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Captain (band)
Encyclopedia
Captain were an alternative rock
band from London, England, who formed in early 2005. Influenced by groups such as The Smashing Pumpkins
, The Beach Boys
, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure
, their music has also been compared by critics to Prefab Sprout
, The Beautiful South
and Deacon Blue
. The band initially signed a recording contract
with At Large Records and released their debut single "Frontline" with that label
in December 2005. Soon after, the group signed to EMI Records
and achieved minor success in 2006 with their singles
"Broke" and "Glorious", which reached numbers 34 and 30 on the UK Singles Chart
respectively. Their Trevor Horn
produced
debut album, This Is Hazelville
, was released on 14 August 2006 and reached number 23 on the UK Albums Chart
.
On 5 May 2008, Captain released "Keep an Open Mind" as the lead single from their forthcoming second album. The single peaked at number 53 on the UK charts and garnered moderately enthusiastic reviews. However, despite having completed the recording of their second album, Distraction, and announced a tentative release date of July 2008 for it, the band were dropped by EMI and the album was shelved.
Captain split up in 2009. Following the demise of the band, singer/guitarist Rik Flynn and drummer Reuben Humphries formed a new band called More Diamonds, while bassist
Alex Yeoman and keyboardist
/singer Clare Szembek went on to form the group Misdirectors. Yeoman and Humphries also played with Fightstar
singer Charlie Simpson
on his solo projects.
The band plan to relaunch in 2012 with a new album.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from London, England, who formed in early 2005. Influenced by groups such as The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, their music has also been compared by critics to Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout are an alternative English pop rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, England who rose to fame during the 1980s. Eight of their albums have reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and one of their singles, "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven in the UK...
, The Beautiful South
The Beautiful South
The Beautiful South were an English alternative rock group formed at the end of the 1980s by two former members of Hull group The Housemartins, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway. The duo were initially joined by Sean Welch , Dave Stead and Dave Rotheray , all of whom stayed with the group throughout...
and Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band formed in Glasgow during 1985. Their name was taken from the title of the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". The band consists of vocalist Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond....
. The band initially signed 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 At Large Records and released their debut single "Frontline" with that 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,...
in December 2005. Soon after, the group signed to EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
and achieved minor success in 2006 with their singles
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...
"Broke" and "Glorious", which reached numbers 34 and 30 on 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 ...
respectively. Their Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
debut album, This Is Hazelville
This Is Hazelville
This Is Hazelville is the debut album of Captain, produced by Trevor Horn.-Track listing:All songs written by Captain# Hazelville # Glorious # Broke # East. West. North...
, was released on 14 August 2006 and reached number 23 on 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...
.
On 5 May 2008, Captain released "Keep an Open Mind" as the lead single from their forthcoming second album. The single peaked at number 53 on the UK charts and garnered moderately enthusiastic reviews. However, despite having completed the recording of their second album, Distraction, and announced a tentative release date of July 2008 for it, the band were dropped by EMI and the album was shelved.
Captain split up in 2009. Following the demise of the band, singer/guitarist Rik Flynn and drummer Reuben Humphries formed a new band called More Diamonds, while bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Alex Yeoman and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
/singer Clare Szembek went on to form the group Misdirectors. Yeoman and Humphries also played with Fightstar
Fightstar
Fightstar are an English alternative rock band from London. They formed in 2003 and their lineup comprises lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and vocalist Alex Westaway, bass guitarist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi...
singer Charlie Simpson
Charlie Simpson
Charles Robert Simpson , is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was the youngest member of multi BRIT Award-winning band Busted, and is the lead vocalist, guitarist and co-lyricist in alternative rock band Fightstar...
on his solo projects.
The band plan to relaunch in 2012 with a new album.
Members
- Rik Flynn - lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Clare Szembek - 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...
, 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...
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Mario Athanasiou - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Alex Yeoman - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Reuben "Reu" Humphries - 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 ....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Albums
- This Is HazelvilleThis Is HazelvilleThis Is Hazelville is the debut album of Captain, produced by Trevor Horn.-Track listing:All songs written by Captain# Hazelville # Glorious # Broke # East. West. North...
(UK #23) - Distraction (unreleased officially, although promo copies do exist)
Singles
- "Frontline" (released on At Large Records)
- "Broke" (UK #34)
- "Glorious" (UK #30)
- "Frontline" (UK #62)
- "Keep an Open Mind" (UK #53)