Dinosaur Pile-Up
Encyclopedia
Dinosaur Pile-Up are an English alternative rock
band hailing from Leeds
, West Yorkshire
composing of lead singer and guitarist Matt Bigland, with bassist Harry Johns and drummer Mike Sheils. Matt Bigland was originally with Mother Vulpine
and former members include bassist Tom Dunford and drummer Steve Wilson. They are signed to Friends Vs Records and released their first album Growing Pains in October 2010.
split up back in 2007 (however Matt had been creating songs used for Dinosaur Pile-Up whilst he was in Mother Vulpine
). Matt recorded a Demo tape consisting of 3 songs; 'My Rock 'n' Roll', 'Love Is A Boat And We're Sinking' and 'I Get My Direction' and a short time later, recruited Tom Dunford on Bass and Steve Wilson on Drums to finish the line up.
Matt Bigland has said he thought of the name 'Dinosaur Pile-Up' after watching the 2005 film King Kong
. Matt Bigland has said in an interview; "I watched the remake of King Kong. Which was pretty bad! It was ages ago, before this band, or even the idea of this band ever existed. Anyway, there was this part in it where this stampede of dinosaurs, the front one is shot in the leg or something, and it trips up, and then all these huge dinosaurs trip up, roll down this hill, and it just ends up in this massive pile up, and everything in between them survives. I thought it was ridiculous, and as a joke I said, I have to start a band called Dinosaur Pile-Up."
They then released 2 EP's in 2009; the 'Traynor 7"' and 'The Most Powerful EP In The Universe'. Also in 2009, they played on the BBC Introducing Stage at Leeds Festival and were invited on tour with Alt Rock group The Pixies. Then in 2010. Tom Dunford and Steve Wilson left the band. Steve Wilson joined the band Japanese Voyeurs
(whom Dinosaur Pile-Up would later tour with), and Tom Dunford joined a punk rock
band called 'Fake Death'. This meant that Matt would have to bring in new members Harry Johns (formerly of Old Romantic Killer Band) on Bass and Backing Vocals and Mike Sheils on Drums. Their debut album 'Growing Pains' was released in October 2010.
, Turbowolf
and Twin Atlantic
. By August 2011 the band had finished their tour and are set to record their follow up album due to be released at the end of December 2011 or beginning of 2012.
In November 2011. Matt Bigland posted on the Dinosaur Pile-Up website that Harry Johns has left the band to concentrate on his solo project and that 2 people known as 'Alessio, and Scott' were filling in on bass and second guitar.
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 hailing from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
composing of lead singer and guitarist Matt Bigland, with bassist Harry Johns and drummer Mike Sheils. Matt Bigland was originally with Mother Vulpine
Mother Vulpine
Mother Vulpine were a four piece alternative rock band from Leeds, England. They formed in early 2006 and split unofficially sometime in late 2007. They were notable for their distinctive sound which quickly gained a lot of interest in the band, with its combination of Q.O.T.S.A...
and former members include bassist Tom Dunford and drummer Steve Wilson. They are signed to Friends Vs Records and released their first album Growing Pains in October 2010.
Formation and Early Years
Dinosaur Pile-Up formed after Matt Bigland's (Lead Singer and Guitarist) old band Mother VulpineMother Vulpine
Mother Vulpine were a four piece alternative rock band from Leeds, England. They formed in early 2006 and split unofficially sometime in late 2007. They were notable for their distinctive sound which quickly gained a lot of interest in the band, with its combination of Q.O.T.S.A...
split up back in 2007 (however Matt had been creating songs used for Dinosaur Pile-Up whilst he was in Mother Vulpine
Mother Vulpine
Mother Vulpine were a four piece alternative rock band from Leeds, England. They formed in early 2006 and split unofficially sometime in late 2007. They were notable for their distinctive sound which quickly gained a lot of interest in the band, with its combination of Q.O.T.S.A...
). Matt recorded a Demo tape consisting of 3 songs; 'My Rock 'n' Roll', 'Love Is A Boat And We're Sinking' and 'I Get My Direction' and a short time later, recruited Tom Dunford on Bass and Steve Wilson on Drums to finish the line up.
Matt Bigland has said he thought of the name 'Dinosaur Pile-Up' after watching the 2005 film King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
. Matt Bigland has said in an interview; "I watched the remake of King Kong. Which was pretty bad! It was ages ago, before this band, or even the idea of this band ever existed. Anyway, there was this part in it where this stampede of dinosaurs, the front one is shot in the leg or something, and it trips up, and then all these huge dinosaurs trip up, roll down this hill, and it just ends up in this massive pile up, and everything in between them survives. I thought it was ridiculous, and as a joke I said, I have to start a band called Dinosaur Pile-Up."
They then released 2 EP's in 2009; the 'Traynor 7"' and 'The Most Powerful EP In The Universe'. Also in 2009, they played on the BBC Introducing Stage at Leeds Festival and were invited on tour with Alt Rock group The Pixies. Then in 2010. Tom Dunford and Steve Wilson left the band. Steve Wilson joined the band Japanese Voyeurs
Japanese Voyeurs
Japanese Voyeurs is a British alternative metal band from London, England, formed in 2007. The line up is: Romily Alice, Johnny Seymour, Tom Lamb, Rikki Waldron and Steve Wilson....
(whom Dinosaur Pile-Up would later tour with), and Tom Dunford joined a 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...
band called 'Fake Death'. This meant that Matt would have to bring in new members Harry Johns (formerly of Old Romantic Killer Band) on Bass and Backing Vocals and Mike Sheils on Drums. Their debut album 'Growing Pains' was released in October 2010.
Growing Pains and Future Plans
The recording of Growing Pains took place between late 2009 and early 2010. Growing Pains was recorded solely by Matt Bigland playing all the parts on the album in a home studio. After the release of Growing Pains in October 2010 Dinosaur Pile-Up Began a full UK tour. Also playing in the rock exposure tour and various dates across Mexico, as well as supporting slots with bands such as Cage The ElephantCage the Elephant
Cage the Elephant is an American rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, that formed in mid-2006. Since their formation, the band has gained a large following in the US as well as the UK and Canada for their sound and their high-energy live performances. The band released their self-titled debut...
, Turbowolf
Turbowolf
Turbowolf is a rock band founded in Bristol, UK whose members include Chris Georgiadis , Andy Ghosh , Joe Baker & Blake Davies...
and Twin Atlantic
Twin Atlantic
Twin Atlantic are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band is composed of Sam McTrusty , Barry McKenna , Ross McNae and Craig Kneale ....
. By August 2011 the band had finished their tour and are set to record their follow up album due to be released at the end of December 2011 or beginning of 2012.
In November 2011. Matt Bigland posted on the Dinosaur Pile-Up website that Harry Johns has left the band to concentrate on his solo project and that 2 people known as 'Alessio, and Scott' were filling in on bass and second guitar.
Studio Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK 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... |
|||
| 2010 | Growing Pains
|
108 | |
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released. | |||
Extended Plays
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Traynor 7"
|
| 2009 | The Most Powerful EP In The Universe!
Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , Vinyl Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... , Digital Download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK 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 ... |
|||
| 2009 | "Traynor" | – | Growing Pains |
| 2010 | "Birds & Planes" | – | |
| "Mona Lisa" | – | ||
| "My Rock N Roll" | – | ||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released. | |||