The Furze
Encyclopedia
The Furze are a British
indie band from Maidenhead
, Berkshire
, England
. The members of the band have been recording together for more than ten years, and the same line-up have previously performed under the name Kid Galahad. The band’s current name is a reference to Furze Platt, the suburb of Maidenhead where all the members hail from. Their eclectic music style has been compared to that of Beck
and Jane's Addiction
.
The band have supported a number of prominent bands and artists at concert
s around the world, including Kaiser Chiefs
, Supergrass
, Oasis
, Kings of Leon
and Elliott Smith
. The band have bemoaned the lack of live music venues and outlets for local talent in the Maidenhead area, and as a result have invested in Denmark Studios in the town.
, who championed the band to, amongst others, the independent, Ignition record label, whom the band signed to in 2000. Their recordings for the label were produced by Jim Abbiss
(who had previously worked with The Music, DJ Shadow
and UNKLE
amongst others), and the band’s first studio release was the Stealin’ Beats EP
in May 2001. As well as Abbiss’ work on the title track, this EP
also contained two live tracks and an original demo recorded in lead singer Ash’s back garden. This EP was critically acclaimed and was made "single of the week" by NME
magazine and BBC Radio 1
.
Kid Galahad’s second release was the Where’s my Gold? EP in July 2001. Like its predecessor, this EP showed off the band’s eclectic style and mixed studio and live recordings, and was also given a single of the week stamp of approval, this time by MTV
. Finally, a trio of limited edition EP releases was completed in November 2001, with the release of the Runaway Train EP. These releases also coincided with the band touring with bands such as Vex Red
, Tetra Splendour
and The Electric Soft Parade
.
Kid Galahad’s debut album Gold Dust Noise
was released on 20 May 2002. The album was critically well received, though some journalists regarded the album with a little disappointment given the strength of the EPs previously released. A further single “Swimming to Shore” was released on 10 June 2002 to promote the album, however the album failed to make the Top 100 on the UK album chart.
Spitting from Ignition records, the band took some time off to work on some new songs and the soundtrack to the film Happily Even After. These two albums were both released in 2006 on the Three-Sixty record label. The first album, The Bedroom Tapes, was released on 20th Feb 2006, and was described as "experiments in stereo recording". The film soundtrack was released later in June the same year.
These albums were released without any publicity from the members of the band, only a tongue-in-cheek
statement on the record label website stating that the band had gone missing in Cornwall
, “All that was found in the car was a pair of Wallace and Gromit
Boxer shorts and a tape in the player of their Triumph Herald
.”
This story facilitated the transformation and relaunch of the band as The Furze.
" was released on Three-Sixty records. This was followed in March 2007 by the single "I'm on Fire" and then the album Subterranean Kicks in May 2007. The press release suggesting the band had gone missing in Cornwall may have also have been a reference to the fact that the bend went to the Sawmills Studio
s on the banks of the River Fowey
to record Subterranean Kicks.
As The Furze
As The Furze
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
indie band from Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, 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...
. The members of the band have been recording together for more than ten years, and the same line-up have previously performed under the name Kid Galahad. The band’s current name is a reference to Furze Platt, the suburb of Maidenhead where all the members hail from. Their eclectic music style has been compared to that of Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
and Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
.
The band have supported a number of prominent bands and artists at concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s around the world, including Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
and Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
. The band have bemoaned the lack of live music venues and outlets for local talent in the Maidenhead area, and as a result have invested in Denmark Studios in the town.
Kid Galahad
The four band members met in 1997, whilst they all attended Furze Platt School in Maidenhead. The band honed their skills in live performances and homemade recordings. One of their early demos was given to long-time friend and DJ, James LavelleJames Lavelle
James Lavelle is a DJ, electronic recording artist and record label boss.-Early years:Born into a family with a strong tradition of music, Lavelle first began by learning the cello with his grandmother in Oxford....
, who championed the band to, amongst others, the independent, Ignition record label, whom the band signed to in 2000. Their recordings for the label were produced by Jim Abbiss
Jim Abbiss
Jim Abbiss is a British music producer, best known for his work on records including Arctic Monkeys' Mercury Music Prize winning debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Ladytron's Witching Hour, Sneaker Pimps' debut Becoming X, Editors' debut The Back Room, Kasabian's...
(who had previously worked with The Music, DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
and UNKLE
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
amongst others), and the band’s first studio release was the Stealin’ Beats EP
Stealin’ Beats EP
Stealin' Beats EP was the debut release from the British band Kid Galahad. Despite retaining the same line-up, the band changed their name in 2006 and are now known as The Furze. The title track "Stealin' Beats" was recorded in the studio and produced by Jim Abbiss who had previously worked with...
in May 2001. As well as Abbiss’ work on the title track, this EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
also contained two live tracks and an original demo recorded in lead singer Ash’s back garden. This EP was critically acclaimed and was made "single of the week" by 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...
magazine and BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Kid Galahad’s second release was the Where’s my Gold? EP in July 2001. Like its predecessor, this EP showed off the band’s eclectic style and mixed studio and live recordings, and was also given a single of the week stamp of approval, this time by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Finally, a trio of limited edition EP releases was completed in November 2001, with the release of the Runaway Train EP. These releases also coincided with the band touring with bands such as Vex Red
Vex Red
Vex Red were a band from Aldershot, England who merged hard rock with electronica. They were signed to US Producer Ross Robinson's Virgin Records Imprint record label, I Am, after sending a demo EP to Robinson. They litigated their way off the label in late 2002, and singer Terry Abbott formed a...
, Tetra Splendour
People in Planes
People in Planes are a five piece Indie rock band from Cardiff, Wales. They are signed to Wind-up Records. Prior to 2003 they were known as Tetra Splendour and before that they went by the name of Robots in the Sky...
and The Electric Soft Parade
The Electric Soft Parade
The Electric Soft Parade are an English psych-pop band from Brighton, comprising brothers Alex and Thomas White, the creative core of the band, as well as a number of other musicians with whom they record and perform live, most recently including Andrew Mitchell and Damo Waters, as well as...
.
Kid Galahad’s debut album Gold Dust Noise
Gold Dust Noise
Gold Dust Noise was the debut studio album from the band Kid Galahad. The album was produced by Jim Abbiss who had previously worked with artists such as DJ Shadow and UNKLE.-Track listing:All tracks written by A.Bull, D.Ody, P.Seaman, D.Strows...
was released on 20 May 2002. The album was critically well received, though some journalists regarded the album with a little disappointment given the strength of the EPs previously released. A further single “Swimming to Shore” was released on 10 June 2002 to promote the album, however the album failed to make the Top 100 on the UK album chart.
Spitting from Ignition records, the band took some time off to work on some new songs and the soundtrack to the film Happily Even After. These two albums were both released in 2006 on the Three-Sixty record label. The first album, The Bedroom Tapes, was released on 20th Feb 2006, and was described as "experiments in stereo recording". The film soundtrack was released later in June the same year.
These albums were released without any publicity from the members of the band, only a tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
statement on the record label website stating that the band had gone missing in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, “All that was found in the car was a pair of Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
Boxer shorts and a tape in the player of their Triumph Herald
Triumph Herald
The Triumph Herald was a small two-door car introduced in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph Company of Coventry. Body design was by the Italian stylist Michelotti and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, van, and estate models....
.”
This story facilitated the transformation and relaunch of the band as The Furze.
The Furze
To mark this re-branding of the band, just a month after the final Kid Galahad release, the first single by The Furze, "Carry me HomeCarry Me Home
Carry Me Home may refer to:* Carry Me Home , 2007* Carry Me Home , 2002* "Carry Me Home", a song by AC/DC, the B-side of the single "Dog Eat Dog"* "Carry Me Home", a song by After the Fire from Der Kommissar...
" was released on Three-Sixty records. This was followed in March 2007 by the single "I'm on Fire" and then the album Subterranean Kicks in May 2007. The press release suggesting the band had gone missing in Cornwall may have also have been a reference to the fact that the bend went to the Sawmills Studio
Sawmills Studio
Sawmills Studios, created in 1974 near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall, England is best known as the recording studio used by musicians such as Robert Plant, Oasis, The Coronas, The Verve, Supergrass, Muse, The Holloways, Razorlight, The Stone Roses, The Dukes of Stratosphear ...
s on the banks of the River Fowey
River Fowey
The River Fowey is a river in Cornwall, United Kingdom.It rises about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, passes Lanhydrock House, Restormel Castle and Lostwithiel, then broadens at Milltown before joining the English Channel at Fowey. It is only navigable by larger craft for the last ....
to record Subterranean Kicks.
Music use in other media
- "Stealin' Beats" was used in the KonamiKonamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
PS2 game Dancing Stage MegaMixDancing Stage MegaMixDancing Stage MegaMiX is the fifth home release in the Dancing Stage series, a European version of the Dance Dance Revolution series of music video games...
, that sold more than 500,000 copies world-wide. - A number of Kid Galahad tracks were used in the UK comedy drama TeachersTeachers (UK TV series)Teachers is a British television sitcom, originally shown on Channel 4. The series follows a group of secondary school teachers in their daily lives....
, including "Stealin Beats" (series two, episode two), "Distant Sunshine" and "Pack it In" (series two, episode five), "Runaway Train" (series two, episode eight), "I Don't Wanna Play" (series three, episode one), "Distant Sunshine" (series three, episode two) and "Swimming to Shore" (series three, episode four).
Current projects
- In 2007 the band decided to put proceedings on hold to pursue new projects. Dave Ody released a solo album through Line Out Records called Geen and in 2008 formed the band Mothboxer with Phil Davies and Jon Hawes - ex Mother Black Cap and Robbie Burley - ex Pearl Kites. The band played a few select gigs in London and the South East in 2008 and 2009
- The Mothboxer debut album is currently in production.
- Singer Ash Bull, as well as running a successful Recording and rehearsal studio in Maidenhead, Berkshire, formed a new band - Me And The Beast, featuring Wooky on drums as well as singer Carly Cunningham and Damien Bidmead on Bass. The band are currently gigging around London on a regular basis and are working on their debut album.
Albums
As Kid Galahad- 2002 - Gold Dust NoiseGold Dust NoiseGold Dust Noise was the debut studio album from the band Kid Galahad. The album was produced by Jim Abbiss who had previously worked with artists such as DJ Shadow and UNKLE.-Track listing:All tracks written by A.Bull, D.Ody, P.Seaman, D.Strows...
- 2006 - Happily Even After
- 2006 - The Bedroom Tapes
As The Furze
- 2007 - Subterranean Kicks
Singles/EPs
As Kid Galahad- 2001 - "Stealin' Beats EP"
- 2001 - "Where's my Gold? EPWhere's my Gold? EPWhere's my Gold? EP was the second release from the British band Kid Galahad. Two tracks on this release, "Where's my Gold?" and "I Don't Wanna Play" were recorded in the studio and produced by Jim Abbiss who had previously worked with artists such as UNKLE and DJ Shadow...
" - 2001 - "Runaway Train EP"
- 2002 - "Swimming to Shore"
As The Furze
- 2006 - "Carry me HomeCarry Me HomeCarry Me Home may refer to:* Carry Me Home , 2007* Carry Me Home , 2002* "Carry Me Home", a song by AC/DC, the B-side of the single "Dog Eat Dog"* "Carry Me Home", a song by After the Fire from Der Kommissar...
" - 2007 - "I'm on Fire"