Midas (band)
Encyclopedia
Midas was an English
indie band based in Stourbridge
and Birmingham
, UK
. They were formed in 2003.
Dave Mason joined the band upon Dave Smyth's departure due to study commitments in October 2007. Smyth himself joined the band in November 2006.
, although in 2007 several gigs were played at clubs in London
and in north-west towns and cities such as Liverpool
, Manchester
and Blackpool
.
The band also played abroad for the first time in Italy
during late 2007, playing a number of dates at a festival in Venice
.
They also have a Dutch tour planned for October 2008.
sales chart, which led to an in-store performance being arranged at their flagship Tottenham Court Road store in London on 29 March 2007. The song was produced by Gavin Monaghan, also known for his work with Minimum, Editors, Scott Matthews and The Twang.
The single was disqualified from the UK Top 75, a message was posted on the band's myspace stating that "We were informed at 12:51 yesterday by the Official UK Chart Company (OCC) that
they will not be including 'Red Shoes' in the singles chart this Sunday. We were
shocked to receive this news, as neither the OCC nor our retail partners
(7digital and Tunetribe) had previously made us aware of any issues with the
sales of this single, and the single had registered on the midweek charts at
number 16 on Tuesday. The OCC stated they believed some of the sales of this single were not eligible for the chart, and consequently had exercised their discretional right to
discount all sales from the chart this week. The OCC have as yet refused to
disclose any evidence to support their claims, and have not given us sufficient
time to properly appeal against their decision.We are therefore sad to announce that it seems that we have to accept that the sales of our single will now not be used for the purposes of the chart. We apologise to all our fans who have supported us in good faith and
purchased our music. You have done nothing wrong. We are bitterly disappointed
that we have not been given the time to prove this to the OCC".
has had the band on his show for features, including the Wrong Songs Grand Final and Challenge Rachel. Other DJs to champion the band on air include Sean Coleman and Jim Coulson. The band have also appeared on Tim Shaw's Asylum.
On 12 February 2007, the band appeared on the Janice Long
show on BBC Radio 2
. They performed a live acoustic set of three songs. Long has also placed 'Don't Dance' on her playlist.
Their second single "Red Shoes" achieved even greater exposure, with support and airplay from XFM London's Steve Harris and Ian Camfield.
Paul Kramer, publisher of Hit Sheet magazine, featured 'Don't Dance' in issue #95 of his magazine.
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...
indie band based in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
and 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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The 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...
. They were formed in 2003.
Line-up
The band currently consists of: Kris Lloyd (vocals/guitar), Rich Lloyd (synth/vocoder), Jake Mason (bass guitar/vocals), Dave Mason (Drummer) and Lee Scott (guitar).Dave Mason joined the band upon Dave Smyth's departure due to study commitments in October 2007. Smyth himself joined the band in November 2006.
Live
Most of their gigs are played at venues throughout the West MidlandsWest Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
, although in 2007 several gigs were played at clubs in London
London
London 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...
and in north-west towns and cities such as Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
.
The band also played abroad for the first time in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during late 2007, playing a number of dates at a festival in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
They also have a Dutch tour planned for October 2008.
Don't Dance
Midas' first single 'Don't Dance' was released on 19 March 2007. This single sold 2007 copies, reaching number 59 in the Official UK Singles Chart, number three in the Official UK Singles Independent Chart and number 25 in the Official UK Physical Sales Chart. Additionally, the band reached number one in music store Fopp'sFopp (retailer)
Fopp is a chain of retail stores selling music, film, books and other entertainment products in the United Kingdom.-History:From its origins as a one-man stall in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1981, it expanded to a chain of over 100 branches throughout the country in 2007...
sales chart, which led to an in-store performance being arranged at their flagship Tottenham Court Road store in London on 29 March 2007. The song was produced by Gavin Monaghan, also known for his work with Minimum, Editors, Scott Matthews and The Twang.
Red Shoes
Red Shoes is the second single by Midas, was released on 20 August 2007 on the band's own record label, Plastic Tank, which is distributed by Cargo. It was recorded at Outhouse Studios in Reading with John Mitchell (Enter Shikari) and engineered by Ben Humphreys.The single was disqualified from the UK Top 75, a message was posted on the band's myspace stating that "We were informed at 12:51 yesterday by the Official UK Chart Company (OCC) that
they will not be including 'Red Shoes' in the singles chart this Sunday. We were
shocked to receive this news, as neither the OCC nor our retail partners
(7digital and Tunetribe) had previously made us aware of any issues with the
sales of this single, and the single had registered on the midweek charts at
number 16 on Tuesday. The OCC stated they believed some of the sales of this single were not eligible for the chart, and consequently had exercised their discretional right to
discount all sales from the chart this week. The OCC have as yet refused to
disclose any evidence to support their claims, and have not given us sufficient
time to properly appeal against their decision.We are therefore sad to announce that it seems that we have to accept that the sales of our single will now not be used for the purposes of the chart. We apologise to all our fans who have supported us in good faith and
purchased our music. You have done nothing wrong. We are bitterly disappointed
that we have not been given the time to prove this to the OCC".
Publicity and critical reaction
The band have been particularly supported by Kerrang! Radio. Loz Guest (Specialist Shows Producer) played Midas' earlier material on the Unsigned Show prior to the release of 'Don't Dance'. Breakfast DJ Ugly PhilUgly Phil
Ugly Phil O'Neil is a radio DJ/announcer. He was born in the United Kingdom, and lived the majority of his life in Australia. Before adopting the on-air name of Ugly Phil he was known on-air as Phil O'Neil...
has had the band on his show for features, including the Wrong Songs Grand Final and Challenge Rachel. Other DJs to champion the band on air include Sean Coleman and Jim Coulson. The band have also appeared on Tim Shaw's Asylum.
On 12 February 2007, the band appeared on the Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. They performed a live acoustic set of three songs. Long has also placed 'Don't Dance' on her playlist.
Their second single "Red Shoes" achieved even greater exposure, with support and airplay from XFM London's Steve Harris and Ian Camfield.
Paul Kramer, publisher of Hit Sheet magazine, featured 'Don't Dance' in issue #95 of his magazine.
Band split
On 11 March 2009 the band posted a blog on their MySpace page to say they were each going into different directions, and were no more. Much speculation of the bands problems to gain support from both Major and Indie labels have been discussed on internet forums - the decision was taken after the current touring line up decided not to continue with touring and concentrate on other ventures.Singles
| Year | Song | UK Top 75 | UK Indie Chart | UK Physical Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Don't Dance | 59 | 3 | 25 |