Sleeper were a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
BritpopBritpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
band in the 1990s fronted by
Louise WenerLouise Jane Wener is a novelist and the former singer of the band Sleeper.Sleeper recorded three full length albums: Smart, The It Girl, and Pleased to Meet You....
. The band had eight
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Top 40
hitA hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
singlesIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
and three UK Top 10
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
s. Their music was also featured in the
soundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized...
of
TrainspottingThe Trainspotting soundtracks are two soundtrack albums released following the film version of Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name. The first was released on July 9, 1996. The comparatively huge fanbase for both the film and the original soundtrack prompted a release of a second soundtrack on...
.
Career
Jon Stewart met
Louise WenerLouise Jane Wener is a novelist and the former singer of the band Sleeper.Sleeper recorded three full length albums: Smart, The It Girl, and Pleased to Meet You....
at Manchester University in 1987 in a political philosophy class. They played in a number of bands at university, then after graduating they moved to London and advertised for new band members in the
Melody MakerMelody 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...
("Bass player and drummer wanted. Influences The Pixies and The Partridge Family.") which is how they met Diid Osman and Andy Maclure.
At one point, the band called themselves
Surrender Dorothy"SURRENDER DOROTHY" is a famous special effect used in the movie The Wizard of Oz, which later attained local fame as a graffito in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area.-Appearance in the movie:...
, after the smoke trail in the sky from the
Wizard of Oz movieFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
, but they had to ditch this idea after discovering that several other bands had done the same thing. They subsequently chose the name Sleeper after the
Woody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, comedian, writer, musician, and playwright....
movie, and because it has a number of different meanings (a spy, an unexpected hit, etc).
After moving to
CamdenCamden Town is an inner-city district within the London Borough of Camden, situated in the northern part of London, England. It is well-known for its markets, liberal attitude and associations with popular culture. Since the 1960s, The Roundhouse theatre and music venue has been a centre of...
and receiving interest from record labels, Sleeper signed to BMG/RCA offshoot Indolent Records in 1993 and released three EPs and singles before their breakthrough release, "Inbetweener".
Certain parts of the promo
videoVideo is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.-History:...
for "Inbetweener" parodied the grocery store-set
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
game show
Supermarket SweepDale's Supermarket Sweep is a UK game show based on the American Supermarket Sweep TV show format.-1993 - 2001:The original show was recorded at Central's Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham using a supermarket set created by actual retailers; either Co-op, Asda or Somerfield, depending on the...
and featured the programme's presenter
Dale WintonDale Winton is an English radio DJ and television presenter.-Early life:Winton was brought up by his mother Sheree Winton, an actress, and left school at 16.-Career:...
. Prior to the release of "Inbetweener" Sleeper had been the opening band for
BlurBlur are 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...
on their well received tour to promote the
ParklifeParklife is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released on 25 April 1994 on Food Ltd. After disappointing sales for their previous album Modern Life is Rubbish , Parklife returned Blur to prominence in the UK, helped by its four hit singles: "Girls & Boys", "End of a...
album, and they became closely associated with Britpop as a result.
Sleeper recorded three
studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties...
albums for Indolent and BMG/RCA:
Smart,
The It Girl and
Pleased to Meet You.
Smart was one of the first Britpop albums to hit the charts and won the band a
BPIThe British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association. Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four 'major' record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies representing...
gold disc for sales of over 100,000 copies. It was followed by the platinum-selling release
The It Girl which was arguably the band's finest moment and included "
What Do I Do Now?"What Do I Do Now?" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the first single to be released from their second album The It Girl in 1995 .-Releases:...
", "Lie Detector", "Sale of the Century" and "Statuesque" as the defining tracks.
Sleeper recorded a
coverIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the
BlondieBlondie is an American rock band founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk rock scenes of the mid 1970s...
song "
Atomic"Atomic" was the third single from the 1979 album Eat to the Beat by Blondie. It was written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and the track was produced by Mike Chapman.-Song information:...
", which was used as in the film
Trainspotting, after Blondie refused to allow the use of the original version. Their track "Statuesque" also features in the movie during one of the bar scenes.
"The It Girl", like the band's subsequent release "Pleased To Meet You", was produced by
Stephen StreetStephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, and Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
who was then famous for his contributions to
The SmithsThe Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
,
MorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known primarily as Morrissey, is a British singer-songwriter. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths...
and
BlurBlur are 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 is since renowned for his work with
Kaiser ChiefsKaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1997. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, a team for which former Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe played....
and others.
Louise Wener was arguably, along with
ElasticaElastica were a British alternative rock band, who played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica which produced singles that charted in the U.S. and the UK.-History:...
's
Justine FrischmannJustine Elinor Frischmann is an English singer and guitarist, best known as being the lead singer of the now defunct band, Elastica...
, Britpop's biggest female star. She was even something of a
sex symbolA sex symbol is a famous person of either gender, typically an actor, musician, model, teen idol, or sports star. The celebrity "star system"—the tabloid papers, paparazzi, and gossip talk shows—play an important role in creating and sustaining the public perception of which stars are viewed as...
, placing highly in
Melody MakerMelody 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...
's and
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
's "Sexiest Woman" polls two years running.
Wener enjoyed significant media coverage, including an
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
front cover and a slot as guest presenter of
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. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, before being moved to Fridays in 1996, and then moved to Sundays on BBC...
. Arguably one of Britpop's stronger lyricists and melody writers, her song "
What Do I Do Now?"What Do I Do Now?" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the first single to be released from their second album The It Girl in 1995 .-Releases:...
" was covered in a low key version by
Elvis CostelloElvis Costello is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s, and later became associated with the punk rock and New Wave musical genres...
in 1997.
After the band split in 1998 following the demise of Britpop, Wener went on to have a career as a novelist. She released her fourth book for
Hodder & StoughtonHodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hodder Headline.The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
in 2008. Wener also features prominently as an interviewee in John Dower's definitive feature film documentary on Britpop,
Live Forever (2003).
A
greatest hitsA greatest hits album is a compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular music artist or band...
compilation, with tracklisting and artwork by the band themselves, was released on Sony/BMG in 2007.
"Sleeperbloke"
The band was the inspiration for the phrase "Sleeperbloke", referring to the disparity between the glamorous singer Wener and the other frequently ignored members of the band (who tended to be far more anonymous and stood at the back). This pejorative term was used by music press journalists and musicians, to refer to any person of limited standing within a band or an especially drab and unremarkable individual. The "Sleeperblokes" themselves were reported to be highly amused by the phrase, and even produced an ironic "Sleeperbloke"
T-shirtA T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves. The sleeves of the T-shirt extend at least slightly over the shoulder but not completely over the elbow...
to go with Louise's "Just Another Girl Fronted Band"
T-shirtA T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves. The sleeves of the T-shirt extend at least slightly over the shoulder but not completely over the elbow...
, both of which sold well.
The real-life Sleeperblokes were:
- Jon Stewart (born Jonathan David Stewart, 12 September 1966, Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wider economic base...
) — (guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
)
- Diid Osman (b. Kenadiid Osman, 10 April 1968, Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, England. It is a dormitory town in the London commuter belt and is located south west of Charing Cross in central London...
) — (bassistA 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...
)
- Andy Maclure (b. 4 July 1970, 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...
) — (drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
)
After Sleeper split Stewart moved to
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
where he played with West Coast band UFO Bro and contributed as a
sessionSession musicians are instrumental performers or vocalists who are available for hire for live performances or recording sessions, as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical ensemble or who have acquired fame in their own right as bandleaders...
guitarist to k d lang's album
Invincible SummerInvincible Summer is the fourth solo album by k.d. lang, released in 2000 .-Track listing:#"Consequences of Falling" – 3:52#"Summerfling" Invincible Summer is the fourth solo album by k.d. lang, released in 2000 (see 2000 in music).-Track listing:#"Consequences of Falling" (Marie-Claire D'Ubaldo,...
(2000) and Mel C's album
Reason. He now lectures in music business and music history at the
Brighton Institute of Modern MusicThe Brighton Institute of Modern Music is a modern popular music college based in the city of Brighton & Hove and Bristol .The University of Sussex and Bath Spa University act as the validating authority for all undergraduate awards taught at BIMM....
(where he taught members of
The KooksThe Kooks are an English indie pop band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2004. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred and Max Rafferty the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 with the departure of Rafferty...
,
The Ordinary BoysThe Ordinary Boys were an English indie rock band from Worthing, originally named Next in Line. They were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths...
, and
Kate WalshKate Walsh is an English singer from Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex.A graduate of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, her first album was Clocktower Park , released in 2003 by Kitchenware Records. The album was named for a meeting place in her home town. In 2007, she released her second album, Tim's...
) and is a columnist for the
GuitaristGuitarist is a monthly music making magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing...
.
After leaving Sleeper, Osman joined
DubstarDubstar are a British dream pop band, formed in 1992 by Steve Hillier and Chris Wilkie in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Sarah Blackwood joined in 1993, replacing Steve Hillier on vocals.-Career:...
(
Food RecordsFood Records was a record label set up in 1984 by David Balfe, who later took on Andy Ross as his partner. Originally formed as an independent record label with distribution going through Rough Trade Distribution, Food licenced acts to the Polygram offshoot London and Warner's WEA Records, before...
). Following this he entered artist management securing several major
recording contractA recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
s, including
My VitriolMy Vitriol are an alternative rock band from London, England. The band name, which is often misinterpreted, is taken from the novel Brighton Rock by Graham Greene...
(Infectious/Epic),
Hell Is For HeroesHell Is for Heroes may refer to:*Hell Is for Heroes , a UK band** Hell Is for Heroes , a 2007 album released by the band of the same name*Hell Is for Heroes , a 1962 film starring Steve McQueen and Bobby Darin...
(EMI) and
The GlitteratiThe Glitterati are a hard rock band from Leeds, and now primarily based in London, England. The band are currently signed with DR2 RECORDS/GLOBAL MUSIC.-Debut album:In 2004 the band released an EP called "Here Comes a Close Up"...
(
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
). He is now managing Lucy Styles.
Albums
| Title |
Release
date |
UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
|
Smart-Track listing:All tracks written by Louise Wener, unless stated otherwise.#"Inbetweener" - 3:18#"Swallow" - 2:42#"Delicious" - 3:01#"Hunch" - 3:38#"Amuse" - 2:09#"Bedhead" - 3:00#"Lady Love Your Countryside" - 2:40#"Vegas" - 3:14...
|
Feb 1995 |
5 |
| The It Girl The It Girl is the second studio album by English Britpop band Sleeper, first released in May 1996 . It was their most successful album, selling over 300,000 copies in England alone.-Track listing:...
|
May 1996 |
5 |
| Pleased to Meet You Pleased To Meet You is the third and final studio album by the 90's britpop band Sleeper. The album was released in October 1997 in the UK, peaking at number 7 on the UK Album Chart...
|
Oct 1997 |
7 |
| Greatest Hits |
Oct 2007 |
- |
Singles
| Title |
Release
date |
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
Album |
| Alice EP |
1993 |
- |
Smart |
"Swallow"Swallow" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener along with guitarist Jon Stewart. It was the first single to be released from their debut album Smart in 1994 ....
" |
January 1994 |
- |
"Delicious"Delicious" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener along with guitarist Jon Stewart. It was the second single to be released from their debut album Smart in 1994 , reaching number 75 on the UK Singles Chart.-Releases:...
" |
May 1994 |
75 |
| "Inbetweener "Inbetweener" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the third single to be released from their debut album Smart in 1994...
" |
January 1995 |
16 |
| "Vegas "Vegas" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the fourth and final single to be released from their debut album Smart in 1994 . The single version, also used in the video, is a completely re-done version of the song originally...
" |
April 1995 |
33 |
| "What Do I Do Now? "What Do I Do Now?" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the first single to be released from their second album The It Girl in 1995 .-Releases:...
" |
October 1995 |
14 |
The It Girl |
| "Sale of the Century "Sale of the Century" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist/guitarist Louise Wener and drummer Andy Maclure. It was the second single to be released from their second album The It Girl in 1996 ....
" |
May 1996 |
10 |
"Nice Guy EddieFor the Tarantino film character, see Reservoir Dogs"Nice Guy Eddie" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the third single to be released from their second album The It Girl in 1996 .-Releases:...
" |
July 1996 |
10 |
| "Atomic "Atomic" was the third single from the 1979 album Eat to the Beat by Blondie. It was written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and the track was produced by Mike Chapman.-Song information:...
" (DJ promo) |
1996 |
- |
Trainspotting Soundtrack The Trainspotting soundtracks are two soundtrack albums released following the film version of Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name. The first was released on July 9, 1996. The comparatively huge fanbase for both the film and the original soundtrack prompted a release of a second soundtrack on...
|
"Statuesque"Statuesque" is a song by English Britpop band Sleeper, written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Louise Wener. It was the fourth and final single to be released from their second album The It Girl in 1996 . It also appears on the second Trainspotting soundtrack, released in 1997.-Releases:...
" |
October 1996 |
17 |
The It Girl |
| "She's A Good Girl" |
October 1997 |
28 |
Pleased to Meet You |
| "Romeo Me" |
December 1997 |
39 |
External links