Alfie (band)
Encyclopedia
Alfie were an English
indie rock
band from Manchester
. They were originally signed to Twisted Nerve Records
before moving to EMI
sub-label Regal Zonophone Records
.
)
to be his support act and backing band.
After three vinyl-only EP
releases, they released the album, If You Happy with You Need Do Nothing, a compilation of the latter two of these. In 2002, there followed the first album proper, A Word in Your Ear, and their first US
tour. At this time, they were close to fellow Manchester bands Doves, I Am Kloot
and Elbow
, with whom they shared a rehearsal complex. However, while these bands and labelmate, Badly Drawn Boy, all won or were nominated for the Mercury Prize
, similar recognition eluded Alfie.
producer
Ken Nelson. The album was praised as being 'a great leap forward' and 'a warm record [that is] above the indie quagmire'. Despite the favourable reviews, the album failed to break the UK Top 40.
The fourth album, Crying at Teatime was released in 2005, and heralded in advance by Gorton as full of 'triumphant moments' and a 'bigger sound' than previous albums. Again, reviews were favourable, claiming they had 'finally found the missing piece of their jigsaw'.
However, with no further chart progress made, on 27 October 2005, they announced they were breaking up, with Gorton stating that 'it's hard to keep faith when it feels like no-one's listening'.
who were active between 2006 and 2009. Singer Lee Gorton has not released any new material, but has focused on organising gigs in Manchester and London.
Their song "Indoor League", from the album Do You Imagine Things? was used for an advertisement on Channel 4
for Channel 4 Radio
.
, it looked like we were headlining".
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 rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. They were originally signed to Twisted Nerve Records
Twisted Nerve Records
Twisted Nerve Records is a Manchester, England-based record label. It is most well known for being the home of the singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy, who co-founded the label with Andy Votel.-Musical artists:...
before moving to EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
sub-label Regal Zonophone Records
Regal Zonophone Records
Regal Zonophone Records was a British record label formed in 1932, through a merger of the Regal Records and Zonophone Records labels. This followed the merger of those labels' respective parent companies - the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company - to form EMI.Originally Regal...
.
Twisted Nerve years (1999-2002)
The band signed to the Twisted Nerve label in 1999, and were recruited by label co-founder Damon Gough (aka Badly Drawn BoyBadly Drawn Boy
Damon Gough is an English alternative music singer/songwriter. He was born on 2 October 1969, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He grew up in the Breightmet area of Bolton, Lancashire, England....
)
to be his support act and backing band.
After three vinyl-only 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...
releases, they released the album, If You Happy with You Need Do Nothing, a compilation of the latter two of these. In 2002, there followed the first album proper, A Word in Your Ear, and their first US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour. At this time, they were close to fellow Manchester bands Doves, I Am Kloot
I Am Kloot
I Am Kloot are an English band formed in Manchester, in 1999 by John Bramwell , Peter Jobson and Andy Hargreaves .-History:...
and Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, with whom they shared a rehearsal complex. However, while these bands and labelmate, Badly Drawn Boy, all won or were nominated for the Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
, similar recognition eluded Alfie.
Parlophone years (2002-2005)
Later in 2002, the band signed to Parlophone, for whom they recorded third album, Do You Imagine Things? with ColdplayColdplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
producer
Ken Nelson. The album was praised as being 'a great leap forward' and 'a warm record [that is] above the indie quagmire'. Despite the favourable reviews, the album failed to break the UK Top 40.
The fourth album, Crying at Teatime was released in 2005, and heralded in advance by Gorton as full of 'triumphant moments' and a 'bigger sound' than previous albums. Again, reviews were favourable, claiming they had 'finally found the missing piece of their jigsaw'.
However, with no further chart progress made, on 27 October 2005, they announced they were breaking up, with Gorton stating that 'it's hard to keep faith when it feels like no-one's listening'.
Post break-up
After the band split up, guitar Ian Smith and bassist Sam Morris played in The Beep SealsThe Beep Seals
The Beep Seals were an English psychedelic indie rock band from Manchester.-Career:The Beep Seals were formed in 2006 by Alfie guitarist Ian Smith, Jack Cooper, Phil Anderson and Milo Scaglioni. They began working on demos after touring with Jim Noir in support of his Tower of Love album as his...
who were active between 2006 and 2009. Singer Lee Gorton has not released any new material, but has focused on organising gigs in Manchester and London.
Their song "Indoor League", from the album Do You Imagine Things? was used for an advertisement on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
for Channel 4 Radio
Channel 4 Radio
Channel 4 Radio was a radio brand launched by Channel 4 in January 2007. On October 11, 2008 the closure was announced. It incorporated Oneword, in which Channel 4 purchased a 51% share in 2005, although it relinquished this share to co-owner UBS Media in January 2008.Listeners were required to...
.
Origin of name
According to Gorton, the name Alfie "was just plucked out of the air" but being one of the first bands alphabetically had helped them. For example, when "we played All Tomorrow's PartiesAll Tomorrow's Parties
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by The Velvet UndergroundAll Tomorrow's Parties may also refer to:* All Tomorrow's Parties , an annual festival in England...
, it looked like we were headlining".
Band members
- Lee Gorton (vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) - Ian Smith (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Matt McGeever (guitar, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
) - Sam Morris (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, french horn) - Sean Kelly (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
)
Singles and EPs
- "Alfie" (EP) (2000)
- "Bookends" (EP) (2000)
- "Montevideo" (EP) (2000)
- "You Make No Bones" (2001) - #61 UKUK Singles ChartThe 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 ...
- "Zoom" (limited to 300 copies) (2001)
- "A Word In Your Ear" (2002) - #66 UK
- "People" (2003) - #53 UK
- "Stuntman" (2003) - #56 UK
- "No Need" (2004) - #66 UK
- "Your Own Religion" (2005) - #61 UK
Albums
- If You Happy with You Need Do Nothing (March 2001) - #62 UKUK Albums ChartThe 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...
- A Word in Your Ear (March 2002)
- Do You Imagine Things? (September 2003)
- Crying at Teatime (August 2005)