Lightning Seeds
Encyclopedia
The Lightning Seeds are an English
alternative rock
and pop
band from Liverpool
, England
formed in 1989 by Ian Broudie
(vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the Big in Japan
band.
Originally a studio-based solo project for Broudie, The Lightning Seeds expanded into a touring band following Jollification (1994). The group experienced commercial success throughout the 1990s and are well-known for their single "Three Lions
", a collaboration with David Baddiel
and Frank Skinner
which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996 and 1998.
began recording alone under the name Lightning Seeds and achieved success with the psychedelic
and synthpop
hit "Pure", from the album Cloudcuckooland
, which reached the UK Top 20. The same year "Joy" and "All I Want" were also released but failed to make an impression. "Pure" had some success in the US Billboard
Top 40 reaching #32. Both "Pure" and "All I Want" also reached the Modern Rock Tracks
top 10. In 1991 Broudie returned to song-writing and moved labels from Rough Trade
to Virgin
.
The album Sense (1992) featured the song "The Life of Riley
", written by Broudie for his son, which reached #28 in the UK Singles Chart
and just registered at #98 in the US Billboard Hot 100
. An instrumental version of the song later became better known as the BBC TV theme for the "Goal of the Month" competition. The album Sense would mark Broudie's first Lightning Seeds song-writing collaborations with former Specials
singer Terry Hall
. The album's title track "Sense", co-written with Hall and climbed to #31 in the UK Singles Chart
, however the album only achieved #53.
agreed to sign him. Broudie put other projects on hold and embarked on a touring schedule:
By the end of 1993 Broudie had finished the Jollification (1994) album, which included contributions from Terry Hall
and Simon Rogers as well as Ian McNabb
. A promotional tour began in August 1994 with their lineup consisting of guitarist Paul Hemmings
, drummer Chris Sharrock
, bassist Martyn Campbell
and keyboardist Ali Kane. The tour benefited from the success of the second single from the album "Change", which reached #13 in the UK Singles Charts, becoming Lightning Seeds second UK top twenty hit. The album Jollification became a critical success and the singles taken from this album, "Lucky You", "Marvellous" and "Perfect" made noticeable impact. Mark Farrow
's album cover featured the use of computer graphics
to create an enormous strawberry
and depicting seeds with superimposed human faces.
During this period a number of songs were recorded at Eel Pie Studios
, then owned by Pete Townshend
for the fourth studio album Dizzy Heights
. The single "Ready or Not" was released ahead of the album and reached #20 in the UK Singles chart.
In 1996 The Football Association
commissioned Broudie and Lightning Seeds to write theme music for the Euro '96 football tournament. Broudie agreed on the condition that comedians Frank Skinner
and David Baddiel
, who had presented the late-night television show Fantasy Football League
, wrote the lyrics. The resulting song, "Three Lions
", became the band's first #1 on the UK Singles Chart
and was adopted as a football chant, not only in the UK but also in countries such as Germany, where the single and accompanying video reached #16 in their charts.
During this period the band achieved three more UK Top 20 hits, including a cover version of The Turtles
"You Showed Me", which became one of their biggest hits. Between 1996 and 1997 the band's line-up changed. Chris Sharrock
left to work with World Party
and was replaced by Keith York
& Mat Priest
from Dodgy
. Angie Pollock, who had previously worked with Shakespears Sister
and Terry Hall, replaced Ali Kane on keyboards.
1997 gave the Lightning Seeds international exposure with the song "You Showed Me" included on the Austin Powers Soundtrack. The release of Like You Do...
and a UK promotional tour followed. "What You Say", one of two new songs included with the compilation, was released but failed to register in the top forty. Part way through the tour Zak Starkey
, son of The Beatles
drummer Ringo Starr
, replaced Priest on drums. In 1998, Broudie reworked and recorded an updated version of their hit football anthem for the FIFA World Cup
in France
. "Three Lions '98", reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart and became the first song to top the charts on two separate occasions with different sets of lyrics. In 1998, The Lightning Seeds also performed on the Main Stage at both the Glastonbury Festival
and the V Festival
in the UK.
(1999) was dance-oriented and featured collaborations with Stephen Jones. The single "Life's Too Short" was heralded by BBC Radio 1
DJ Chris Moyles
as "one of the band's strongest singles to date" and rose to #27 in the UK Singles Chart. "Sweetest Soul Sensations" reached #67 and did not attract serious attention.
The Lightning Seeds performed along with Space and Stereophonics
at Cream 2000. In 2002 Broudie confirmed, in the Liverpool Echo
, that The Lightning Seeds were to take a long break after a final show at Liverpool
's L2 venue. In 2002 Italian dance music
producer Alex Farolfi sampled "You Showed Me" for his first solo single "Burnin'", which featured Corinna Joseph.
was released on June 12, 2006, followed by the re-release of "Three Lions", which rose to #9 in the UK Singles Chart. In the summer of 2006 Broudie formed a new Lightning Seeds line-up for indoor shows and festival appearances.
The band released their sixth studio album Four Winds, in 2009 numerous festival dates followed with both Martyn Campbell and Angie Pollock reprising their roles in what was now once again a four piece group, with the position on the drum stool taken by Rob Allum. In a tour that took in numerous dates, including Dockfest (Hartlepool
), Cornbury, Guilfest, Cardiff Big Weekend
(where Angie contracted swine flu
so the band performed for the only time to date as a three piece) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and the V Festival
, they played old and new tracks together to promote the new album. During December 2009 Broudie performed on a short acoustic tour, sharing the shows with James Walsh from Starsailor
. He played along side Angie Pollock on keyboards with Riley Broudie contributing on guitar. In early 2010, a short Lightning Seeds tour was announced. Angie Pollock returned on keyboards, the drummer was Stephen Gilchrist and Didz Hammond played bass, with Riley continuing on guitar.
A string of summer dates followed, taking in dates across the country as far as York's Galtres Festival, Hampton Pool, Wychwood Festival, a gig at the Gloucester Guildhall as an approach to two Glastonbury Festival shows amongst many others. The line up changed again; Riley remained on guitar, Martyn Campbell returned on the Bass, Raife Burchill on drums and James Bagshaw (of The Moons
) on keyboards.
In October 2010 The Lightning Seeds performed in Indonesia at the Jakarta Playground festival, with Rob Allum again replacing Raife on drums and Riley having gone to university. After the band's final headline show of 2010 at Leamington Assembly on 12 November, they supported Squeeze on a 22-date UK tour.
On Friday 8 July, The Lightning Seeds headlined the AmpRocks festival in Ampthill Park. They played at the South Tyneside Summer Festival in South Shields
at the end of July 2011.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
alternative rock
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...
and 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 from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
formed in 1989 by Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
(vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the Big in Japan
Big in Japan
Big in Japan was a punk band that emerged from Liverpool, England in the late 1970s. They are better known for the later successes of their band members than for their own music...
band.
Originally a studio-based solo project for Broudie, The Lightning Seeds expanded into a touring band following Jollification (1994). The group experienced commercial success throughout the 1990s and are well-known for their single "Three Lions
Three Lions
"Three Lions" is a song released in 1996, the official anthem of the England football team for that year's European Championships, held in England...
", a collaboration with David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
and Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996 and 1998.
1989–1993: Formation and early years
In 1989 Ian BroudieIan Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
began recording alone under the name Lightning Seeds and achieved success with the psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
hit "Pure", from the album Cloudcuckooland
Cloudcuckooland (album)
Cloudcuckooland is the debut album by rock group The Lightning Seeds. It was released in 1990."Pure" was the debut UK hit for The Lightning Seeds and the band's only Top 40 hit in the USA.-Release and reception:-Track listing:...
, which reached the UK Top 20. The same year "Joy" and "All I Want" were also released but failed to make an impression. "Pure" had some success in the US Billboard
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
Top 40 reaching #32. Both "Pure" and "All I Want" also reached the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
top 10. In 1991 Broudie returned to song-writing and moved labels from Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
to Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
.
The album Sense (1992) featured the song "The Life of Riley
The Life of Riley (song)
"The Life of Riley" is a pop song by the British band The Lightning Seeds. It was released in 1992 with the album Sense.The song was a minor hit when it was first released in March 1992, reaching number 28 on the UK Singles Chart...
", written by Broudie for his son, which reached #28 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 ...
and just registered at #98 in the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. An instrumental version of the song later became better known as the BBC TV theme for the "Goal of the Month" competition. The album Sense would mark Broudie's first Lightning Seeds song-writing collaborations with former Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
singer Terry Hall
Terry Hall (singer)
Terry Hall is the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and has also collaborated with many artists including David A...
. The album's title track "Sense", co-written with Hall and climbed to #31 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 ...
, however the album only achieved #53.
1994–1998: Touring years and commercial success
Broudie's contract expired with Virgin and EpicEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
agreed to sign him. Broudie put other projects on hold and embarked on a touring schedule:
By the end of 1993 Broudie had finished the Jollification (1994) album, which included contributions from Terry Hall
Terry Hall (singer)
Terry Hall is the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and has also collaborated with many artists including David A...
and Simon Rogers as well as Ian McNabb
Ian McNabb
Robert Ian McNabb is a British singer-songwriter and musician from Liverpool, England. He is known both for his work as leader and songwriter-in-chief of The Icicle Works in the 1980s, and his critically acclaimed solo career throughout from the early 1990s to date...
. A promotional tour began in August 1994 with their lineup consisting of guitarist Paul Hemmings
Paul Hemmings
Paul Hemmings is a Liverpool based musician and photographer. He played with The La's, Mike Badger and The Onset and Ian Broudie and the Lightning Seeds...
, drummer Chris Sharrock
Chris Sharrock
Chris Sharrock is an English drummer from Bebington, Merseyside, England who has a long history of being an official member of many noted British bands, including The Icicle Works, The La's, The Wild Swans, World Party, The Lightning Seeds, The Robbie Williams Band, Oasis, and Beady...
, bassist Martyn Campbell
Martyn Campbell
Martyn Campbell is an English bass guitarist from Liverpool, England. He is best known for his work with Rain, The Lightning Seeds, Richard Ashcroft, Wah! and Terry Hall...
and keyboardist Ali Kane. The tour benefited from the success of the second single from the album "Change", which reached #13 in the UK Singles Charts, becoming Lightning Seeds second UK top twenty hit. The album Jollification became a critical success and the singles taken from this album, "Lucky You", "Marvellous" and "Perfect" made noticeable impact. Mark Farrow
Mark Farrow
Mark Farrow was named Designer of the Year in the Creative Review Peer Poll in 2004, voting him ‘the most important graphic designer working today’. His career began in the early 1980s designing experimental sleeves and posters for Factory Records, and The Haçienda, which placed him at the...
's album cover featured the use of computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
to create an enormous strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
and depicting seeds with superimposed human faces.
During this period a number of songs were recorded at Eel Pie Studios
Eel Pie Studios
The Eel Pie Recording Studios, formerly Oceanic, are not actually located on the River Thames's Eel Pie Island but on the mainland in Ranelagh Drive by Twickenham Bridge. They were the venue for a number of notable rock and pop recordings. Eel Pie Studios' artists include Pete Townshend, Rachel...
, then owned by Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
for the fourth studio album Dizzy Heights
Dizzy Heights
Dizzy Heights was The Lightning Seeds' fourth studio album, released in 1996, and reached #11 in the UK Albums Chart. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999.-Writing and recording:...
. The single "Ready or Not" was released ahead of the album and reached #20 in the UK Singles chart.
In 1996 The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
commissioned Broudie and Lightning Seeds to write theme music for the Euro '96 football tournament. Broudie agreed on the condition that comedians Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
and David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
, who had presented the late-night television show Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League is a British television programme hosted by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. The Programme began on BBC Radio 5 and was hosted by Dominik Diamond before transferring to BBC 2, with three series being broadcast from January 1994 to May 1996...
, wrote the lyrics. The resulting song, "Three Lions
Three Lions
"Three Lions" is a song released in 1996, the official anthem of the England football team for that year's European Championships, held in England...
", became the band's first #1 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 ...
and was adopted as a football chant, not only in the UK but also in countries such as Germany, where the single and accompanying video reached #16 in their charts.
During this period the band achieved three more UK Top 20 hits, including a cover version of The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
"You Showed Me", which became one of their biggest hits. Between 1996 and 1997 the band's line-up changed. Chris Sharrock
Chris Sharrock
Chris Sharrock is an English drummer from Bebington, Merseyside, England who has a long history of being an official member of many noted British bands, including The Icicle Works, The La's, The Wild Swans, World Party, The Lightning Seeds, The Robbie Williams Band, Oasis, and Beady...
left to work with World Party
World Party
World Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.-Career:...
and was replaced by Keith York
Keith York
Keith York is a professional session drummer who has toured and sessioned throughout the world and worked with a range of bands, including Pitchshifter, The Lightning Seeds, Bivouac, Ladytron, and Esoteric, Bentley Rhythm Ace , Broadcast and Love Amongst Ruin...
& Mat Priest
Mathew Priest
Mathew Priest is an English drummer with the band Dodgy. He has also played with The Lightning Seeds, The Electric Soft Parade, The Yellow Moon Band and Ian McNabb in The Icicle Works....
from Dodgy
Dodgy
Dodgy are an English power pop rock trio, that rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s, who are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough"...
. Angie Pollock, who had previously worked with Shakespears Sister
Shakespears Sister
Shakespears Sister/Shakespear's Sister is a British-based synth-pop-rock band formed by Irish-born singer–songwriter Siobhan Fahey in 1988, with plaudits including a BRIT Award and Ivor Novello Award. It was Fahey's first musical outing since leaving Bananarama, and initially a solo project...
and Terry Hall, replaced Ali Kane on keyboards.
1997 gave the Lightning Seeds international exposure with the song "You Showed Me" included on the Austin Powers Soundtrack. The release of Like You Do...
Like You Do... Best of the Lightning Seeds
Like You Do... Best of The Lightning Seeds is the first official greatest hits album from The Lightning Seeds released on November 10, 1997...
and a UK promotional tour followed. "What You Say", one of two new songs included with the compilation, was released but failed to register in the top forty. Part way through the tour Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey is an English rock drummer. He is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Starr's first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett. He is also well known for his unofficial membership in the English rock band The Who, with whom he has performed and recorded since 1996. He is also the third...
, son of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
drummer Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, replaced Priest on drums. In 1998, Broudie reworked and recorded an updated version of their hit football anthem for the FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. "Three Lions '98", reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart and became the first song to top the charts on two separate occasions with different sets of lyrics. In 1998, The Lightning Seeds also performed on the Main Stage at both 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...
and the V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
in the UK.
1999–2005: Tilt and hiatus
Their album TiltTilt (Lightning Seeds album)
Tilt is the fifth studio album from rock group The Lightning Seeds. It was released in 1999.-Release and reception:-Track listing:All tracks written by Ian Broudie .# "Life's Too Short" – 4:01...
(1999) was dance-oriented and featured collaborations with Stephen Jones. The single "Life's Too Short" was heralded by 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...
DJ Chris Moyles
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
as "one of the band's strongest singles to date" and rose to #27 in the UK Singles Chart. "Sweetest Soul Sensations" reached #67 and did not attract serious attention.
The Lightning Seeds performed along with Space and Stereophonics
Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
at Cream 2000. In 2002 Broudie confirmed, in the Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
, that The Lightning Seeds were to take a long break after a final show at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's L2 venue. In 2002 Italian dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
producer Alex Farolfi sampled "You Showed Me" for his first solo single "Burnin'", which featured Corinna Joseph.
2006–present: Reunion and Four Winds
The band's second greatest hits album The Very Best of the Lightning SeedsThe Very Best of the Lightning Seeds
The Very Best of the Lightning Seeds is the second official greatest hits album, released on 12 June 2006 since Like You Do... Best of The Lightning Seeds, released in 1997.-Release and reception:-Track listing:...
was released on June 12, 2006, followed by the re-release of "Three Lions", which rose to #9 in the UK Singles Chart. In the summer of 2006 Broudie formed a new Lightning Seeds line-up for indoor shows and festival appearances.
The band released their sixth studio album Four Winds, in 2009 numerous festival dates followed with both Martyn Campbell and Angie Pollock reprising their roles in what was now once again a four piece group, with the position on the drum stool taken by Rob Allum. In a tour that took in numerous dates, including Dockfest (Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
), Cornbury, Guilfest, Cardiff Big Weekend
Cardiff Big Weekend
The Cardiff Big Weekend has taken place annually since 1995 as part of the Cardiff Festival organised by Cardiff Council. Billed as the UK’s biggest free outdoor music festival, it offers three days of quality live music and entertainment. Alongside the live music stage runs the UK’s largest...
(where Angie contracted swine flu
Swine flu
Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus or S-OIV is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs...
so the band performed for the only time to date as a three piece) Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and the V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
, they played old and new tracks together to promote the new album. During December 2009 Broudie performed on a short acoustic tour, sharing the shows with James Walsh from Starsailor
Starsailor (band)
Starsailor is an English post-britpop band, formed in Leigh, Warrington and Greater Manchester. By 2009, they had four charting albums and ten Top 40 singles in the UK since 2001.-Early history:...
. He played along side Angie Pollock on keyboards with Riley Broudie contributing on guitar. In early 2010, a short Lightning Seeds tour was announced. Angie Pollock returned on keyboards, the drummer was Stephen Gilchrist and Didz Hammond played bass, with Riley continuing on guitar.
A string of summer dates followed, taking in dates across the country as far as York's Galtres Festival, Hampton Pool, Wychwood Festival, a gig at the Gloucester Guildhall as an approach to two Glastonbury Festival shows amongst many others. The line up changed again; Riley remained on guitar, Martyn Campbell returned on the Bass, Raife Burchill on drums and James Bagshaw (of The Moons
The Moons
The Moons are a British indie rock band who formed in Northampton in 2007 and comprise singer/guitarist/songwriter Andy Crofts, drummer Ben Gordelier, guitarist and backing vocalist James Edward Bagshaw, bassist Adam Leeds and keyboardist Tom Warmsley...
) on keyboards.
In October 2010 The Lightning Seeds performed in Indonesia at the Jakarta Playground festival, with Rob Allum again replacing Raife on drums and Riley having gone to university. After the band's final headline show of 2010 at Leamington Assembly on 12 November, they supported Squeeze on a 22-date UK tour.
On Friday 8 July, The Lightning Seeds headlined the AmpRocks festival in Ampthill Park. They played at the South Tyneside Summer Festival in South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
at the end of July 2011.
Current members
- Ian BroudieIan BroudieIan Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
– guitar, vocals (1989–present) - Martyn CampbellMartyn CampbellMartyn Campbell is an English bass guitarist from Liverpool, England. He is best known for his work with Rain, The Lightning Seeds, Richard Ashcroft, Wah! and Terry Hall...
– bass (1994–2000) (2009–present) - James Bagshaw - Keyboards (2010)
- Sean Payne – drums (2011)
Former members
- Chris SharrockChris SharrockChris Sharrock is an English drummer from Bebington, Merseyside, England who has a long history of being an official member of many noted British bands, including The Icicle Works, The La's, The Wild Swans, World Party, The Lightning Seeds, The Robbie Williams Band, Oasis, and Beady...
– drums (1994–1997) - Ali Kane – keyboard (1994–1996)
- Paul HemmingsPaul HemmingsPaul Hemmings is a Liverpool based musician and photographer. He played with The La's, Mike Badger and The Onset and Ian Broudie and the Lightning Seeds...
– guitar (1994–1998) - Keith YorkKeith YorkKeith York is a professional session drummer who has toured and sessioned throughout the world and worked with a range of bands, including Pitchshifter, The Lightning Seeds, Bivouac, Ladytron, and Esoteric, Bentley Rhythm Ace , Broadcast and Love Amongst Ruin...
- drums (1997–1998) - Mathew PriestMathew PriestMathew Priest is an English drummer with the band Dodgy. He has also played with The Lightning Seeds, The Electric Soft Parade, The Yellow Moon Band and Ian McNabb in The Icicle Works....
– drums (1997) - Zak StarkeyZak StarkeyZak Starkey is an English rock drummer. He is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Starr's first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett. He is also well known for his unofficial membership in the English rock band The Who, with whom he has performed and recorded since 1996. He is also the third...
– drums (1997–2000) - Paolo Ruiu – bass (2006)
- Rob Allum - Drums (2009 & 2010)
- Angie Pollock - Keyboards & Glock (1996–2000, 2009–2010)
- Riley Broudie - Guitar (2009–2011)
- Raife Burchell - Drums (2010)
Discography
- CloudcuckoolandCloudcuckooland (album)Cloudcuckooland is the debut album by rock group The Lightning Seeds. It was released in 1990."Pure" was the debut UK hit for The Lightning Seeds and the band's only Top 40 hit in the USA.-Release and reception:-Track listing:...
(1990) - Sense (1992)
- Jollification (1994)
- Dizzy HeightsDizzy HeightsDizzy Heights was The Lightning Seeds' fourth studio album, released in 1996, and reached #11 in the UK Albums Chart. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999.-Writing and recording:...
(1996) - Tilt (1999)
- Four Winds (2009)
External links
- lightning-seeds.co.uk (fan site)