Crest (band)
Encyclopedia
Crest were a noise pop
band operating from Norwich
in the United Kingdom
in the late nineties. They consisted of core members Matt Leuw vocals
/guitar
, Ben Whittaker bass
, James Leuw keyboard
and Tim Early drums
, later replaced by Dan Pritchard drums
, but were often augmented by a variety of different musicians.
Formed from the ashes of Mahogany, they released several singles through the Norwich
based Noisebox Records
label and one single for Love Train records, frequently garnering positive press in the NME
and Melody Maker
, and several radio plays, mostly from John Peel
and Steve Lamacq
.
The band split up in 1999, reformed in Brighton with a different line-up including Bob Brown (now of Shrag
) and Nick Hills (now of Coin-op), but after several false starts called it a day in 2001. Most of the original line-up reformed in 2006 for a one-off show with fellow former Noisebox Records artists Navigator. Matt Leuw joined Coin-op in 2001 but left them in 2003 and formed Cortez
at the end of the same year, and in 2007 formed both The Matthew Project and 2 Hot 2 Sweat.
Noise pop
Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative rock developed in the mid 1980s in the UK and US, that mixes atonal noise or feedback, or both, with the melodic instrumentation and production elements more often found in pop music, making it more melodic and angst-free than noise rock.-History:Noise pop has...
band operating from Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late nineties. They consisted of core members Matt Leuw vocals
Singing
Singing 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...
/guitar
Guitar
The 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...
, Ben Whittaker bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, James Leuw keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A 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...
and Tim Early drums
Drum kit
A 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 ....
, later replaced by Dan Pritchard drums
Drum kit
A 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 ....
, but were often augmented by a variety of different musicians.
Formed from the ashes of Mahogany, they released several singles through the Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
based Noisebox Records
Noisebox Records
Noisebox Records was a record label based in Norwich in the early and mid 1990s run by Pete Morgan. The label released over 50 albums and singles from acts such as The Lemongrowers , Navigator, Waddle, Farrah, The Joeys, Steerpike, Magoo , UXB and Crest, as well as organising gigs locally and...
label and one single for Love Train records, frequently garnering positive press in 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...
and 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...
, and several radio plays, mostly from 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...
and Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
.
The band split up in 1999, reformed in Brighton with a different line-up including Bob Brown (now of Shrag
Shrag (band)
Shrag are a post-punk-influenced indiepop band based in London and Brighton. To date the band have released two albums, six singles and two download singles on the Where It's At Is Where You Are label.- Formation and early years :...
) and Nick Hills (now of Coin-op), but after several false starts called it a day in 2001. Most of the original line-up reformed in 2006 for a one-off show with fellow former Noisebox Records artists Navigator. Matt Leuw joined Coin-op in 2001 but left them in 2003 and formed Cortez
Cortez
-People:* Antawn Cortez Jamison , Professional NBA power forward* Dave "Baby" Cortez , American pop music and R&B musician* Gregorio Cortez , Mexican folk hero* Hernán Cortés , Spanish conquistador...
at the end of the same year, and in 2007 formed both The Matthew Project and 2 Hot 2 Sweat.
Singles
- "Low Staff Morale" / "Patio Life Event" Split single with English Electric (Noisebox Records, 1997)
- "68 Comeback" (Noisebox Records, 1998)
- "Megatron" (Love Train Records, 1998)
- "Summertime" (Noisebox Records, 1998)
- "68 Comeback (Brighton Crawl EP)" Split single with Bette Davis & The Balconettes, Mellow and Gilded Lil (Melting Vinyl, 1998)
- "The Small Details" (Noisebox Records, 1999)