Dum Dums (band)
Encyclopedia
The Dum Dums were a British
guitar
-pop
band
. London
based, they split up in August 2001. The band members were Josh Doyle
- vocals and guitar, Steve Clarke - bass and vocals, Stuart 'Baxter' Wilkinson - drums and vocals.
ging in small venues and songwriting
. They signed a management contract with Modernwood Management, and then signed to Wildstar Records in March 1999. In the same month they went on their first UK
tour, supporting fellow Modernwood artist
, Nik Kershaw
. A more extensive tour in September, supporting My Life Story
, followed. It was on this tour that the band began to build up their fanbase, selling a two-track CD
known as "The Blue CD" that contained the tracks "Everything" and "Until My Ship Comes In".
Dum Dums' debut single
, "Everything", produced
by Steve Power was released on 28 February 2000. Accompanied by a video
and A-listing on British
radio station
s, including BBC Radio 1
, it reached 21 in the UK Singles Chart
.
The second single, "Can't Get You Out Of My Thoughts" was released on 26 June 2000 and reached number 18 in the UK chart
.
On 18 September 2000, their debut album
, It Goes Without Saying
, again produced by Power, was released in the UK. It received favourable reviews from the music press
, with the band being compared to Green Day
, The Police
, Blink 182, Elvis Costello
and The Jam
. The album comprised eleven listed tracks and an unlisted bonus track, revealed as "Setting Sail" in the liner notes
. "Setting Sail" is frequently regarded by fans
as one of the band's greatest songs.
A third single, "You Do Something To Me" was released a week prior to the album, and this reached number 27. The music video for this song, inspired by Queen
's "I Want to Break Free
" promo, featured Doyle and Wilkinson in drag
. The song was used as the theme tune to the CBBC
show Xchange, and they performed the song on the last episode of the series.
They supported Bon Jovi
at Wembley Stadium and also performed at Glastonbury
, T In The Park
, V2000 and several roadshows and outdoor gigs organised by local radio stations. In October they played 22 shows at arenas around the country supporting Robbie Williams
. The year ended with another headline tour, with a final gig at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on 19 December.
There was also TV exposure on shows such as The Big Breakfast
, CD:UK
, and The Pepsi Chart
. Doyle also appeared as a panellist on the BBC Two
quiz show, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
.
The final single from their debut album, "Army Of Two" was released on 5 February 2001. It reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart; exactly matching the chart placings of both "You Do Something To Me" and It Goes Without Saying. There were three acoustic performances at Tower Records
in London
, Birmingham
and Southampton
to promote the release. UK gigs in 2001 mainly consisted of appearances at University Summer Balls. The band also travelled to Germany
and Japan
for tours with Wheatus
and The PeteBest. They entered the Japan
ese Top 20 with "Everything".
The band went into the studio
on three occasions in 2001, recording demo
versions of the songs that would eventually comprise their second album. A session in February resulted in five new tracks being laid down, including "Photographs", which was played many times on tour in 2000. Another session in April saw ten tracks recorded
, and a final session in June, just prior to their Japanese tour, yielded another four tracks.
Disillusioned with their record label
's lack of faith in the new material, Doyle felt that the band had achieved what they had set out to do, and that he had taken the band in its current formation as far as it could go. By mutual agreement the band decided to break up, and announced via their website
that their last concert
would be at the Greenbelt Festival
in August 2001. The set at the last gig included a new song that had been demoed, called "Travelling At Speed".
Josh Doyle
is now a US-based singer-songwriter and has self released two EP's, whilst Wilkinson & Clarke formed Rogue States with Clarke's younger brother Michael. The three had previously released an album together under the name of Clarkesville
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...
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...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. 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...
based, they split up in August 2001. The band members were Josh Doyle
Josh Doyle
Josh Doyle is a British-American songwriter and musician who was the lead singer and guitarist for British punk-pop band Dum Dums. He disappeared after the break-up of Dum Dums in 2001, the band having released one album...
- vocals and guitar, Steve Clarke - bass and vocals, Stuart 'Baxter' Wilkinson - drums and vocals.
Career
Originally formed in 1997, the band spent their early years gigGig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
ging in small venues and songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. They signed a management contract with Modernwood Management, and then signed to Wildstar Records in March 1999. In the same month they went on their first UK
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...
tour, supporting fellow Modernwood artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, Nik Kershaw
Nik Kershaw
Nik Kershaw is an English singer-songwriter. The one time jazz-funk guitarist was a mid-1980s teen idol. His 50 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 beat all other soloists...
. A more extensive tour in September, supporting My Life Story
My Life Story
My Life Story are a British indie pop group who peaked in the mid to late 1990s, when they were regarded as part of the Britpop movement. Fronted by singer/songwriter Jake Shillingford, the group was formed in London around 1991, and inherited their name from an earlier group in which Shillingford...
, followed. It was on this tour that the band began to build up their fanbase, selling a two-track CD
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 ,...
known as "The Blue CD" that contained the tracks "Everything" and "Until My Ship Comes In".
Dum Dums' debut 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...
, "Everything", 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...
by Steve Power was released on 28 February 2000. Accompanied by a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and A-listing on British
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...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s, including 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...
, it reached 21 in 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 ...
.
The second single, "Can't Get You Out Of My Thoughts" was released on 26 June 2000 and reached number 18 in the UK chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
On 18 September 2000, their debut 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...
, It Goes Without Saying
It Goes Without Saying
It Goes Without Saying is the debut, and only, album by the short-lived British band, the Dum Dums. It was released in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2000.-Track listing:# "The Kind Of Day I've Had"# "Everything"# "Caught Me In A Trap"...
, again produced by Power, was released in the UK. It received favourable reviews from the music press
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, with the band being compared to Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Blink 182, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
. The album comprised eleven listed tracks and an unlisted bonus track, revealed as "Setting Sail" in the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
. "Setting Sail" is frequently regarded by fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
as one of the band's greatest songs.
A third single, "You Do Something To Me" was released a week prior to the album, and this reached number 27. The music video for this song, inspired by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "I Want to Break Free
I Want to Break Free
"I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, which was written by its bassist John Deacon. The song was featured on the Queen's 1984 album The Works and distributed as a single on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl records and 3-inch and 5-inch CDs. The song had three versions: album,...
" promo, featured Doyle and Wilkinson in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
. The song was used as the theme tune to the CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
show Xchange, and they performed the song on the last episode of the series.
They supported Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
at Wembley Stadium and also performed at Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, T In The Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
, V2000 and several roadshows and outdoor gigs organised by local radio stations. In October they played 22 shows at arenas around the country supporting Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
. The year ended with another headline tour, with a final gig at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire on 19 December.
There was also TV exposure on shows such as The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast
The Big Breakfast was a British light entertainment television show shown on Channel 4 and S4C each weekday morning from 28 September 1992 until 29 March 2002 during which period 2,482 shows were produced. The Big Breakfast was produced by Planet 24, the production company co-owned by former...
, CD:UK
CD:UK
CD:UK was a British music television programme. Originally run in conjunction with SMTV Live, the programme was first aired on ITV on 29 August 1998 to rival the BBC's Live & Kicking and was the replacement for The Chart Show, which had been airing on the network for nine and a half years.In...
, and The Pepsi Chart
Pepsi Chart (UK)
The Pepsi Chart was a networked Sunday afternoon Top 40 countdown on UK radio that started life on 1st August 1993 with Neil 'Doctor' Fox hosting the show live from the Capital Radio studios in London...
. Doyle also appeared as a panellist on the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
quiz show, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
.
The final single from their debut album, "Army Of Two" was released on 5 February 2001. It reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart; exactly matching the chart placings of both "You Do Something To Me" and It Goes Without Saying. There were three acoustic performances at Tower Records
Tower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
in 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...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to promote the release. UK gigs in 2001 mainly consisted of appearances at University Summer Balls. The band also travelled to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for tours with Wheatus
Wheatus
Wheatus are an American rock group from Northport, New York. They are known for their 2000 single "Teenage Dirtbag" which was featured in the movie Loser, as well as in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill.-1995-2002: Formation and Wheatus:...
and The PeteBest. They entered the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Top 20 with "Everything".
The band went into the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
on three occasions in 2001, recording demo
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...
versions of the songs that would eventually comprise their second album. A session in February resulted in five new tracks being laid down, including "Photographs", which was played many times on tour in 2000. Another session in April saw ten tracks recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, and a final session in June, just prior to their Japanese tour, yielded another four tracks.
Disillusioned with their record 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,...
's lack of faith in the new material, Doyle felt that the band had achieved what they had set out to do, and that he had taken the band in its current formation as far as it could go. By mutual agreement the band decided to break up, and announced via their website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that their last concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
would be at the Greenbelt Festival
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
in August 2001. The set at the last gig included a new song that had been demoed, called "Travelling At Speed".
Josh Doyle
Josh Doyle
Josh Doyle is a British-American songwriter and musician who was the lead singer and guitarist for British punk-pop band Dum Dums. He disappeared after the break-up of Dum Dums in 2001, the band having released one album...
is now a US-based singer-songwriter and has self released two EP's, whilst Wilkinson & Clarke formed Rogue States with Clarke's younger brother Michael. The three had previously released an album together under the name of Clarkesville
Singles
- 2000 - "EverythingEverything (Dum Dums Single)"Everything" is a song by Dum Dums, released as their debut single in 2000. It was also included on their album It Goes Without Saying.-Track listing:CD1# "Everything" - 2.48# "You Knock Me Off My Feet" - 3.15...
" - 2000 - "Can't Get You Out Of My ThoughtsCan't Get You Out Of My Thoughts (Dum Dums Single)"Can't Get You Out Of My Thoughts" is a song by Dum Dums, released as their 2nd single in 2000. It was also included on their album It Goes Without Saying.-Track listing:CD1# "Can't Get You Out of My Thoughts" - 3:10...
" - 2000 - "You Do Something To MeYou Do Something To Me (Dum Dums Single)"You Do Something To Me" is a song by Dum Dums, released as their 3rd single in 2000. It was also included on their album It Goes Without Saying.-Track listing:CD1# "You Do Something to Me" - 3:47...
" - 2001 - "Army Of TwoArmy Of Two (Dum Dums Single)"Army Of Two" is a song by Dum Dums, released as their 4th single in 2001. It was also included on their album It Goes Without Saying.-Track listing:CD1# "Army of Two " - 3:35# "You Want It You Got It" - 3:52...
"