Johnny Foreigner
Encyclopedia
Johnny Foreigner are an indie rock
trio from Birmingham
, England
, consisting of guitarist
/lead vocalist Alexei Berrow, drummer
Junior Elvis Washington Laidley and bassist
Kelly Southern. They are currently signed to Alcopop! Records; their previous label was Best Before Records, which is part of the artist management and nightclub concern Mama Group/ChannelFly Group.
Johnny Foreigner play at venues across the UK, and made their live US debut on 30 November 2007, supporting Delaware's Spinto Band and Cardiff-based indie pop band Los Campesinos!
at the Bowery Ballroom
.
respectively.
The “prototype” Johnny Foreigner formed as “a country
band with pretensions” (according to Alexei) with Kelly’s predecessor Daniel Boyle on bass in December 2005. Boyle left Johnny Foreigner and now plays in London band Gentle Friendly
. Prior to his leaving the original Johnny Foreigner line-up released We Left You Sleeping and Gone Now, a self-produced album recorded in 2005 in a hand-made edition of 40 copies. Liz [possibly Hamblin], Rob [surname unknown] and Seb [Lenton] (of Distophia) are also credited on the album.
The band's first single, "Sometimes In The Bullring/Camp Kelly Calm", was recorded on Laundrette Recording Company and issued in October 2006; 300 copies were made and sold. The second single, released 21 May 2007, was a split with fellow Birmingham act Sunset Cinema Club
and featured the track "Yes! You Talk Too Fast", as well as a cover of Sunset Cinema Club's "Ninki. vs Dingle", whilst SCC covered Johnny Foreigner's "Candles".
After signing to Best Before Records in 2007, the band issued the EP Arcs Across The City in November of that year. The EP was rated 10/10 by popular online music magazine Drowned In Sound
. They released their third single, "Our Bipolar Friends/The Houseparty Scene Is Killing You" on 10 March 2008, which nearly sold out its initial issue of 1,000 copies before it was even released.
The band's fourth single "Eyes Wide Terrified" was released on 18 May 2008, in the run-up to the album. Their next single "Lea Room/DJ's Get Doubts", was released in the UK on 12 January 2009.
On 2 June 2008, Johnny Foreigner released their debut album, Waited Up 'til It Was Light
.
In addition to the commercially available releases, Johnny Foreigner packaged 15 demos in July 2007 and made them available for free download under the title I Like You Mostly Late at Never.
On 30 March 2009, while on tour supporting Hundred Reasons
, Alexei announced that the band had finished recording their second album and it would be coming out later that year. Their second album Grace and the Bigger Picture
was released on 26 October.
On 10 September 2010, the band announced their departure from Best Before and arrival to Alcopop! Records. Their first release with them was the EP You thought you saw a shooting star but yr eyes were blurred with tears and that lighthouse can be pretty deceiving with the sky so clear and sea so calm, which at one point was titled There When You Need It.
The band undertook their first North American tour in October 2010, supporting Los Campesinos!
mostly along the eastern seaboard. To fund the tour, the band re-issued We Left You Sleeping and Gone Now (with ...also added to the title) and Everyday Is a Constant Battle with bonus tracks. They also released a bootleg of them supporting Los Campesinos!
at the London Garage on 15 July 2010.
The EP Certain Songs Are Cursed was released on Alcopop! in April 2011 as a limited-edition CD attached to the underside of a frisbee
. In September 2011, the single (Don't) Show Us Your Fangs / The Hand That Slaps You Back was released digitally with the option of stickers promoting the upcoming album.
Their 17-track third LP Johnny Foreigner vs Everything will be released on CD/MP3 through Alcopop! on the 7th of November 2011.
EPs:
Singles:
Demos/Bootlegs
Indie rock
Indie 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...
trio from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, consisting of guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/lead vocalist Alexei Berrow, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Junior Elvis Washington Laidley and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Kelly Southern. They are currently signed to Alcopop! Records; their previous label was Best Before Records, which is part of the artist management and nightclub concern Mama Group/ChannelFly Group.
Johnny Foreigner play at venues across the UK, and made their live US debut on 30 November 2007, supporting Delaware's Spinto Band and Cardiff-based indie pop band Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record...
at the Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
.
History
Before the band formed, Berrow and Southern both played in different outfits, Panda Love Unit and TwistTwist (band)
Twist were a rock band from Birmingham, UK consisting of Emma Fox , Vanessa White , Kelly Southern and Leanne Taylor . They released their debut record, Magenta on the Fierce Panda record label in February 2000 and played support slots for Muse and Coldplay. The band broke up in 2002....
respectively.
The “prototype” Johnny Foreigner formed as “a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band with pretensions” (according to Alexei) with Kelly’s predecessor Daniel Boyle on bass in December 2005. Boyle left Johnny Foreigner and now plays in London band Gentle Friendly
Gentle Friendly
Gentle Friendly are a London-based band consisting of David Maurice and Daniel Boyle . They play noisy music that was described as "kaleidoscopic claustrophonics" and "as arresting as it was evasive"...
. Prior to his leaving the original Johnny Foreigner line-up released We Left You Sleeping and Gone Now, a self-produced album recorded in 2005 in a hand-made edition of 40 copies. Liz [possibly Hamblin], Rob [surname unknown] and Seb [Lenton] (of Distophia) are also credited on the album.
The band's first single, "Sometimes In The Bullring/Camp Kelly Calm", was recorded on Laundrette Recording Company and issued in October 2006; 300 copies were made and sold. The second single, released 21 May 2007, was a split with fellow Birmingham act Sunset Cinema Club
Sunset Cinema Club
Sunset Cinema Club are a 3-piece band based in the Midlands, UK . The group originally came together in 2001, originally as a hobby under the name "Peachfuzz". However, they eventually changed the name to "Sunset Cinema Club" in 2002...
and featured the track "Yes! You Talk Too Fast", as well as a cover of Sunset Cinema Club's "Ninki. vs Dingle", whilst SCC covered Johnny Foreigner's "Candles".
After signing to Best Before Records in 2007, the band issued the EP Arcs Across The City in November of that year. The EP was rated 10/10 by popular online music magazine Drowned In Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
. They released their third single, "Our Bipolar Friends/The Houseparty Scene Is Killing You" on 10 March 2008, which nearly sold out its initial issue of 1,000 copies before it was even released.
The band's fourth single "Eyes Wide Terrified" was released on 18 May 2008, in the run-up to the album. Their next single "Lea Room/DJ's Get Doubts", was released in the UK on 12 January 2009.
On 2 June 2008, Johnny Foreigner released their debut album, Waited Up 'til It Was Light
Waited Up 'til It Was Light
Waited Up 'til It Was Light is the debut album by British] band Johnny Foreigner and was released on Best Before Records on June 2, 2008. It was released through online retailers in North America July 22, 2008, and in stores September 23, 2008...
.
In addition to the commercially available releases, Johnny Foreigner packaged 15 demos in July 2007 and made them available for free download under the title I Like You Mostly Late at Never.
On 30 March 2009, while on tour supporting Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire, composed of Colin Doran , Larry Hibbitt , Andy Gilmour , Andy Bews and Ben Doyle . Originally, the band was signed to Columbia Records in mid April 2001, after fourteen months of near-constant touring...
, Alexei announced that the band had finished recording their second album and it would be coming out later that year. Their second album Grace and the Bigger Picture
Grace and the Bigger Picture
-Personnel:* Alexei Berrow - guitars* Kelly Southern - bass* Junior Elvis Washington Laidley - drums...
was released on 26 October.
On 10 September 2010, the band announced their departure from Best Before and arrival to Alcopop! Records. Their first release with them was the EP You thought you saw a shooting star but yr eyes were blurred with tears and that lighthouse can be pretty deceiving with the sky so clear and sea so calm, which at one point was titled There When You Need It.
The band undertook their first North American tour in October 2010, supporting Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record...
mostly along the eastern seaboard. To fund the tour, the band re-issued We Left You Sleeping and Gone Now (with ...also added to the title) and Everyday Is a Constant Battle with bonus tracks. They also released a bootleg of them supporting Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record...
at the London Garage on 15 July 2010.
The EP Certain Songs Are Cursed was released on Alcopop! in April 2011 as a limited-edition CD attached to the underside of a frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
. In September 2011, the single (Don't) Show Us Your Fangs / The Hand That Slaps You Back was released digitally with the option of stickers promoting the upcoming album.
Their 17-track third LP Johnny Foreigner vs Everything will be released on CD/MP3 through Alcopop! on the 7th of November 2011.
Discography
Albums:- WeLeftYouSleepingAndGoneNow - Self-Released (2005)
- Waited Up 'til It Was LightWaited Up 'til It Was LightWaited Up 'til It Was Light is the debut album by British] band Johnny Foreigner and was released on Best Before Records on June 2, 2008. It was released through online retailers in North America July 22, 2008, and in stores September 23, 2008...
- Best Before Records/Nettwerk (North America) (2008) - Grace and the Bigger PictureGrace and the Bigger Picture-Personnel:* Alexei Berrow - guitars* Kelly Southern - bass* Junior Elvis Washington Laidley - drums...
- Best Before Records (2009) - Johnny Foreigner vs Everything - Alcopop! Records (2011)
EPs:
- Arcs Across the City - Best Before Records (2007)
- Feels Like Summer - Best Before Records (2009)
- Every Cloakroom Ever - Self Released (2010)
- Johnnyforeignerisaces (Hearts Edition) - Self Released (2010)
- You Thought You Saw a Shooting Star but Yr Eyes Were Blurred With Tears and That Lighthouse Can Be Pretty Deceiving With the Sky So Clear and Sea So Calm - Alcopop! Records (2010)
- There When You Need It (2010 non-album tracks) - Self Released (2011)
- Certain Songs are Cursed - Alcopop! Records (2011)
Singles:
- Sometimes In The Bullring/Camp Kelly Calm - Laundrette Recording Company (2007)
- Yes! You Talk Too Fast/Ninki vs. Dingle (split 7" w/Sunset Cinema Club) - Laundrette Recording Company (2007)
- Our Bipolar Friends/The Houseparty Scene Is Killing You - Best Before Records (2008)
- Eyes Wide Terrified - Best Before Records (2008)
- Salt, Peppa and Spinderella - Best Before Records (2008)
- Cranes and Cranes and Cranes and Cranes - New Slang Records (2008)
- DJ's Get Doubts/Lea Room - Best Before Records (2009)
- Feels Like Summer - Best Before Records (2009)
- Criminals - Best Before Records (2009)
- The Big Love In (Split single with Stagecoach) - Alcopop! Records (2010)
- (Don't) Show Us Your Fangs / The Hand That Slaps You Back - Alcopop! Records (2011)
Demos/Bootlegs
- Everyday is a Constant Battle - Self Released (2006)
- Live at Witchiten - Self Released (2010)