Ultrasound (band)
Encyclopedia
Ultrasound are an English
indie
band, predominantly active during the late 1990s. Although the band's focal point (in particular for reviewers) was their tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and bass player/second singer Vanessa Best.
Having split up acrimoniously in 1999, the band reunited in early 2010 with their first concert in eleven years scheduled for a benefit event in September of that year.
Following a succession of brief-lived bands, Wood, Green and Peace teamed up with guitarist and songwriter Paul Hope, an old ally and bandmate of Wood's who had worked with him in a band called Step TLV. Joined by Hope's flute-playing wife Rachel Theresa, the four put together a psychedelic rock band called Sleepy People
. For the next two years the band toured around the UK playing in various small venues around the UK and gaining underground attention. Wood, Green and Peace all appear on Sleepy People's 1994 cassette album Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall (originally a cassette release, but reissued on CD in 1999 on Org Records).
Tiny Wood and Richard Green left Sleepy People in 1995, taking keyboard player Pete Haslam with them. They also reconnected with Andy Peace (who had left the band some time previously). Moving to London, they formed a new progressive
/art-rock band, Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal, which began earning underground attention (in particular after supporting cult band Cardiacs
). At this point, Green played bass (as he had in Sleepy People) and Wood doubled on guitar and harmonium as well as lead vocals.
Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal released a self-titled cassette EP on Org Records in 1995, but did not prosper. Wood was later to comment that the band "had a bit too much prog-rock about it." Vanessa Best (who had moved to London and was singing as a backing vocalist
in a George Michael
tribute band, was then added to the Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal line-up as bass player, with Green moving to lead guitar. With the subsequent departure of Haslam, the band began to reduce their more obvious progressive rock influences in favour of a stronger element of 1970s glam rock
and a more pronounced "indie" outlook. Circa 1996, Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal changed their name to Ultrasound.
"Same Band" on Fierce Panda in July 1997. It brought them some favourable press in NME
, who described it as "(sounding) like The Who's Tommy - in its entirety - squeezed into four-and-a-half minutes... utterly heroic and bizarrely, by some distance, their most understated moment." This led to the band performing in the NME sponsored Unsigned Showcase event.
In turn, the Unsigned Showcase appearance led Ultrasound to a recording contract
with Nude Records
, following a bidding war between various record label
s excited by the band's powerful live presence. At around this time, Matt Jones was brought into the band on keyboards to expand the sound.
The band's first two singles for Nude were "Best Wishes" and "Stay Young" (1998), the latter of which reached #30 in the UK Singles Chart
. The band received favourable reviews for their recorded output, while receiving a good deal of press attention for their energetic live gigs, unusual appearance and determined outsider appeal. Wood, in particular, became a frequent interviewee and subject of attention in the British weekly music press, making a virtue of subjects usually avoided or discouraged in pop music discourse (such as his relative older age as a rock star debutante, his obesity, and his unfashionable enthusiasm for progressive rock
). In October 2011, NME
placed "Stay Young" at number 109 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
The band compounded their 1998 success by playing a string of music festival
s, culminating in a critically acclaimed performance at the Glastonbury Festival
during a torrential downpour. One more single followed in October 1998, "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours" (about a relationship gone sour), and the band toured with Placebo
.
on their debut album
, Everything Picture
. The band released their fifth single, "Floodlit World" (a re-recording of a B-side
from the "Same Band" single) in March 1999. It was both a Melody Maker
'Single of the Week' and a modest chart success reaching number 39.
Everything Picture was released in April 1999 as a double album
CD
, or triple vinyl, release. The album received poor reviews for its length and lack of focus, indicating that Ultrasound's rise might be faltering already. In spite of the negative critical response, Everything Picture reached number 23 in the UK Albums Chart
. Ultrasound maintained their high media profile via a guest appearance at London Fashion Week, at which Wood contributed to the Red Or Dead fashion house display by posing as a model, and flashing his substantial stomach (on which the word "Unique" had been scrawled in makeup). This particular opportunity gained an appearance on the front page of The Independent
newspaper. Peace and Jones also carried out a naked catwalk streak
, which was captured on live TV.
festival in Scotland
, although they did fit in a second Glastonbury appearance. The album track "Aire & Calder" was selected as the next single, although the band clashed with record label Nude regarding the editing of the track for airplay
. The single was not a hit. Shortly afterwards, severe existing tensions within Ultrasound reached breaking point and Richard Green walked out on the band. With their main songwriter gone and continuing dissension among the remaining members, the band foundered. Ultrasound officially split up on October 12, 1999.
While the other band members went their separate ways to pursue new projects, Tiny Wood returned alone to Newcastle and briefly attempted to reform Ultrasound with a new line-up. This included drummer Paul Boundey, ex-Sleepy People bassist Bill "Cowboy" Bailey, keyboard player Carlie and one Andy Taylor. The new version of Ultrasound performed their live debut at the Newcastle Arts Centre in the spring of 2000. Although they went on to play a few more concerts in small venues, they were not accepted by Ultrasound's fans as a continuation of the band and split up shortly afterwards.
tribute in Newcastle
in 2006. Wood also took on the role of lead singer in Blue Apple Boy
(featuring his former Sleepy People bandmates) and performed on their debut album Salient (Soma Sound, 2002).
Richard Green settled in Leeds and formed The Somatics, who released two albums. He went on to form The Heavens, for whom he is songwriter, singer and guitarist. Green has also contributed to Corinne Bailey Rae
's 2010 album The Sea (providing guitar for the track "Paper Dolls") and provided solo to Blue Apple Boy's Salient.
Matt Jones went on to form Minuteman. After that he played and performed with many musicians, including Black Crowes
front-man Chris Robinson's New Earth Mud, Engineers
, Iain Archer
, Beth Rowley
and Baxter Dury
. More recently Matt has played with Jamie T
. He is currently keyboard player in Beady Eye
. He also wrote the music for the film
Thespian X.
Vanessa Best and Andy Peace formed The Sunshine Valley Dance Band with former Spiritualized
/Slipstream
guitarist Mark Refoy. Best also formed The Soulwinners with Matthew Priest and Andy Miller
(both ex-Dodgy), with whom she continues to play. Alongside these projects Best qualified with a PGCE and spent time as the Assistant Director of Music at a comprehensive school in East London. She has now moved into music education management.
(who had suffered a debilitating heart attack and stroke in 2008). In March 2010, the five members of the band reunited at Vanessa Best's home in Shoreditch, London, ending a decade of estrangement. They subsequently agreed not only to play the concert but to reunite and write material for a new album. Ultrasound played a reunion concert at The Lexington in Kings Cross
, London
on 9 September 2010, playing mostly old material with two new tracks. A second concert took place the following night at The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. Further concerts were planned for London in late September, followed by one on 8 October in Bradford.
December 2010 saw the first appearance of new Ultrasound recordings - a cover version of the Cardiacs
song "Big Ship" which was included on Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1
, a fundraising compilation album to further benefit the hospitalised Tim Smith. In the same month, Matt Jones left the band for a second time (this time amicably), opting to continue as a touring keyboard player for Beady Eye
as well as concentrate on other projects. He was replaced as Ultrasound's keyboard player by Bob Birch. The band later announced plans for their comeback single, 'Welfare State/Sovereign'.
[This EP was also released in Europe
as "Ultrasound Sing Five Songs for Europe"]
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
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
band, predominantly active during the late 1990s. Although the band's focal point (in particular for reviewers) was their tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and bass player/second singer Vanessa Best.
Having split up acrimoniously in 1999, the band reunited in early 2010 with their first concert in eleven years scheduled for a benefit event in September of that year.
Origins, including Sleepy People and Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal (1989-1996)
Three-fifths of Ultrasound originally met at Wakefield College, Yorkshire, England in 1989. Andrew "Tiny" Wood (a mature student) and Richard Green (a 16-year-old classical cellist) met on the Popular and Commercial Music course, where they also befriended Andy Peace. Moving on to a music degree course in Newcastle, they encountered future bass player Vanessa Best.Following a succession of brief-lived bands, Wood, Green and Peace teamed up with guitarist and songwriter Paul Hope, an old ally and bandmate of Wood's who had worked with him in a band called Step TLV. Joined by Hope's flute-playing wife Rachel Theresa, the four put together a psychedelic rock band called Sleepy People
Sleepy People (British rock band)
Sleepy People was a British psychedelic rock band known for eccentric, energetic songs and live performances, as well as for incubating three of the five future members of short-lived Britpop band, Ultrasound.Sleepy People should not be confused with The Sleepy People or Sleeping People Sleepy...
. For the next two years the band toured around the UK playing in various small venues around the UK and gaining underground attention. Wood, Green and Peace all appear on Sleepy People's 1994 cassette album Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall (originally a cassette release, but reissued on CD in 1999 on Org Records).
Tiny Wood and Richard Green left Sleepy People in 1995, taking keyboard player Pete Haslam with them. They also reconnected with Andy Peace (who had left the band some time previously). Moving to London, they formed a new progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/art-rock band, Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal, which began earning underground attention (in particular after supporting cult band Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
). At this point, Green played bass (as he had in Sleepy People) and Wood doubled on guitar and harmonium as well as lead vocals.
Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal released a self-titled cassette EP on Org Records in 1995, but did not prosper. Wood was later to comment that the band "had a bit too much prog-rock about it." Vanessa Best (who had moved to London and was singing as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
in a George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
tribute band, was then added to the Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal line-up as bass player, with Green moving to lead guitar. With the subsequent departure of Haslam, the band began to reduce their more obvious progressive rock influences in favour of a stronger element of 1970s glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
and a more pronounced "indie" outlook. Circa 1996, Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal changed their name to Ultrasound.
Renamed and rising (1996-1998)
Despite the more commercially acceptable developments of their sound, the renamed band was initially no more successful. Following a year of struggling to keep going, Ultrasound released their first singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Same Band" on Fierce Panda in July 1997. It brought them some favourable press 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...
, who described it as "(sounding) like The Who's Tommy - in its entirety - squeezed into four-and-a-half minutes... utterly heroic and bizarrely, by some distance, their most understated moment." This led to the band performing in the NME sponsored Unsigned Showcase event.
In turn, the Unsigned Showcase appearance led Ultrasound to a recording contract
Recording contract
A 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...
with Nude Records
Nude Records
Nude Records was a London based record label, set up in 1992 by Saul Galpern who had previously been involved in the success of artists such as Simply Red, the Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and The Au Pairs. The label's first success was with Suede. Suede's debut album was the fastest...
, following a bidding war between various record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s excited by the band's powerful live presence. At around this time, Matt Jones was brought into the band on keyboards to expand the sound.
The band's first two singles for Nude were "Best Wishes" and "Stay Young" (1998), the latter of which reached #30 in the UK Singles Chart
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 selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The band received favourable reviews for their recorded output, while receiving a good deal of press attention for their energetic live gigs, unusual appearance and determined outsider appeal. Wood, in particular, became a frequent interviewee and subject of attention in the British weekly music press, making a virtue of subjects usually avoided or discouraged in pop music discourse (such as his relative older age as a rock star debutante, his obesity, and his unfashionable enthusiasm for progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
). In October 2011, 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...
placed "Stay Young" at number 109 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
The band compounded their 1998 success by playing a string of music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s, culminating in a critically acclaimed performance at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
during a torrential downpour. One more single followed in October 1998, "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours" (about a relationship gone sour), and the band toured with Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
.
Everything Picture (1998-1999)
During 1998, Ultrasound worked in the recording studioRecording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
on their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Everything Picture
Everything Picture
Everything Picture was the only album by the English indie rock band Ultrasound. It was released on Nude Records, the label of Suede and Geneva, in April 1999 and reached #23 in the UK albums chart...
. The band released their fifth single, "Floodlit World" (a re-recording of a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
from the "Same Band" single) in March 1999. It was both a 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...
'Single of the Week' and a modest chart success reaching number 39.
Everything Picture was released in April 1999 as a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, or triple vinyl, release. The album received poor reviews for its length and lack of focus, indicating that Ultrasound's rise might be faltering already. In spite of the negative critical response, Everything Picture reached number 23 in the UK Albums Chart
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 every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Ultrasound maintained their high media profile via a guest appearance at London Fashion Week, at which Wood contributed to the Red Or Dead fashion house display by posing as a model, and flashing his substantial stomach (on which the word "Unique" had been scrawled in makeup). This particular opportunity gained an appearance on the front page of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper. Peace and Jones also carried out a naked catwalk streak
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
, which was captured on live TV.
Tensions and split
During the summer, the band cancelled a set of live dates during the festival season, including one at the T in the ParkT in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
festival in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, although they did fit in a second Glastonbury appearance. The album track "Aire & Calder" was selected as the next single, although the band clashed with record label Nude regarding the editing of the track for airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
. The single was not a hit. Shortly afterwards, severe existing tensions within Ultrasound reached breaking point and Richard Green walked out on the band. With their main songwriter gone and continuing dissension among the remaining members, the band foundered. Ultrasound officially split up on October 12, 1999.
While the other band members went their separate ways to pursue new projects, Tiny Wood returned alone to Newcastle and briefly attempted to reform Ultrasound with a new line-up. This included drummer Paul Boundey, ex-Sleepy People bassist Bill "Cowboy" Bailey, keyboard player Carlie and one Andy Taylor. The new version of Ultrasound performed their live debut at the Newcastle Arts Centre in the spring of 2000. Although they went on to play a few more concerts in small venues, they were not accepted by Ultrasound's fans as a continuation of the band and split up shortly afterwards.
Post-split activities
Following the collapse of his attempt to continue Ultrasound, Tiny Wood remained in Newcastle and formed a new band called Siren with Paul Boundey. The band continued (with varying line-ups) and gigged throughout the Newcastle area and in London between 2002 and 2003, recording an array of demos (unsubmitted to record companies). Although the band petered out in 2003, a version of Siren also played at a SmithsThe Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
tribute in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in 2006. Wood also took on the role of lead singer in Blue Apple Boy
Sleepy People (British rock band)
Sleepy People was a British psychedelic rock band known for eccentric, energetic songs and live performances, as well as for incubating three of the five future members of short-lived Britpop band, Ultrasound.Sleepy People should not be confused with The Sleepy People or Sleeping People Sleepy...
(featuring his former Sleepy People bandmates) and performed on their debut album Salient (Soma Sound, 2002).
Richard Green settled in Leeds and formed The Somatics, who released two albums. He went on to form The Heavens, for whom he is songwriter, singer and guitarist. Green has also contributed to Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, who released her debut album Corinne Bailey Rae in February 2006....
's 2010 album The Sea (providing guitar for the track "Paper Dolls") and provided solo to Blue Apple Boy's Salient.
Matt Jones went on to form Minuteman. After that he played and performed with many musicians, including Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
front-man Chris Robinson's New Earth Mud, Engineers
Engineers (band)
Engineers are a British shoegazing/dream pop band. The band was formed in London in 2003 by singer/guitarist Simon Phipps, bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Mark Peters, bassist/guitarist Dan MacBean, and drummer Andrew Sweeney...
, Iain Archer
Iain Archer
Iain Denis Archer is a singer–songwriter from Bangor, Northern Ireland, who was once a secondary lyricist for the indie band Snow Patrol. Archer comes from a musical background and released several solo albums in the mid 90s on the small Scottish independent label Sticky Music...
, Beth Rowley
Beth Rowley
-Background:Rowley was born to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England from Peru when Rowley was two years old.-Early career:She was influenced by her family's love for many different musical styles, particularly blues, country, folk, gospel and Latin American music. When aged 16, Rowley...
and Baxter Dury
Baxter Dury
Baxter Dury is an English indie musician, currently signed to Rough Trade Records. He is the son of Ian Dury, and as a five-year-old he appeared on the front cover of Ian's LP New Boots and Panties!!. He left school at the age of fourteen. He has had a 'Record of the Week' in NME with Oscar Brown...
. More recently Matt has played with Jamie T
Jamie T
Jamie Alexander Treays , known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer/songwriter from Wimbledon, South London.-Early life:Jamie Alexander Treays, was born in Wimbledon, South-West London...
. He is currently keyboard player in Beady Eye
Beady Eye
Beady Eye are an English rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of vocalist Liam Gallagher, guitarist Gem Archer and guitarist Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, rounded by drummer and percussionist Chris Sharrock who substituted for Oasis during their last tour in 2008/2009, before Oasis...
. He also wrote the music for the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Thespian X.
Vanessa Best and Andy Peace formed The Sunshine Valley Dance Band with former Spiritualized
Spiritualized
Spiritualized are an English space rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Jason Pierce after the demise of his previous outfit, space-rockers Spacemen 3...
/Slipstream
Slipstream (band)
Slipstream were formed in 1994 after Mark Refoy left Spiritualized. The band consisted of Ian Anderson on guitar, Gary Lennon on bass, Steve Beswick on drums and occasional appearances from Jonny Mattock who had also stopped drumming for Spiritualized later that year...
guitarist Mark Refoy. Best also formed The Soulwinners with Matthew Priest and Andy Miller
Andy Miller (musician)
Andy Miller is the guitarist for the band, Dodgy. In 1996, he had a relationship with Denise Van Outen.- References :...
(both ex-Dodgy), with whom she continues to play. Alongside these projects Best qualified with a PGCE and spent time as the Assistant Director of Music at a comprehensive school in East London. She has now moved into music education management.
Reunion
In early 2010, Ultrasound were invited to reform for a benefit concert raising money for one of their key influences, Tim Smith of CardiacsCardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
(who had suffered a debilitating heart attack and stroke in 2008). In March 2010, the five members of the band reunited at Vanessa Best's home in Shoreditch, London, ending a decade of estrangement. They subsequently agreed not only to play the concert but to reunite and write material for a new album. Ultrasound played a reunion concert at The Lexington in Kings Cross
Kings Cross, London
King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...
, 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...
on 9 September 2010, playing mostly old material with two new tracks. A second concert took place the following night at The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. Further concerts were planned for London in late September, followed by one on 8 October in Bradford.
December 2010 saw the first appearance of new Ultrasound recordings - a cover version of the Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
song "Big Ship" which was included on Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute to Tim Smith, Songbook 1
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1 is a compilation album featuring cover versions of songs by Tim Smith . It was released on CD on December 13, 2010 on the Believers Roast label...
, a fundraising compilation album to further benefit the hospitalised Tim Smith. In the same month, Matt Jones left the band for a second time (this time amicably), opting to continue as a touring keyboard player for Beady Eye
Beady Eye
Beady Eye are an English rock band formed in 2009. The band consists of vocalist Liam Gallagher, guitarist Gem Archer and guitarist Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, rounded by drummer and percussionist Chris Sharrock who substituted for Oasis during their last tour in 2008/2009, before Oasis...
as well as concentrate on other projects. He was replaced as Ultrasound's keyboard player by Bob Birch. The band later announced plans for their comeback single, 'Welfare State/Sovereign'.
Albums
- Everything PictureEverything PictureEverything Picture was the only album by the English indie rock band Ultrasound. It was released on Nude Records, the label of Suede and Geneva, in April 1999 and reached #23 in the UK albums chart...
(1999)- "Cross My Heart"/"Same Band"/"Stay Young"/"Suckle"/"Fame Thing"/"Happy Times (Are Coming)"//"Aire & Calder"/"Sentimental Song"/"Floodlit World"/"My Impossible Dream"/"Everything Picture"/"Best Wishes" [piano version - hidden track]
Singles
- "Same Band" (1997)
- "Same Band"/"Floodlit World"/"Over There"
- "Best Wishes" (1998)
- "Best Wishes"/"Kurt Russell"/"Black Hole"
- "Stay Young" (1998)
- CD1: "Stay Young"/"Underwater Love Story"/"Can't Say No" CD2: "Stay Young"/"Football Meat"/"Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"Hey Hey, My My " is a rock song by Neil Young. Combined with its acoustic counterpart "My My, Hey Hey ", it bookends Young's successful 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps...
"
- CD1: "Stay Young"/"Underwater Love Story"/"Can't Say No" CD2: "Stay Young"/"Football Meat"/"Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
- "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours" (1998)
- "I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours"/"One Plus One"/"Final Solution"/"Lovesick"
- "Floodlit World" (1998)
- CD1: "Floodlit World"/"Getting BetterGetting Better"Getting Better" is a song written mainly by Paul McCartney, with lyrical contributions from John Lennon . It was recorded by The Beatles for the 1967 album Sgt...
"/"Death of a Drag Racer" CD2: "Floodlit World"/"We Will Find Love" [demo]/"I'll Show You Mine" [video]
- CD1: "Floodlit World"/"Getting Better
- "Aire & Calder" (1999, unreleased)
- "Aire & Calder"/"Goodbye 25"/"Valencia"
EPs
- "Mayflower" (US, 1999)
- "Stay Young"/"Best Wishes"/"Kurt Russell"/"Underwater Love Story"/"Can't Say No"
[This EP was also released in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as "Ultrasound Sing Five Songs for Europe"]