Shrag (band)
Encyclopedia
Shrag are a post-punk
-influenced indiepop band based in London
and Brighton
. To date the band have released two albums, six singles and two download singles on the Where It's At Is Where You Are label.
. The fanzine tells the story of Shrag's formation in a comic book format. At the tail-end of a party in Brighton's Sussex Heights
residential tower block, the reminaing five revellers - made up of local DJs, promoters, academics and musicians - decide to start a band, named Sussex Heights Roving Artists Group.
Contracting the band name to Shrag, the five members, Helen King (vocals), Bob Brown (guitar and vocals), Nick Hills (keyboards and vocals), Russell Warrior (bass guitar) and Leigh Anne Clarke née Walter (drums and vocals), played their first concert on 21 July 2003 at Brighton's Hanbury Ballroom. Early performances of the group were characterised by onstage gimmicks such as fancy dress (wearing wedding dresses or dressing as librarians) or creating art as the band played, and a generally lighthearted spirit. Early songs were often humorous in tone and content, sometimes describing imaginary scenarios involving the band and their friends, or playing heavily on puns. The songs often included spoken word segments, and on Punk Grammar even a comic rap.
Following the departure of Nick Hills to concentrate on his band Coin-Op, and the temporary relocation of drummer Leigh Anne to her native Canada, the band went on hiatus in early 2004. When they regrouped in 2005 with Blue Minkies guitarist and vocalist Steph Goodman on keyboards and vocals the band began working on the harder, punkier songs which would eventually comprise their debut album.
drummer and Love Is All
producer Woodie Taylor.
The first in this series was Pregnancy Scene/Mark E Smith in June 2006, which won the band the favour of indie-focused magazines like Artrocker
. Other singles from this series such as Hopelessly Wasted and Different Glue/Lost Dog would be reviewed positively by more mainstream outlets such as The Guardian Guide
, and Shrag would go on to complete national tours with The Cribs
and The Thermals
, among others, and record several BBC radio sessions.
The compiled debut album itself would not arrive until early 2009, by which point the band had already begun recording tracks for its intended follow-up. Titled simply 'Shrag', some tracks on the album retained the humour of the group's early days - Talk To The Left was a put-down to a verbose lovemaker, and Intelligent Theft was a fun story about shoplifting teenagers - but newer songs showed a more vitriolic side to the band, Helen's lyrics dealing angrily with break-ups, abusive friendships, and even bereavement. Musically, Shrag's sound at this point was dominated by buzzing, distorted guitar lines, and the combined shouted or yelped vocals of the three female members - with occasional diversions into lo-fi electropop or instrumental post-rock.
The Shrag album proved a hit with critics from Uncut magazine to The Sunday Times
, and a 'proper' follow-up album was scheduled for release later in 2009. Stand-out track Hopelessly Wasted was also included in the Rough Trade Indiepop 09 compilation.
or Talulah Gosh
.
Shrag continued to build a growing fanbase with steady touring, both supporting the likes of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and headlining their own tours, but ongoing medical problems caused drummer Leigh Anne to be replaced for many live performances by Medicine & Duty drummer Andy Pyne, who in 2009 became a permanent member of the band.
Consequently, many of the tracks Shrag had originally intended to appear on their forthcoming album were either shelved or rerecorded by the new line-up, while new songs that the band began working on saw them turning away from the lighter, more poppy original template for the album into much darker and more introspective territory.
The first single from Life! Death! Prizes!, Shrag's second album, was Rabbit Kids, an anthemic love song which won the band significant mainstream radio play and plaudits in Pitchfork
, All Music Guide
and Drowned In Sound
. Musically the band had concentrated their musical range (which had previously drifted from B-52s
-esque guitar pop to synth-led ballads) into more concise, driving rock songs, although a string section on the epic album closer Coda and the waltzy Furnishings showed a softer, more vulnerable side to the band. The album's centrepiece, The Habit Creep, meanwhile, is a harrowing spoken word piece depicting an individual unravelling psychologically, and the download single Ghosts Before Breakfast represented the noisier, artier influences of bands like Prolapse
and Life Without Buildings
.
Released in October 2010, Life! Death! Prizes! was equally as acclaimed as it's predecessor and provided a platform for the band to perform in New York
at the CMJ Music Marathon
, and to record a BBC Radio One session at Maida Vale studios
.
in Hamilton. Produced by Andy Miller
(Life Without Buildings, Mogwai
, Songs : Ohia
, Scout Niblett
, etc.), and tentatively titled Canines, the album is scheduled for a Spring 2012 release date and will be released by WIAIWYA in conjunction with Fortuna Pop!
, home to indiepop royalty such as The Primitives
, Allo Darlin
', Bearsuit
, The Pipettes
, and more.
Although a tracklisting and singles have yet to be confirmed, songs previewed by Shrag throughout their 2011 live shows displayed a highly melodic strain of guitar-based pop, with a danceable, funkier element creeping into the rhythm section. Titles set for inclusion are live favourites Show Us Your Canines, No More Memories, You're The Shout, Tears Of A Landlord, and Trains.
act Adorable
. Steph was co-frontwoman and guitarist of cult indiepunk group The Blue Minkies, and now plays bass in Summer Hunter with former Shrag drummer Leigh Anne (also a member of Brighton-based acoustic outfit Dogtooth). Steph also toured with American noise-pop band Crystal Stilts as a temporary keyboardist. Andy Pyne has released an enormous quantity of experimental music on his own Foolproof Projects label, both under a range of solo guises and as a member of improvisational groups Medicine & Duty, Passiondale, The Blackneck Band Of The Common Loon, and Kellar. Helen and Steph also formed a short-lived group with Kathy Foster of The Thermals and the All Girl Summer Fun Band
, a debut single of which was recorded but never released.
In 2008, when all Comet Gain members with the exception of guitarist Jon Slade failed to turn up for their much-anticipated Indietracks slot, Slade recruited Helen, Steph, and Leigh Anne to form a one-off Comet Gain line-up, performing a semi-improvised selection of the band's back catalogue. In 2011, Helen and Bob also provided backing vocals to Comet Gain's The Howl Of The Lonely Crowd album.
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
-influenced indiepop band based 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 Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. To date the band have released two albums, six singles and two download singles on the Where It's At Is Where You Are label.
Formation and early years
Shrag's first release was the home-recorded song Punk Grammar, which debuted on Under The Beach, A Heart Attack - a 2003 compilation CD and fanzine of Brighton bands put together by local club night It Came From The Sea and featuring a foreword by then-Brighton-based music critic Everett TrueEverett True
For the cartoon character, see The Outbursts of Everett True.Everett True is a British music journalist, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex...
. The fanzine tells the story of Shrag's formation in a comic book format. At the tail-end of a party in Brighton's Sussex Heights
Sussex Heights
Sussex Heights is a residential tower block in the centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built between 1966 and 1968 on the site of a historic church, it rises to —making it the tallest building in the city and one of the tallest residential buildings on the south...
residential tower block, the reminaing five revellers - made up of local DJs, promoters, academics and musicians - decide to start a band, named Sussex Heights Roving Artists Group.
Contracting the band name to Shrag, the five members, Helen King (vocals), Bob Brown (guitar and vocals), Nick Hills (keyboards and vocals), Russell Warrior (bass guitar) and Leigh Anne Clarke née Walter (drums and vocals), played their first concert on 21 July 2003 at Brighton's Hanbury Ballroom. Early performances of the group were characterised by onstage gimmicks such as fancy dress (wearing wedding dresses or dressing as librarians) or creating art as the band played, and a generally lighthearted spirit. Early songs were often humorous in tone and content, sometimes describing imaginary scenarios involving the band and their friends, or playing heavily on puns. The songs often included spoken word segments, and on Punk Grammar even a comic rap.
Following the departure of Nick Hills to concentrate on his band Coin-Op, and the temporary relocation of drummer Leigh Anne to her native Canada, the band went on hiatus in early 2004. When they regrouped in 2005 with Blue Minkies guitarist and vocalist Steph Goodman on keyboards and vocals the band began working on the harder, punkier songs which would eventually comprise their debut album.
Where It's At Is Where You Are and debut album
Where It's At Is Where You Are label boss John Jervis was impressed with the revitalised Shrag's live performances and offered them a unique deal - the opportunity to release a series of double a-side 7" singles which would then be collated into a CD album, mixed by former MorrisseyMorrissey
Steven 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,...
drummer and Love Is All
Love is All
Love Is All is a five-piece indie pop band from Gothenburg, Sweden. It releases songs in English. Paste Magazine has stated that it makes "infectiously lo-fi punk rock laced with saxophone and melodic vocals".-Biography:...
producer Woodie Taylor.
The first in this series was Pregnancy Scene/Mark E Smith in June 2006, which won the band the favour of indie-focused magazines like Artrocker
ArtRocker
Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Factory...
. Other singles from this series such as Hopelessly Wasted and Different Glue/Lost Dog would be reviewed positively by more mainstream outlets such as The Guardian Guide
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and Shrag would go on to complete national tours with The Cribs
The Cribs
The Cribs are an English three-piece indie rock band from Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths and Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr who was made a formal member of the group...
and The Thermals
The Thermals
The Thermals are an American indie punk band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lo-fi punk, as well as more standard rock, the band's songs are also known for their political and religious imagery.- History :The Thermals came together in...
, among others, and record several BBC radio sessions.
The compiled debut album itself would not arrive until early 2009, by which point the band had already begun recording tracks for its intended follow-up. Titled simply 'Shrag', some tracks on the album retained the humour of the group's early days - Talk To The Left was a put-down to a verbose lovemaker, and Intelligent Theft was a fun story about shoplifting teenagers - but newer songs showed a more vitriolic side to the band, Helen's lyrics dealing angrily with break-ups, abusive friendships, and even bereavement. Musically, Shrag's sound at this point was dominated by buzzing, distorted guitar lines, and the combined shouted or yelped vocals of the three female members - with occasional diversions into lo-fi electropop or instrumental post-rock.
The Shrag album proved a hit with critics from Uncut magazine to The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, and a 'proper' follow-up album was scheduled for release later in 2009. Stand-out track Hopelessly Wasted was also included in the Rough Trade Indiepop 09 compilation.
Life! Death! Prizes!
Although Shrag had always claimed to be influenced more by post-punk and riot grrl than the indiepop with which they were rapidly becoming associated, performances at the Indietracks festival and regular live appearances at London-based indiepop club nights such as Twee As Fuck showed that Shrag had been embraced wholly by the indiepop scene. The new songs that the band were showcasing in their live sets around this time featured a much more melodic, less aggressive sound that some commentators found reminiscent of legendary indiepop bands like Comet GainComet Gain
Comet Gain are a British indie pop band, formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist David Bower in 1992, with influences including punk, post-punk and northern soul...
or Talulah Gosh
Talulah Gosh
Talulah Gosh were a guitar-pop group from Oxford, England and one of the leading bands of the twee pop movement, taking their name from the headline of an NME interview with Clare Grogan. They supposedly formed when Amelia Fletcher and Elizabeth Price, both wearing Pastels badges, met at a club in...
.
Shrag continued to build a growing fanbase with steady touring, both supporting the likes of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and headlining their own tours, but ongoing medical problems caused drummer Leigh Anne to be replaced for many live performances by Medicine & Duty drummer Andy Pyne, who in 2009 became a permanent member of the band.
Consequently, many of the tracks Shrag had originally intended to appear on their forthcoming album were either shelved or rerecorded by the new line-up, while new songs that the band began working on saw them turning away from the lighter, more poppy original template for the album into much darker and more introspective territory.
The first single from Life! Death! Prizes!, Shrag's second album, was Rabbit Kids, an anthemic love song which won the band significant mainstream radio play and plaudits in Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, All Music Guide
All Music Guide
Allmusic is a service of music guide, owned by All Media Guide. Allmusic was founded in 1991 by popular-culture archivist Michael Erlewine as a guide for consumers. Its first reference book was published the following year...
and 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:...
. Musically the band had concentrated their musical range (which had previously drifted from B-52s
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
-esque guitar pop to synth-led ballads) into more concise, driving rock songs, although a string section on the epic album closer Coda and the waltzy Furnishings showed a softer, more vulnerable side to the band. The album's centrepiece, The Habit Creep, meanwhile, is a harrowing spoken word piece depicting an individual unravelling psychologically, and the download single Ghosts Before Breakfast represented the noisier, artier influences of bands like Prolapse
Prolapse (band)
Prolapse were a musical group formed in Leicester, England, UK active from c.1992 to c.2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock, krautrock and shoegazing styles....
and Life Without Buildings
Life Without Buildings
Life Without Buildings were a Glasgow, Scotland based indie rock band. The band, mostly ex-students of the Glasgow School of Art, formed during the summer of 1999. The band initially consisted of Will Bradley , Chris Evans and Robert Johnston . Painter Sue Tompkins joined later that year...
.
Released in October 2010, Life! Death! Prizes! was equally as acclaimed as it's predecessor and provided a platform for the band to perform in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is put on by CMJ Network. CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2010 is scheduled for October 19–23 and will be headquartered at New York University and other downtown NYC venues.- History :...
, and to record a BBC Radio One session at Maida Vale studios
Maida Vale Studios
Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC studios on Delaware Road, Maida Vale, London.It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 from 1946 to the present...
.
New album
Shrag are currently putting the finishing touches to their third album at Gargleblast studiosGargleblast Records
Gargleblast Records is an independent record label based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Early years:Founded by record producer Andy Miller and friend Shaun Tallamy in May 2003, the aim of the label was to support, develop and release music by some of the bands Miller had recorded at Chem...
in Hamilton. Produced by Andy Miller
Andy Miller (record producer)
Andy Miller is a record producer based in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Miller is noted for his production on influential albums by Mogwai, Life Without Buildings, Arab Strap, The Delgados, Scout Niblett, Songs: Ohia, Sons And Daughters, De Rosa and Desert Hearts.He is freelance, but has mainly...
(Life Without Buildings, Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
, Songs : Ohia
Songs: Ohia
Jason Molina is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Lorain, Ohio. He first came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of musicians...
, Scout Niblett
Scout Niblett
Emma Louise Niblett , better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer and songwriter. Her music is frequently minimal in style, many of her songs consisting merely of vocals accompanied by either drums or guitar, which she mostly plays herself. She is known for her intimate live...
, etc.), and tentatively titled Canines, the album is scheduled for a Spring 2012 release date and will be released by WIAIWYA in conjunction with Fortuna Pop!
Fortuna Pop!
Fortuna Pop! is a British independent record label based in London, started in 1996 by Sean Price. It specialises in indie pop and indie rock music, released on 7" single, CD and vinyl....
, home to indiepop royalty such as The Primitives
The Primitives
The Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".-Biography:The Primitives were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup...
, Allo Darlin
Allo Darlin'
Allo Darlin is an indie rock/twee pop band, based in London, whose current members are Elizabeth Morris, Paul Rains, Bill Botting and Mikey Collins.-Biography:...
', Bearsuit
Bearsuit
Bearsuit are an art-rock/dance/punk band from Norwich, UK.-Biography:Bearsuit first came to public attention following their championing by Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and their debut single "Hey Charlie, Hey Chuck" was voted number four in the Peel programme's Festive Fifty of 2001...
, The Pipettes
The Pipettes
The Pipettes are a British indie pop girl group formed in 2003 in Brighton by "svengali" Robert "Monster Bobby" Barry. The group has released two albums, We Are the Pipettes, and Earth vs...
, and more.
Although a tracklisting and singles have yet to be confirmed, songs previewed by Shrag throughout their 2011 live shows displayed a highly melodic strain of guitar-based pop, with a danceable, funkier element creeping into the rhythm section. Titles set for inclusion are live favourites Show Us Your Canines, No More Memories, You're The Shout, Tears Of A Landlord, and Trains.
Side projects and related bands
Although for nearly all members of Shrag it was the case that this was their first band (and in some cases, even the first time they had played an instrument), there have since been many splinter projects and collaborations with other acts. Bob previously played guitar in Polak, the band formed by frontman Pete Fijalowski from the ashes of CreationCreation 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...
act Adorable
Adorable (band)
Adorable were a British alternative rock band. They formed in Coventry in 1991, and consisted of band members Piotr Fijalkowski , Robert Dillam , Stephen 'Wil' Williams and Kevin Gritton -History:...
. Steph was co-frontwoman and guitarist of cult indiepunk group The Blue Minkies, and now plays bass in Summer Hunter with former Shrag drummer Leigh Anne (also a member of Brighton-based acoustic outfit Dogtooth). Steph also toured with American noise-pop band Crystal Stilts as a temporary keyboardist. Andy Pyne has released an enormous quantity of experimental music on his own Foolproof Projects label, both under a range of solo guises and as a member of improvisational groups Medicine & Duty, Passiondale, The Blackneck Band Of The Common Loon, and Kellar. Helen and Steph also formed a short-lived group with Kathy Foster of The Thermals and the All Girl Summer Fun Band
All Girl Summer Fun Band
-Biography:All Girl Summer Fun Band, or AGSFB, is a Portland based twee-pop quartet made up of Kathy Foster, Jen Sbragia, Kim Baxter, and Ari Douangpanya. Baxter met Sbragia after a Softies show, when Baxter gave Sbragia a tape of her music...
, a debut single of which was recorded but never released.
In 2008, when all Comet Gain members with the exception of guitarist Jon Slade failed to turn up for their much-anticipated Indietracks slot, Slade recruited Helen, Steph, and Leigh Anne to form a one-off Comet Gain line-up, performing a semi-improvised selection of the band's back catalogue. In 2011, Helen and Bob also provided backing vocals to Comet Gain's The Howl Of The Lonely Crowd album.