History

Formed in Liverpool

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...

 by Alex Eckford, Brychan Todd and Graeme Elston, Astronaut moved to 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...

 in late 1996, where they recruited their drummer, David Masterman.

The band recorded two demos

Demo (music)

A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

, before winning the 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...

s Best Unsigned Band award in January 1998. Fierce Panda boss Simon Williams offered to release "What You Gonna Do?" as a single

Single (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...

 that summer. The single was supported by a handful of gigs in the capital, plus an NME On piece, which called the band's debut single 'a work of genius'.

1998 also saw the band play 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...

's In The City showcase, along with Muse

Muse (band)

Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...

, Coldplay

Coldplay

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...

 and Badly Drawn Boy

Badly 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....

. A compilation of Astronaut's first two singles and 1998 Peel Session was released at the end of 1999 as the mini-album Preview, described by 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...

 as 'a magical debut'.

In April 2000, Astronaut played as part of 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...

's One Live In London season, supporting The Charlatans and Mint Royale

Mint Royale

Mint Royale is a big beat electronic music act from Manchester, England. They were originally founded by the duo Neil Claxton and Chris Baker in 1997; the latter left the band in 2004, but Claxton continues to produce music using the Mint Royale name.-Career:...

 at the Shepherds Bush Empire

Shepherds Bush Empire

The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...

. August 2001 saw the release of the band's first full-length 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...

, The Curse Of, which included the single "Three". The band also played at Camden Dingwalls

Dingwalls

Dingwalls is a venue adjacent to Camden Lock in London, England. It houses bars, cafes, clubs . The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, T.E...

 in January 2002, as part of Fierce Panda's Pandamonium 3, supported by Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....

 and Simple Kid

Simple Kid

Simple Kid, real-name Ciaran McFeely, is an Irish-born solo musical artist. In early 2011 it was announced on the official website that there will be no further music or tours by Simple Kid.-History:...

.

Astronaut's last gig was at The Borderline in central London on 14 June 2007.

Discography

• "What You Gonna Do?" (7" Single) (Fierce Panda NING56) (Released 3 August 1998)
• "Stone Cold Sober" (7" & CD Single) (Fierce Panda NING77) (Released 20 September 1999)
• Preview (CD & 10" Mini-Album) (Fierce Panda NONG09) (Released 11 October 1999)
• "Just Can't Take It" (7" & CD Single) (Fierce Panda NING88) (Released 13 March 2000)
• "Three" (CD Single) (Fierce Panda NING105) (Released 3 September 2001)
• The Curse Of (CD) (Fierce Panda NONG18) (Released 27 August 2001)

Compilations featuring Astronaut:

• The Dead Cheap Fierce Panda Sampler (CD) (Fierce Panda NONG16CD) also featuring Coldplay
  Coldplay
  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...
  
  , Seafood
  Seafood (band)
  Seafood were a UK band formed in London around 1996.The line-up included chief songwriter David Line , Caroline Banks and Kevin Penney who joined the band following the departure of founder-member Charles MacLeod...
  
   and Hundred Reasons
  Hundred Reasons
  Hundred Reasons are an English rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire, composed of Colin Doran , Larry Hibbitt , Andy Gilmour , Andy Bews and Ben Doyle . Originally, the band was signed to Columbia Records in mid April 2001, after fourteen months of near-constant touring...
  
  
• Live The Dream (CD) (Fierce Panda NONG25CD) also featuring Death Cab for Cutie
  Death Cab for Cutie
  Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
  
  , Seafood, The Music and Easyworld
  Easyworld
  Easyworld were a British indie alternative rock/pop band hailing from Eastbourne, consisting of David Ford on vocals, Jo Taylor on bass and Glenn Hooper on drums, active between 2001 and 2004...