Brassy were an English

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...

 rock/hip hop band active between 1994 and 2003 featuring American singer Muffin Spencer, younger sister of Jon Spencer (of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...

), as lead vocalist.

History

Spencer had formerly been the lead singer with The Exuberants. She relocated to the UK and formed Brassy in 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...

. Other members of the band were Stefan Gordon (guitar), Karen Frost (bass guitar, vocals), and Jonny Barrington (aka DJ Swett, drums). Influenced by The Smiths

The 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...

, their early material also drew comparisons with Elastica

Elastica

Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...

. Later they incorporated hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 and punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 influences and were compared to Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

, Plasmatics

Plasmatics

The Plasmatics were an American heavy metal and punk band formed by Yale University art school graduate Rod Swenson with Wendy O. Williams. The band was a controversial group known for wild live shows that broke countless taboos...

 and Biz Markie

Biz Markie

Marcel Theo Hall better known by his stage name, Biz Markie, is an American rapper, beatboxer, DJ, comedian, singer, reality television personality, and commercial spokesperson. He is best known for his single "Just a Friend", an American Top 10 hit in 1989...

.

Their earliest material was released on the Costermonger label (home to Gene

Gene (band)

Gene were an English alternative rock quartet that rose to prominence in the mid 1990s. Formed in 1993, they were popularly labelled as a Britpop band and often drew comparisons to The Smiths because of their Morrissey-esque lead singer, Martin Rossiter. Gene's music was influenced by The Jam, The...

). The band found favour with John Peel

John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

 for whom they recorded a radio session in June 1996, with a return visit in May 2000. With financial difficulties affecting Costermonger they moved on to Wiiija

Wiiija

Wiiija was a British independent record label. It was founded in 1988 by staff from the Rough Trade Shop in Notting Hill, London. The name Wiiija is a corruption of W11 1JA, the postcode of the Rough Trade Shop in Talbot Street....

 where they released their debut album Got It Made in 2000. Their 2000 track "Play Some D" was re-released in 2003 after it was used in the 'hellomoto' ad campaign by Motorola

Motorola

Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...

, leading to renewed interest in the band, and the recording of a second album, Gettin Wise. Gettin Wise received a mixed response from critics, and proved to be their final album, with the band members all finding themselves in debt after recording it.

Singles

• "Boss" (1996), Costermonger COST 7
• "Straighten Out" (1996), Costermonger COST 8
• "Sure Thing" (1997), Costermonger COST 10
• Bonus Beats EP (1999), Wiija WIJ 98
• "Good Times" Wiija WIJ 88
• "I Can't Wait" (1999), Wiija WIJ 103
• "Work It Out" (1999), Wiija WIJ 109
• "'Cos We Rock" (2000), Wiija WIJ 121
• Play Some D EP (2000), Wiija WIJ 123
• "Play Some D" (2003), Wiija WIJ 133