Pocketbooks
Encyclopedia
Pocketbooks is an indiepop band formed in London
in 2006. Their music combines melodic boy/girl harmonies, spiralling guitars and delicate piano lines with a dash of 60s soul.
The band first introduced themselves to the world by appearing on the 2006 compilation The Kids At The Club, released on How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
, alongside indiepop favourites such as Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
, Tender Trap
, I’m From Barcelona
and Voxtrot
.
As well as playing gigs across the UK, Europe and the USA, they headlining the first ever Indietracks event on a steam railway in April 2007 which later turned into the annual Indietracks Festival which several members of the band now help to organise. They have played shows with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
, Camera Obscura
, God Help The Girl
, Art Brut, The Wedding Present
, and Darren Hayman
, as well as festivals such as Offset Festival
, San Francisco Popfest, London Popfest, Indiepop Days in Germany
and Rip It Up! in Sweden
. In 2009 they played a Rough Trade
in-store event to celebrate their inclusion on the Rough Trade
Indiepop 09 compilation alongside 2009 favourites Vivian Girls
, Los Campesinos!
and Dum Dum Girls
.
Their debut single Cross The Line, released on Atomic Beat Records in 2007, was described by poet and novelist Simon Armitage
as “pure snowshaker pop, and more dressing table than kitchen sink”. This was followed by an EP, Waking Up, released on Make Do And Mend Records in 2008. Their debut album, Flight Paths, was released on 13 July 2009 on How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
. This was preceded by a single, Footsteps, on 15 June 2009. Songs from the album picked up radio play from Huw Stephens
(BBC Radio 1
), Gideon Coe
(BBC 6Music) and John Kennedy (Xfm
). In 2009, music critic Everett True
said of the album “I know what I like, and I like this.”
The band's second album "Carousel" was released in September 2011 on OddBox Records.
Benjamin played his final gig with the band in April 2007, after which the remaining members went through a role change, moving Mark onto guitar and Daniel onto bass guitar. Jonny Tansey then joined on drums in July 2007. Emma began to play a larger role on vocals as Andy’s song writing leaned more towards the boy/girl harmonies the band have become known for.
Mark played his final gig with the band in September 2007 and was replaced by Ian Cowen on guitar, who played his first gig the following month. This completed the current line-up.
Daniel Chapman also plays bass guitar in The Loves
and One Fathom Down, and writes and records solo material as Hot Booth. Ian Cowen also plays bass guitar in The Sunny Street, Electrophönvintage and The Cut-Outs. Jonny Tansey also plays drums in The Loves
, Electrophönvintage and One Fathom Down.
Andy, Daniel, Emma and Ian are all involved in the running of the Indietracks Festival.
Tracklisting: Footsteps/Fleeting Moments/Camera Angles/The Outskirts Of Town/Cross The Line/Skating On Thin Ice/Sweetness And Light/I'm Not Going Out/Every Good Time We Ever Had/Paper Aeroplanes/All We Do Is Rush Around
Tracklisting: Fireworks At Midnight/Promises, Promises/The Sky At Night/Sound Of The Carnival/Sparklers/Gaumont State Cinema/Harbour Lights/The Flowers Are Still Standing/The Beaujolais Lanes/Five Day Forecast/The End Of The Pier
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...
in 2006. Their music combines melodic boy/girl harmonies, spiralling guitars and delicate piano lines with a dash of 60s soul.
The band first introduced themselves to the world by appearing on the 2006 compilation The Kids At The Club, released on How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
How Does It Feel To Be Loved? is a London-based night club which predominately plays indie pop, Northern Soul and Motown music...
, alongside indiepop favourites such as Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
Suburban Kids with Biblical Names is a Swedish twee pop band consisting of Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarson. The band was formed in December 2003, in Haninge. Their name comes from a lyric in the song "People" by the Silver Jews.-History:...
, Tender Trap
Tender Trap
Tender Trap is an indie rock/twee pop band, based in London , formed in 2001 by three of the five members of Marine Research - Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey, and John Downfall....
, I’m From Barcelona
I'm from Barcelona
I'm from Barcelona is a pop group from Jönköping, Sweden, best known for its 29 band members and eclectic mix of instruments such as clarinets, saxophones, flutes, trumpets, banjos, accordions, kazoos, guitars, drums, and keyboards among others...
and Voxtrot
Voxtrot
Voxtrot was an indie pop band from Austin, Texas, USA. Their first recordings were released in 2003 and their final shows were in June 2010.-Biography:Voxtrot was formed in Austin, Texas by singer/songwriter Ramesh Srivastava in the early 2000s...
.
As well as playing gigs across the UK, Europe and the USA, they headlining the first ever Indietracks event on a steam railway in April 2007 which later turned into the annual Indietracks Festival which several members of the band now help to organise. They have played shows with The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an indie pop band from New York City. Their first album was a self-released EP which came out in 2007 through the Painbow label. Their debut self-titled full length album was released on February 3, 2009 via Slumberland Records. The band name comes from an...
, Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura (band)
Camera Obscura are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band formed in 1996 and have released four albums to date.-History:Camera Obscura were formed in 1996 by Tracyanne Campbell, John Henderson, and Gavin Dunbar. Several other members performed with the band before David Skirving joined...
, God Help The Girl
God Help The Girl
God Help the Girl is a musical project authored by Stuart Murdoch, leader of the Scottish indie pop group Belle & Sebastian, featuring a group of female vocalists, including Catherine Ireton, with Belle & Sebastian as the accompanying band...
, Art Brut, The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
, and Darren Hayman
Darren Hayman
Darren Russell Hayman is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist in Hefner...
, as well as festivals such as Offset Festival
Offset Festival
Offset Festival was formed in 2008 as a reaction against overpriced festivals with less than creative lineups. The event is held at Hainault Forest Country Park, just outside London, accessible via the Central Line.-2008:...
, San Francisco Popfest, London Popfest, Indiepop Days in 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 Rip It Up! in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In 2009 they played a 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...
in-store event to celebrate their inclusion on the 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...
Indiepop 09 compilation alongside 2009 favourites Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls are an American band from Brooklyn, New York.- History :Vivian Girls, named after the magnum opus of outsider author Henry Darger, started in Brooklyn, NY in March 2007 as the trio of Cassie Ramone ; Katy "Kickball Katy" Goodman; and Frankie Rose...
, Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record...
and Dum Dum Girls
Dum Dum Girls
Dum Dum Girls are an American indie pop band from California that formed in 2008. Their name comes from both The Vaselines' album Dum Dum and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys"...
.
Their debut single Cross The Line, released on Atomic Beat Records in 2007, was described by poet and novelist Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage CBE is a British poet, playwright, and novelist.-Life and career:Simon Armitage was born in Marsden, West Yorkshire. Armitage first studied at Colne Valley High School, Linthwaite, Huddersfield and went on to study geography at Portsmouth Polytechnic...
as “pure snowshaker pop, and more dressing table than kitchen sink”. This was followed by an EP, Waking Up, released on Make Do And Mend Records in 2008. Their debut album, Flight Paths, was released on 13 July 2009 on How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
How Does It Feel To Be Loved?
How Does It Feel To Be Loved? is a London-based night club which predominately plays indie pop, Northern Soul and Motown music...
. This was preceded by a single, Footsteps, on 15 June 2009. Songs from the album picked up radio play from 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...
(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...
), Gideon Coe
Gideon Coe
Gideon "The Guv'nor" Coe is a radio DJ, presenter, sportscaster, voiceover artist and journalist.Coe was one of the child presenters of the BBC 1 children's programme "Why Don't You?"....
(BBC 6Music) and John Kennedy (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...
). In 2009, music critic Everett True
Everett True
For the cartoon character, see The Outbursts of Everett True.Everett True is a British music journalist, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex...
said of the album “I know what I like, and I like this.”
The band's second album "Carousel" was released in September 2011 on OddBox Records.
History
The band was formed in 2006 by Andy Hudson, who had previously been writing and recording as a solo artist under the Pocketbooks name. The original line-up included Andy Hudson on vocals and piano, Benjamin Dorning on guitar, Mark Reston on bass guitar, Emma Hall on keyboard and backing vocals, and Daniel Chapman on drums.Benjamin played his final gig with the band in April 2007, after which the remaining members went through a role change, moving Mark onto guitar and Daniel onto bass guitar. Jonny Tansey then joined on drums in July 2007. Emma began to play a larger role on vocals as Andy’s song writing leaned more towards the boy/girl harmonies the band have become known for.
Mark played his final gig with the band in September 2007 and was replaced by Ian Cowen on guitar, who played his first gig the following month. This completed the current line-up.
Daniel Chapman also plays bass guitar in The Loves
The Loves
The Loves were a heavily 1960s influenced pop band, formed in 2000 in Cardiff, Wales-Career:Their debut album Love was released on Track and Field Records in 2004, but attracted generally hostile press coverage, and was commercially unsuccessful...
and One Fathom Down, and writes and records solo material as Hot Booth. Ian Cowen also plays bass guitar in The Sunny Street, Electrophönvintage and The Cut-Outs. Jonny Tansey also plays drums in The Loves
The Loves
The Loves were a heavily 1960s influenced pop band, formed in 2000 in Cardiff, Wales-Career:Their debut album Love was released on Track and Field Records in 2004, but attracted generally hostile press coverage, and was commercially unsuccessful...
, Electrophönvintage and One Fathom Down.
Andy, Daniel, Emma and Ian are all involved in the running of the Indietracks Festival.
Singles/EPs
- Cross The Line/ Every Good Time We Ever Had (7” vinyl, Atomic Beat Records, May 2007)
- Waking Up/Falling Leaves/Love Is The Stick You Throw/Don’t Stop (CD, Make Do And Mend Records, March 2008)
- Footsteps (Download single, How Does It Feel To Be Loved?How Does It Feel To Be Loved?How Does It Feel To Be Loved? is a London-based night club which predominately plays indie pop, Northern Soul and Motown music...
, June 2009)
Albums
- Flight Paths (How Does It Feel To Be Loved?How Does It Feel To Be Loved?How Does It Feel To Be Loved? is a London-based night club which predominately plays indie pop, Northern Soul and Motown music...
(UK), Universal RecordsUniversal Records (Philippines)Universal Records Philippines Inc. is a Filipino record label founded in 1977 as a part of Warner Music Group. Since 1992, it became independent.-History:URPI was founded in 1977 as WEA Records Philippines Inc...
(Philippines), Happy Prince (JapanJapanJapan 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...
), July 2009)
Tracklisting: Footsteps/Fleeting Moments/Camera Angles/The Outskirts Of Town/Cross The Line/Skating On Thin Ice/Sweetness And Light/I'm Not Going Out/Every Good Time We Ever Had/Paper Aeroplanes/All We Do Is Rush Around
- Carousel (Odd Box Records (UK), 19 September 2011)
Tracklisting: Fireworks At Midnight/Promises, Promises/The Sky At Night/Sound Of The Carnival/Sparklers/Gaumont State Cinema/Harbour Lights/The Flowers Are Still Standing/The Beaujolais Lanes/Five Day Forecast/The End Of The Pier
Compilation appearances
- The Kids At The Club - an indiepop compilation (How Does It Feel To Be Loved?How Does It Feel To Be Loved?How Does It Feel To Be Loved? is a London-based night club which predominately plays indie pop, Northern Soul and Motown music...
, 2006. Features the song The First World Record) - Public Service Broadcast Nine (Smalltown AmericaSmalltown AmericaSmalltown America is a UK-based independent record label formed in 2001. Staff are currently based in London and Derry, and the label has a stated aim of "cultivating a productive staff of music lovers and a self-sustainable business model, through which artists can release the best records they...
, 2007. Features the song Every Next Day Is A New Adventure) - Summer’s Here (Eardrums Music, 2008. Features the song Summertime)
- Series Two Records compilation volume 8 (Series Two Records, 2008. Features the song Love Is The Stick You Throw)
- Indietracks Festival 2008 – an indiepop compilation (Make Do And Mend Records, 2008. Features the song Falling Leaves)
- Life Has It In For Us, Volume 1 (A Layer Of Chips, 2009. Features the song Summertime)
- Indietracks Festival 2009 – an indiepop compilation (Make Do And Mend Records, 2009. Features the song Fleeting Moments)
- Piece Of Cake! – an indiepop compilation (Big Pink Cake, 2009. Features the song Fleeting Moments)
- Rough Trade Indiepop 09 (Rough TradeRough TradeRough Trade may refer to:*Rough Trade Records, a record label*Rough Trade , linked but independent London record stores*Rough Trade , a Canadian new wave rock band*Rough Trade , an episode of American Dad!...
, 2009. Features the song Fleeting Moments)