General Fiasco
Encyclopedia
General Fiasco are an indie rock
group from Bellaghy
, Northern Ireland
. Since their formation in 2007, they have toured with Fighting With Wire
, The Wombats
, One Night Only
, The Pigeon Detectives
, The Enemy
, Jet
and Kids In Glass Houses
. They released their debut album, Buildings
, on 22 March 2010.
, which achieved moderate success including winning the ATL Rockschool competition on BBC Northern Ireland
. Owen put off university in 2006 and dedicated a year to becoming a successful rock artist. He roped in his brother Enda on lead guitar, Stephen Leacock on rhythm guitar, who had been a live guitarist for The Tides towards the final months of the band, and Shane Davey on drums. Shane Davey then left the band to move to America. Leacock had filled in for him until they found a new one but it never changed. Their first gig as a three-piece was at Glasgowbury 2007, Northern Ireland’s biggest unsigned music festival.
In an interview, Owen explained how they got the name General Fiasco: "There were loads of names going about. Someone came up with General Music which no one really liked and I came up with Marley Jedrejak Fiasco, there was someone in my class at school called Jedrejak, I think they were Australian, I just thought it was a really cool name. My mum suggested that we stuck the two together."
that summer. NME
included them as one of "the ten hopes for the near future." Since then they have been part of the BBC Introducing line-up at the Electric Proms in October 2008. The band started to receive plays from Zane Lowe
, Steve Lamacq
, Colin Murray
, Huw Stephens
, John Kennedy, Rigsy
on Across The Line, Jenny Huston
and Sara Cox
and was playlisted at Xfm
. They were later invited to perform an acoustic set at Jo Whiley
's prestigious Little Noise Sessions
. BBC's Across The Line said of the band, "These boys are going places, mark our words. We've watched them grow up and, like a proud uncle, we're gonna show off their brilliance to you until you agree with us." The band completed three tours in late 2009 including a UK headline tour as well as main support to both The Enemy and The Answer.
was released on 22 March 2010. The album received mixed reviews. The band played at SXSW in Texas. They played at T in the Park 2010
, played in 2010 at the Glastonbury Festival
, Leeds and Reading Festivals
, the Pinkpop Festival and London Calling
, and embarked on a tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2010, with additional guitarist Stuart Bell, former guitarist of fellow Irish band Panama Kings. General Fiasco also supported Snow Patrol
on their Homecoming Ward Park date on 5 June 2010 which made Northern Irish history attracting 45,000 fans.
The band have started work on their second album but, despite rumours, they have not started recording. They played new songs on their October 2010 tour of UK and Ireland and also played a new song "Hollows" on a show called Other Voices on RTE
which aired on 9 March 2011. On 31 May, it was officially announced on Cool FM
that Stuart Bell is now an official member.
The band are set to release a new single in late 2011, with a tour to coincide.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group from Bellaghy
Bellaghy
Bellaghy , is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north of Magherafelt. At the centre of the village lies the junction of three main roads leading to Magherafelt, Portglenone and Toome. It had a population of 1,063 people in the...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Since their formation in 2007, they have toured with Fighting With Wire
Fighting with Wire
Fighting with Wire are an alternative heavy rock and punk band hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland. They have toured with Biffy Clyro, Million Dead, Reuben, Twin Atlantic, yourcodenameis:milo, Kerbdog, Helmet, You Me At Six, Nomeansno, InMe, Brigade, Against Me! and Seafood...
, The Wombats
The Wombats
The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...
, One Night Only
One Night Only
One Night Only may refer to:In music:* One Night Only * One Night Only * One Night Only: Live, an album by Black 'N Blue* Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits, a live album...
, The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. They have been championed by such well known DJs as Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they were tagged "the band most likely to leap to...
, The Enemy
The Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
, Jet
Jet (band)
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
and Kids In Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, and are considered a significant part of the Cardiff music scene. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles...
. They released their debut album, Buildings
Buildings (album)
Buildings is the debut album by Northern Ireland trio General Fiasco, and which was released on 22 March 2010. The band launched the album at Belfast City Hall on the night of 21 March...
, on 22 March 2010.
Formation (2006-2007)
At the age of eighteen Owen Strathern had been playing bass with The TidesThe Tides (band)
The Tides were an Indie rock band best known as the predecessor to Northern Irish band General Fiasco. The band was formed in 2002 by Owen Srathern, who was to become General Fiasco's lead singer and bassist. The group included Paul McMillan as singer and guitarist, and Paul Quinn on drums...
, which achieved moderate success including winning the ATL Rockschool competition on BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland
BBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
. Owen put off university in 2006 and dedicated a year to becoming a successful rock artist. He roped in his brother Enda on lead guitar, Stephen Leacock on rhythm guitar, who had been a live guitarist for The Tides towards the final months of the band, and Shane Davey on drums. Shane Davey then left the band to move to America. Leacock had filled in for him until they found a new one but it never changed. Their first gig as a three-piece was at Glasgowbury 2007, Northern Ireland’s biggest unsigned music festival.
In an interview, Owen explained how they got the name General Fiasco: "There were loads of names going about. Someone came up with General Music which no one really liked and I came up with Marley Jedrejak Fiasco, there was someone in my class at school called Jedrejak, I think they were Australian, I just thought it was a really cool name. My mum suggested that we stuck the two together."
Recording and more gigs (2007-2010)
In between touring and gigs the band were constantly recording. A demo in the summer of 2008 landed them a spot on the BBC Introducing Stage at that year’s Reading & Leeds festival. Their first single, "Rebel Get By," was released in November 2008 and their second single, "Something Sometime," became Zane Lowe's "Hottest Record In The World". They signed to Infectious RecordsInfectious Records
Infectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
that summer. 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...
included them as one of "the ten hopes for the near future." Since then they have been part of the BBC Introducing line-up at the Electric Proms in October 2008. The band started to receive plays from Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
, 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...
, Colin Murray
Colin Murray
Colin Murray is a Northern Irish sports and music radio and television presenter. He is the current host of the BBC Television show Match of the Day 2 on BBC Two, and the BBC Radio 5 Live shows 5 Live Sport and Fighting Talk, as well as a show on BBC Radio Ulster. He has previously hosted regular...
, Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens is a radio presenter currently broadcasting shows on BBC Radio 1.-Early life and career:Stephens was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of the author and literary journalist Meic Stephens...
, John Kennedy, Rigsy
Rigsy
Rigsy , real name David O'Reilly, is an award-winning presenter from Newcastle, Northern Ireland, currently living in East Belfast. He is a graduate of Queens University, Belfast....
on Across The Line, Jenny Huston
Jenny Huston
Jenny Huston is a Canadian presenter of radio and television in Ireland. She is disc jockey on RTÉ 2fm, an occasional presenter on RTÉ Radio 1 and a television presenter with channels operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann.; Huston presents an indie rock and pop music show on Friday nights and a rock...
and Sara Cox
Sara Cox
Sara Cox , known as "Coxy", is an English TV presenter and radio DJ, most well known for presenting the breakfast show on BBC Radio 1 between 2000 and 2003...
and was playlisted at Xfm
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
. They were later invited to perform an acoustic set at Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
's prestigious Little Noise Sessions
Little Noise Sessions
The Little Noise Sessions is a series of acoustic charity concerts held annually at the Union Chapel, London, England in November, although one was held in Exeter in December 2009. The proceeds of ticket sales are donated to the charity, Mencap...
. BBC's Across The Line said of the band, "These boys are going places, mark our words. We've watched them grow up and, like a proud uncle, we're gonna show off their brilliance to you until you agree with us." The band completed three tours in late 2009 including a UK headline tour as well as main support to both The Enemy and The Answer.
Buildings & new member (2010-present)
Their debut album BuildingsBuildings (album)
Buildings is the debut album by Northern Ireland trio General Fiasco, and which was released on 22 March 2010. The band launched the album at Belfast City Hall on the night of 21 March...
was released on 22 March 2010. The album received mixed reviews. The band played at SXSW in Texas. They played at T in the Park 2010
T in the Park 2010
T in the Park 2010 was a music festival that took place in Balado, Scotland from 8–11 July 2010. It was the seventeenth event to take place. The festival was headlined by Kasabian, Muse and Eminem. Tickets for the event sold out on 26 February 2010.-Tickets:...
, played in 2010 at the Glastonbury Festival
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...
, Leeds and Reading Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, the Pinkpop Festival and London Calling
London Calling (festival)
London Calling is a music festival held twice a year in Paradiso, Amsterdam and focuses on the latest trends and bands in music, with the main focus on the UK. Since the festival started in 1992 it has been acknowledged as the main showcase festival of the Netherlands for British music and is...
, and embarked on a tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2010, with additional guitarist Stuart Bell, former guitarist of fellow Irish band Panama Kings. General Fiasco also supported Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
on their Homecoming Ward Park date on 5 June 2010 which made Northern Irish history attracting 45,000 fans.
The band have started work on their second album but, despite rumours, they have not started recording. They played new songs on their October 2010 tour of UK and Ireland and also played a new song "Hollows" on a show called Other Voices on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
which aired on 9 March 2011. On 31 May, it was officially announced on Cool FM
Cool FM
97.4 Cool FM is a commercial radio station, based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, owned and operated by Bauer Radio and part of the Big City Network. The station began broadcasting in 1990 when its parent station Downtown Radio ceased simulcasting and split its AM and FM frequencies into two...
that Stuart Bell is now an official member.
The band are set to release a new single in late 2011, with a tour to coincide.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
NZL |
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... |
|||
| Buildings Buildings (album) Buildings is the debut album by Northern Ireland trio General Fiasco, and which was released on 22 March 2010. The band launched the album at Belfast City Hall on the night of 21 March... |
|
— | 37 | 77 | |
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRL Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
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 ... |
UK Indie UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
|||
| "Rebel Get By" | 2008 | — | — | — | Buildings Buildings (album) Buildings is the debut album by Northern Ireland trio General Fiasco, and which was released on 22 March 2010. The band launched the album at Belfast City Hall on the night of 21 March... |
| "Something Sometime" | 2009 | — | — | 2 | |
| "We Are the Foolish" | 2009 | — | — | — | |
| "Ever So Shy Ever So Shy -External links:**... " |
2010 | — | 87 | 5 | |
| "I'm Not Made Of Eyes I'm Not Made of Eyes "I'm Not Made of Eyes" is a song by Northern Irish rock group General Fiasco and is the third single to be released through Infectious Records. It was released as a digital download through iTunes on 23 May 2010. The single version of the song is different from the album's, as it is the Gil Norton... " |
2010 | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||
EPs
- iTunes Live: London Festival '09ITunes Live: London Festival '09 (General Fiasco EP)Live at iTunes Festival '09, is a live EP by the Northern Irish trio, General Fiasco. It is their first EP and was recorded during their performance at the iTunes Festival at The Roundhouse in London in 2009.-Reviews:...
- Ever So Shy
- Waves EP
Members
- Owen Strathern – Bass and 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...
- Enda Strathern – GuitarGuitarThe 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...
and backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Stephen Leacock – Drums and percussion
- Stuart Bell – Guitar and percussion