Revolver (band)
Encyclopedia
Revolver were a London
based guitar
band in existence from 1990–1994, comprising Mat Flint
(guitar/vocals), Hamish Brown (bass) and Nick Dewey (drums). Flint and Dewey had been in school bands together, and when the two moved to London in the autumn of 1990 met Brown who completed the line-up.
The band, after attracting attention from several record labels, including Dedicated, One Little Indian, and Creation Records
, signed to the Virgin Records
subsidiary Hut Records
in the summer of 1991. The band quickly picked up a following, supporting the likes of Chapterhouse
, Slowdive
, Teenage Fanclub
and Blur
, and gained a lot of press coverage, most notably in NME
, Melody Maker
and The Face
. Their first single, "Heaven Sent An Angel" topped the UK independent charts, as did the follow-up "Crimson", and the third single "Venice". The band specialised in bright, abrasive guitar-pop songs with strong melodies, and were determined (but ultimately failed) to distinguish themselves from the other guitar bands of the era. The UK press lumped them in with the shoegazing
movement, a tag that the band weren't comfortable with.
A compilation of these first 3 singles was released in the States as "Baby's Angry" on Caroline Records
, and gained the band airplay on US college radio. The band toured America in the autumn of 1992, on a co-headlining tour with fellow Caroline Records act Drop Nineteens
.
In 1993, Revolver released the single "Cradle Snatch", closely followed by the album Cold Water Flat, and while the songs were more sophisticated than their earlier work, the sales weren't as impressive, and Virgin dropped the band after a final single "I Wear Your Chain" failed to make the top 75. The band split up at the beginning of 1994, after completing an album's worth of demos, but failing to sign a deal with another label.
Mat Flint went on to play bass guitar for Death In Vegas
from 1996 onwards, and has released a single "Commodity" with his new band Deep Cut
in May 2007, on Club AC30 Records.
Nick Dewey played drums for James Dean Bradfield
of the Manic Street Preachers
during his solo tour of 2006.
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...
based guitar
Guitar
The 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...
band in existence from 1990–1994, comprising Mat Flint
Mat Flint
Mat Flint is an English musician, who has been a member of several bands including Revolver , Hot Rod , Death in Vegas , and Deep Cut .-Biography:...
(guitar/vocals), Hamish Brown (bass) and Nick Dewey (drums). Flint and Dewey had been in school bands together, and when the two moved to London in the autumn of 1990 met Brown who completed the line-up.
The band, after attracting attention from several record labels, including Dedicated, One Little Indian, and Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
, signed to the Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
subsidiary Hut Records
Hut Records
VC Recordings trading as Hut Records was a British record label brand which was started in 1990 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Records...
in the summer of 1991. The band quickly picked up a following, supporting the likes of Chapterhouse
Chapterhouse
For the religious buildings, see Chapter houseChapterhouse are a British shoegazing band originally of the early 1990s, from Reading, Berkshire, England. Formed in 1987 by Andrew Sherriff and Stephen Patman, the band began performing alongside Spacemen 3...
, Slowdive
Slowdive
Slowdive were an English shoegaze band that formed in 1989. The band formed in Reading, Berkshire and primarily consisted of Nick Chaplin , Rachel Goswell , Neil Halstead , and Christian Savill...
, Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
and Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, and gained a lot of press coverage, most notably in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
and The Face
The Face (magazine)
The Face was a British music, fashion and culture monthly magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan.-1980s:Logan had previously created the teen pop magazine Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s before launching The Face in 1980.The magazine was influential in...
. Their first single, "Heaven Sent An Angel" topped the UK independent charts, as did the follow-up "Crimson", and the third single "Venice". The band specialised in bright, abrasive guitar-pop songs with strong melodies, and were determined (but ultimately failed) to distinguish themselves from the other guitar bands of the era. The UK press lumped them in with the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
movement, a tag that the band weren't comfortable with.
A compilation of these first 3 singles was released in the States as "Baby's Angry" on Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
, and gained the band airplay on US college radio. The band toured America in the autumn of 1992, on a co-headlining tour with fellow Caroline Records act Drop Nineteens
Drop Nineteens
Drop Nineteens were a Boston-based indie rock band active from 1991 to 1995. They were one of a few U.S.-based bands who styled themselves on England's distinctive shoegazing sound, taking their inspiration from bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Th' Faith Healers, and Bleach...
.
In 1993, Revolver released the single "Cradle Snatch", closely followed by the album Cold Water Flat, and while the songs were more sophisticated than their earlier work, the sales weren't as impressive, and Virgin dropped the band after a final single "I Wear Your Chain" failed to make the top 75. The band split up at the beginning of 1994, after completing an album's worth of demos, but failing to sign a deal with another label.
Mat Flint went on to play bass guitar for Death In Vegas
Death in Vegas
Death in Vegas are a psychedelic rock and electronic rock band from the United Kingdom, comprising two permanent members: Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes...
from 1996 onwards, and has released a single "Commodity" with his new band Deep Cut
Deep Cut
Deep Cut is a play performed by Cardiff based theatre company Sherman Cymru and written by Philip Ralph. It premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2008 and won the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award in the same year as well as best Actor and Best Actress awards with The Stage's...
in May 2007, on Club AC30 Records.
Nick Dewey played drums for James Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield
James Dean Bradfield is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.- Early life :...
of the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
during his solo tour of 2006.
Singles, EPs
- 45 EP (1991), Hut
- "Crimson" (1991), Hut
- "Venice" (1992), Hut
- "Cradle Snatch" (1993), Hut
- "I Wear Your Chain" (1993), Hut