memorable show: guitarist MC Lord Magrao played his guitar to a set of mirrors, reflecting his performance back to the crowd.
Through The Windowpane (2006-2008)
Guillemots' debut album,
Through the WindowpaneThrough the Windowpane is the debut full-length album from the British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on July 10, 2006 in the United Kingdom and reached number 17 in the UK Album Chart. The album was highly anticipated following the strength of the singles "Trains to Brazil" and...
was released on July 10 and reached number 17 in the album charts. The album’s release date was timed so it would be eligible for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, and the album did make the shortlist, but lost out to
Arctic MonkeysArctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
debut
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
. It received a good deal of critical acclaim on its release, scoring an average of 81% on metacritic.com's overview of the critical response. During
Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's "Radio 1 Legends" show, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the station, he played some of his favorite songs. One of those was the song "Little Bear", "a very brave way to open an album" he said. He stated his admiration for the track's "beautiful orchestration".
During the recording sessions for the album, the band recorded an EP entitled Of The Night made up of one song written by each band member. It was released via the internet on Valentine’s Day 2006 and performed live in its entirety at the BBC Electric Proms 2006, with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Their performance of Bad Boyfriend was particularly memorable for the band donning animal masks, and Fyfe crying “Take me to orchestral paradise!” before the song’s orchestral culmination. The EP was eventually released on CD and LP in November, to independent music shops only. "
Trains To Brazil"Trains to Brazil" is a song by Guillemots from their 2006 releases Through the Windowpane and From the Cliffs. It was also released as a single. The 2005 single contains three tracks and was released on CD and in limited vinyl 10" formats...
" was promoted in September, 2006 and was given out as "Single of the Week" on
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
., as their fourth (second chart-eligible) single; a new version of "
Annie, Let's Not Wait"Annie, Let's Not Wait" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's debut album, Through the Windowpane. A re-recording was released as a single on January 15, 2007, featuring the Guillemettes, a trio of female vocalists who first appeared with the band in their appearance on Top of the...
" was released as their next single, on 15 January 2007.
Red and brief hiatus (2008-2011)
Their second album,
RedRed is the second album from British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on 24 March 2008 in the United Kingdom and reached number 9 in the UK Album Charts...
was released on 24 March 2008., preceded by the single "
Get Over It"Get Over It" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's second album, Red. It was released as the first single from their second album on 17 March 2008.The music has a disco-influenced pop sound....
" on March 17. "Get Over It" became Guillemots' highest placed single, reaching number 20 in the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, while
Red reached number 9 in the UK Album Chart. The album developed with a seemingly different style for each track and one reviewer compared it to "being like a ‘That’s What I Call Music’ collection except it is all by one band and the quality is better than the average pop collection." The band then toured extensively throughout 2008, concluding with a much celebrated final UK tour entitled
Fishbone for a Drink Tour.
In an interview on late 2008 Fyfe told the reporter: "It’s good – it feels like the end of the first phase of the band.”
After this the band went into somewhat of a hiatus or a period of relatively low activity. Fyfe recorded a batch of songs in December 2008, and with further recordings taking place on the first half he finished his first solo album,
Fly Yellow MoonFly Yellow Moon is the debut solo album from British artist Fyfe Dangerfield, known as the front man of band, Guillemots. It was released on January 18, 2010 in the United Kingdom on Polydor Records. "She Needs Me" was released as the lead single in the UK, while "When You Walk in the Room" was...
, released on January 2010. He toured the record while together with the band and many feared due to Fyfe's success as solo artist that this could spell the end for Guillemots. Fyfe has since revealed that the band were still in contact and later writing together while he was promoting his solo album. On 18 June 2009, a post appeared on the Guillemots' official website stating that work had commenced on their third album. The band started rehearsing again in May 2010 following Fyfe's solo work and resumed recording for LP3 on June 7. The group finally finished the recording of a new album around the summer/autumn of 2010.
Walk the River (2011-present)
In October Fyfe announced via Twitter that the album was finished, with mastering and final touches supposedly done in November. By December, a message appeared on the band's site informing of the imminent news with a countdown for January 13, when it was revealed that a secret gig on an unknown location would occur January 27 with clues for the venue before the date. Tickets sold out in 4 minutes.
Their third album
Walk the RiverWalk The River is the third full-length album from the British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on April 18, 2011 in the United Kingdom and reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart...
was released on 18 April 2011. The album was preceded by the single "The Basket", which was perceived as being more like the material on Red, though the rest of Walk the River can be better compared to Through the Windowpane. Upon the release of the album fans were able to purchase a limited amount of the new album that were signed exclusively by the band. Fyfe and Greig performed a memorable rendition of another single from the album, "I Don't Feel Amazing Now", in a little woodland by a disused railway line in North London for WatchListenTell.
Following the album's release they did a series of secret gigs at Birmingham, London, Manchester and Glasgow. The Guillemots then played sets at different festivals in the UK and Europe throughout the summer of 2011. In September the group commenced a tour of Europe, before playing four shows in Brazil and Argentina during October. They then returned to perform dates in the UK during October and November, with the show at the Stanley Theatre, Liverpool proving a real highlight. In Liverpool there was a performance of new song "Southern Winds" and during the song "
Falling Out of Reach"Falling out of Reach" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's second album, Red. It was released as the second single from their second album on 26 May 2008. It has reached #49 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-side, 'Trick Of The Light' was originally recorded for Q...
", the band managed to keep on playing after a local man shouted out "calm down" after Fyfe had just sung "calm down", although the crowd were in hysterics.
Fyfe has revealed the band has written a lot of new material and is currently recording a new album, while new songs have been played at their UK shows.
Live performances
Guillemots have made numerous live performances since they first appeared in the music world in 2004.
Their first full scale UK tour began in April 2006 and ended towards the end of May that year. After a brief period putting the finishing touches to their debut album (and performing a set for
Gideon CoeGideon "The Guv'nor" Coe is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist.Coe was one of the child presenters of the BBC 1 children's programme "Why Don't You?"....
's
BBC 6 MusicBBC 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....
show in June) they began the second leg of dates in October, which ran until early November.
They are known for their live performances, which are varied every night. They often perform songs differently live to how they are performed on their recordings. The Autumn 2006 tour saw the live "premiere" of many of their songs, including "By the Water" (which features double-bassist Aristazabal Hawkes on vocals), "She's Evil" (which features
MC Lord MagrãoMclordMagrão is the guitarist for the band Guillemots. He currently lives in London but is originally from São Paulo in Brazil. He met Guillemots frontman Fyfe Dangerfield through an advert in an issue of the NME...
on vocals) and the rarely performed "Cats' Eyes" from their debut EP.
One of their most notable live performances to date came in October 2006 at the first
BBC Electric PromsThe BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006-2010...
when the band performed 7 tracks (including four from their
Of the NightOf the Night is the title of the third work from the British Indie rock band Guillemots released in 2006. It was available for download from the band's website, and contains four tracks....
EP) with a full orchestra, with songs transcribed and arranged for such a performance by Dangerfield himself. This included a rare (and somewhat unusual) performance of the song "Bad Boyfriend" where the entire band donned animal masks.
Support on Guillemots' tours is often varied, usually with two support acts for each show - one main support who stay with them for the majority of the tours' dates (
Misty's Big AdventureMisty's Big Adventure are an eight piece band from Birmingham, England. Their music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk....
in early 2006 and
The Last Town ChorusThe Last Town Chorus is a pop/rock/alternative country band from Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2001, the only consistent member of the band is singer/lap steel guitarist Megan Hickey, who performs with a variety of backup ensembles...
for their Autumn tour), as well as a first support act, specific to the location (examples include Beerjacket, The Courtesy Group, The Bellagios,
Richard BurkeRichard Burke is a former senior Irish Fine Gael politician and a European Commissioner.Dick Burke was born in New York in the United States in 1932. He was raised in Tipperary and educated at the Christian Brothers School, Thurles, University College Dublin and King's Inns. He worked as a...
and Grace and Delete). Another common support/friend of the band is Joan as Police Woman, who the band met while performing as support for
Rufus WainwrightRufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
. In 2006 they did a
Take-Away Show video session shot by
Vincent MoonVincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
.
Guillemots have also performed live with political songwriter
Get Cape. Wear Cape. FlyGet Cape. Wear Cape. Fly is the stage name of English artist Sam Duckworth and his band. He is sometimes referred to as Get Cape, Cape, GCWCF and Slam Dunkworth . According to Duckworth, his stage name comes from a ZX Spectrum magazine...
and supported
Snow PatrolSnow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
at
Wembley ArenaWembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
in December 2006, in a performance culminating in a
lightsaberA lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
duel between the band's tour manager, and MC's guitar tech, on stage as Dangerfield played percussion on a tray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MY_y0t_ItA.
The band appeared at the
V FestivalThe V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
both in 2007 and in 2008. They played Marlay Park on 25 August 2007 as one of the support acts to Damien Rice.
Guillemots, along with
Sons and DaughtersSons and Daughters are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland.-Biography:Conceived while on tour with Arab Strap in 2001, Sons and Daughters was initially Adele Bethel's creation...
supported
KT TunstallKate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
at the 2008 Eden Sessions, held at the
Eden ProjectThe Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, including the world's largest greenhouse. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world....
, in
CornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. The band played a free concert in
Huddersfield Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
on 29 June 2008, along with
Elliot MinorElliot Minor are a classically influenced rock band from York, England. The group consists of Alex Davies , Ed Minton , Dan Hetherton and Ed Hetherton .-History and formation: 2000-2006 :...
and The Script. They also played a set on the O2 Wireless Main Stage in London's
Hyde ParkHyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
on 4 July 2008, supporting acts such as
The WombatsThe Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...
,
Dirty Pretty ThingsDirty Pretty Things were an English band fronted by Carl Barât, a member of The Libertines. The formation of the band was announced in September 2005, after a dispute between Barât and Pete Doherty led to the breakup of The Libertines in 2004. Barât had worked with Vertigo Records and had...
,
BeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
and
MorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
.
They performed the Uncut Arena at the 2008
Latitude FestivalThe Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
on Saturday 19 July; in addition to this, they also played a live set to a screening of
David LynchDavid Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's film
EraserheadEraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
at the Music & Film Arena on the preceding Friday. The band performed as the first warm-up act, followed by
EditorsEditors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
, for
R.E.M.R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
on the 27 August 2008 at the
SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
Rose BowlThe Rose Bowl is an English cricket ground used for county, One Day International and Test Matches. It is situated at West End, Hampshire, near Southampton, and is home to Hampshire Cricket. The design of the venue is set into an amphitheatre creating a bowl, hence the name...
.
In June 2008, Guillemots had their Kentish Town Forum gig filmed and later broadcast on
ChannelbeeChannelBee was an internet television channel which launched on 5 July 2008.As from 20/11/09 Channelbee has ceased operating.ChannelBee is a new concept featuring new and topical content each day varying from comedy sketches to daily blogs and football...
.
In July 2008 they played an improvised set to a screening of
David LynchDavid Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's
EraserheadEraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
on the
Latitude FestivalThe Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
.
In September 2008, they played at the 2008 Orange RockCorps Gig in the
Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
- some of which was broadcast on
T4T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...
.
In December 2008, they played an exclusive impromptu Super Busking gig in London's Covent Garden as part of Covent Garden's Christmas Delight celebrations. The performance took place in-sync with a visual light display by United Visual Artists in aid of homeless charity Crisis. The live performance can be seen exclusively on the
Covent Garden website.
In February 2009, they played themselves and performed one of their songs in the episode "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" of the TV series
FMFM was a British sitcom which aired on ITV2, starring Chris O'Dowd , Kevin Bishop and Nina Sosanya . The series followed the lives of two DJs and their producer on their FM radio progamme, "Skin 86.5 FM"...
.
In 2011, the band started playing low publicity "secret" gigs, with one in February and another on 2 March at The Tabernacle, Notting Hill. These were preceded with four more secret gigs around the country.
In November 2011, they played a show at the Stanley Theatre, Liverpool and Fyfe previewed a new song, called "Southern Winds", with a solo performance.
Members
- Fyfe Dangerfield
Fyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots.-Early life:...
(also known as Fyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins) - singer, keyboardA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- MC Lord Magrão
MclordMagrão is the guitarist for the band Guillemots. He currently lives in London but is originally from São Paulo in Brazil. He met Guillemots frontman Fyfe Dangerfield through an advert in an issue of the NME...
- guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, mandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, accordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, xylophoneThe xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
, thereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
, synth bass, typewriterA typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
, musical sawA musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
, electric drill, melodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, melodeonA melodeon is a type of 19th century reed organ with a foot-operated vacuum bellows, and a piano keyboard. It differs from the related harmonium, which uses a pressure bellows. Melodeons were manufactured in the United States sometime after 1812 until the Civil War era...
- Aristazabal Hawkes
Aristazabal Emi Chen Hawkes is the double bass player for the British indie band Guillemots. She was born in Sointula, an isolated village on Malcolm Island in British Columbia, Canada. Her first name is of Basque origin, but she is not. There is also an Aristazabal Island located 150 km north...
- double bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Greig Stewart (also known as Rican Caol) - drums
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
The "Bridled" Guillemots
- Alex J. Ward - Alto Sax
- Christopher Cundy
Christopher Cundy is a British free jazz musician, both solo and with Guillemots.He mainly plays the Bass clarinet and Contrabass clarinet.He is from Cheltenham, UK....
- Soprano SaxThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax and Bass ClarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
Guest artists
- Shingai Shoniwa
Shingai Elizabeth Maria Shoniwa is an English singer of Zimbabwean descent and best known as the vocalist and bassist for the UK indie rock band Noisettes...
of The NoisettesNoisettes are an English indie rock band from London, comprising singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison...
contributed backing vocals to "Made-up Lovesong" and "Over the Stairs".
- Ida Maria
Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen is a Norwegian rock musician known primarily by the stage name Ida Maria. Her first album; Fortress Round My Heart was released in 2008...
dueted with Fyfe in the track "Words".
Albums
- Through the Windowpane
Through the Windowpane is the debut full-length album from the British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on July 10, 2006 in the United Kingdom and reached number 17 in the UK Album Chart. The album was highly anticipated following the strength of the singles "Trains to Brazil" and...
(10 July 2006) #17 UK
- Red
Red is the second album from British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on 24 March 2008 in the United Kingdom and reached number 9 in the UK Album Charts...
(24 March 2008) #9 UK
- Walk the River
Walk The River is the third full-length album from the British indie rock band Guillemots. It was released on April 18, 2011 in the United Kingdom and reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart...
(18 April 2011) #26 UK
EPs
- I Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP
I Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP is the debut EP from the British Indie rock band Guillemots released in 2005. It comprises 4 tracks and sold out on the day of release after much attention from radio presenters across the UK...
(5 September 2005)
- Of the Night
Of the Night is the title of the third work from the British Indie rock band Guillemots released in 2006. It was available for download from the band's website, and contains four tracks....
(14 February 2006)
- From the Cliffs
From the Cliffs is an EP by British indie rock band Guillemots, released on March 14, 2006. It compiles their previous releases, the I Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP and the first "Trains to Brazil" single, to form a mini-album in itself .-Track listing:# "Sake" –...
(14 March 2006)
Singles
- "Trains to Brazil
"Trains to Brazil" is a song by Guillemots from their 2006 releases Through the Windowpane and From the Cliffs. It was also released as a single. The 2005 single contains three tracks and was released on CD and in limited vinyl 10" formats...
" (5 December 2005)
- "We're Here
"We're Here" is a song by Guillemots, from their debut album, Through the Windowpane. It was released in 2006 as a single, containing three tracks and a music video.-CD Single:#"We're Here"#"Burnt"...
" (27 March 2006)
- "Made-Up Lovesong #43
"Made-Up Lovesong #43" is a song by Guillemots, from their album, Through the Windowpane. It was released as a single; their first to be chart-eligible, reaching number 23 in the UK Singles Chart...
" (26 June 2006) #23 UK
- "Trains to Brazil
"Trains to Brazil" is a song by Guillemots from their 2006 releases Through the Windowpane and From the Cliffs. It was also released as a single. The 2005 single contains three tracks and was released on CD and in limited vinyl 10" formats...
" (Re-release) (11 September 2006) #36 UK
- "Annie, Let's Not Wait
"Annie, Let's Not Wait" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's debut album, Through the Windowpane. A re-recording was released as a single on January 15, 2007, featuring the Guillemettes, a trio of female vocalists who first appeared with the band in their appearance on Top of the...
" (15 January 2007) #27 UK
- "Get Over It
"Get Over It" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's second album, Red. It was released as the first single from their second album on 17 March 2008.The music has a disco-influenced pop sound....
" (17 March 2008) #20 UK
- "Falling Out of Reach
"Falling out of Reach" is a song by Guillemots, which appears on the band's second album, Red. It was released as the second single from their second album on 26 May 2008. It has reached #49 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-side, 'Trick Of The Light' was originally recorded for Q...
" (26 May 2008) #49 UK
- "Kriss Kross / Clarion" (double A-side) (22 September 2008)
- "The Basket" (13 March 2011)
- "I Must Be A Lover" (4 July 2011)
- "I Don't Feel Amazing Now" (24 October 2011)
Other contributions
- The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show
The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show is a 2-disc compilation album of BBC Radio 2 popular music recordings, released in the United Kingdom in July 2007...
(2007, EMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
) - "Made-Up Lovesong 43"
Awards and nominations
- Through The Windowpane was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize.
- The band were nominated for Best Live Act at the 2007 BRIT Awards.
- Red was nominated for Best Album Art at the 2009 NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
.
Notable TV performances
- During the weekend of 1 July 2006 they appeared on Transmission with T-Mobile on Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, E4 and More 4.
- Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
Performing 'Annie, Let's Not Wait' (2006)
- Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
Performing 'Made-Up Lovesong #43' (2006)
- Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
Fyfe Dangerfield appeared on the TV quiz show (2007)
- Talk to Me
Talk to Me is a British television serial, written by writer Danny Brocklehurst, produced by Company Pictures for ITV. The four-part serial began on 10 June 2007 and stars Max Beesley as Mitch Moore, a womanising radio host whose producer is also his best mate and about to get married to Claire...
'Made-Up Lovesong #43' appeared as background music in last episode. (2007)
- Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Performing 'Get Over It' (2008)
- Lily Allen and Friends
Lily Allen and Friends is a British TV talk show presented by Lily Allen. The programme is produced by Princess Productions for BBC Three. It was first shown on 12 February 2008. The audience consists entirely of Lily's online friends, who sign up via the programme's website...
Performing 'Get Over It' (2008)
- Hollyoaks Music Show Performing 'Get Over It' (2008)
- The Nokia Green Room
The Nokia Green Room is a music TV show for Channel 4 in the UK.The show is sponsored by Nokia and their new music service Comes with Music...
- Performing 'Falling Out Of Reach' (2008)
- FM
FM was a British sitcom which aired on ITV2, starring Chris O'Dowd , Kevin Bishop and Nina Sosanya . The series followed the lives of two DJs and their producer on their FM radio progamme, "Skin 86.5 FM"...
- Episode 1, performing 'Kriss Kross' (2009)
Their music has also appeared on the soundtrack of several British television shows such as
HollyoaksHollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
,
The InbetweenersThe Inbetweeners is a British sitcom which aired for three series from 2008 to 2010 on E4. Created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the show follows the life of suburban teenager Will , and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The Inbetweeners Movie was...
,
Waterloo RoadWaterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...
and
EastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
added rare demo "Sea Out" to its music library, following its airing in the background in an episode of
Gossip GirlGossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
.
"Made-up Lovesong #43" is used as background music on Sky Sports Champions League games
External links
- Guillemots at Fantastic Plastic
Fantastic Plastic Records is a London based record label. It was independent until 15 June 2007 when the Sanctuary Group was bought by the Universal Music Group.-Current artists:* Bearsuit* Bricolage* Guillemots* Luke Haines* New Cassettes* Oppenheimer...
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