Simon Smith
Encyclopedia
Simon Smith has been the drummer
with several British
Indie rock
bands, most notably The Wedding Present
from Leeds
, which he joined in 1988, and also worked with its offshoot The Ukrainians
.
, who also became a member of The Wedding Present. The Chorus released tracks on the AAZ record label from 1983 to 1985 including the 7" double A side single
"These Stones" / "Diamond Mine".
Simon left The Chorus to join stable mates The Sinister Cleaners in 1985, replacing the drum machine
that had featured on their earlier releases. He released 3 12" EPs
with The Sinister Cleaners and toured the UK and Europe
with them from 1985 to 1987. Simon left The Sinister Cleaners to join The Wedding Present as drummer in 1987, working briefly with Sinister Cleaner Len Liggins and Pete Solowka in The Wedding Present offshoot band The Ukrainians
. Simon, along with Keith Gregory, Paul Dorrington (both ex-Wedding Present) and Jaqui Cohen (ex-Dustdevils), started a new group called Cha Cha Cohen
in 1994. Simon split his time between Cha Cha Cohen
and The Wedding Present until 1997, when Wedding Present singer / guitarist David Gedge
took a break in order to start a new group, Cinerama
. Cha Cha Cohen went on to make two albums on the Glasgow-based Chemikal Underground Records label, and, thanks to their help, Simon began tour managing for a living.
Simon also played gigs and recorded with Beachbuggy, brainchild of former Wedding Present bass player and guitarist Jack Straker.
In 2005, David Gedge and Wedding Present guitarist Simon Cleave began using the name The Wedding Present again but Simon Smith was not asked to joing the band's new line-up.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
with several 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...
Indie rock
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...
bands, most notably 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...
from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, which he joined in 1988, and also worked with its offshoot The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.-Career:The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, after all three had played...
.
Career
Simon Smith started out briefly as a member of The Chorus with Peter SolowkaPeter Solowka
Peter Solowka born in Leeds of Ukrainian and Irish descent was guitarist with the Wedding Present from its inception until 1991 after the recording of the Seamonsters album...
, who also became a member of The Wedding Present. The Chorus released tracks on the AAZ record label from 1983 to 1985 including the 7" double A side 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...
"These Stones" / "Diamond Mine".
Simon left The Chorus to join stable mates The Sinister Cleaners in 1985, replacing the drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
that had featured on their earlier releases. He released 3 12" EPs
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
with The Sinister Cleaners and toured the UK and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with them from 1985 to 1987. Simon left The Sinister Cleaners to join The Wedding Present as drummer in 1987, working briefly with Sinister Cleaner Len Liggins and Pete Solowka in The Wedding Present offshoot band The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.-Career:The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and mandolin player Roman Remeynes, after all three had played...
. Simon, along with Keith Gregory, Paul Dorrington (both ex-Wedding Present) and Jaqui Cohen (ex-Dustdevils), started a new group called Cha Cha Cohen
Cha Cha Cohen
Cha Cha Cohen were a band formed in 1994 by three members of The Wedding Present — Keith Gregory, Paul Dorrington and Simon Smith. After recruiting singer Jacqui Cohen from The Dustdevils they released a single, "Sparky's Note", on Hemiola Records....
in 1994. Simon split his time between Cha Cha Cohen
Cha Cha Cohen
Cha Cha Cohen were a band formed in 1994 by three members of The Wedding Present — Keith Gregory, Paul Dorrington and Simon Smith. After recruiting singer Jacqui Cohen from The Dustdevils they released a single, "Sparky's Note", on Hemiola Records....
and The Wedding Present until 1997, when Wedding Present singer / guitarist David Gedge
David Gedge
David Gedge is an English musician and songwriter. He is the main songwriter and vocalist in the bands The Wedding Present and Cinerama...
took a break in order to start a new group, Cinerama
Cinerama
Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it...
. Cha Cha Cohen went on to make two albums on the Glasgow-based Chemikal Underground Records label, and, thanks to their help, Simon began tour managing for a living.
Simon also played gigs and recorded with Beachbuggy, brainchild of former Wedding Present bass player and guitarist Jack Straker.
In 2005, David Gedge and Wedding Present guitarist Simon Cleave began using the name The Wedding Present again but Simon Smith was not asked to joing the band's new line-up.
UK singles
- Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? (Reception 1988)
- Давні Часи/Davni Chasy (promoPromotion (marketing)Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
, Reception 1988/RCA 1989) - Kennedy (RCA 1989)
- Brassneck (RCA 1990)
- 3 Songs EP (RCA 1990)
- Dalliance (RCA 1991)
- Lovenest (RCA 1991)
- Blue Eyes (RCA 1992)
- Go-Go Dancer (RCA 1992)
- Three (RCA 1992)
- Silver Shorts (RCA 1992)
- Come Play with Me (RCA 1992)
- California (RCA 1992)
- Flying Saucer (RCA 1992)
- Boing! (RCA 1992)
- Loveslave (RCA 1992)
- Sticky (RCA 1992)
- The Queen of Outer Space (RCA 1992)
- No Christmas (RCA 1992)
- Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (Island 1994)
- It's a Gas (Island 1994)
- Sucker (no label 1995)
- 2, 3, Go (Cooking Vinyl 1996)
- Montreal (Cooking Vinyl 1997)
Albums
- Українські Виступи в Івана Піла (compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, RCA 1989) - BizarroBizarro (album)Bizarro is the second studio album by The Wedding Present. It was released in October 1989 by their record label, RCA.- About the album :...
(RCA 1989) - SeamonstersSeamonstersSeamonsters is the third studio album by English indie band The Wedding Present. It was recorded in ten days in 1991 by American producer Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota...
(RCA 1991) - Hit Parade 1Hit Parade 1In 1992, The Wedding Present decided to release a limited edition single every month, each featuring an original track on the A side and a cover on the B side...
(compilation, RCA 1992) - Hit Parade 2Hit Parade 2Hit Parade 2 is a compilation album by The Wedding Present released in January 1993. Having decided to release a limited edition single every month for all of 1992 the group subsequently compiled the songs as two LPs called Hit Parade 1 and Hit Parade 2...
(compilation, RCA 1992) - Peel Sessions 1987-1990 (compilation, Strange Fruit 1993)
- WatusiWatusi (album)Watusi was the fourth studio album released by The Wedding Present. It was released in 1994 in the U.K on Island Records. The album reached number 47 on the U.K album chart. During 1994 two singles were released from "Watusi" in the U.K. "Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah" went to number 51 and "It's a...
(Island 1994) - Mini (Cooking Vinyl 1995)
- SaturnaliaSaturnalia (album)Saturnalia is the first studio album by The Gutter Twins, a collaboration between Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. The album, which was started as far back as 2003, was released on March 4, 2008. Prior to the album's release, the duo began posting songs on their official MySpace page...
(Cooking Vinyl 1996) - Evening Sessions 1986-1994 (compilation, Strange Fruit 1997)
- John Peel Sessions 1992-1995 (compilation, Cooking Vinyl 1998)
- Singles 1995-1997 (compilation, Cooking Vinyl 1999)
- Singles 1989-1991 (compilation, Manifesto 1999)
- The Hit ParadeThe Hit ParadeThe Hit Parade is a British pop music group, based in London, England. Named after the NBC US television programme, Your Hit Parade, which was broadcast across America in the 1950s as a showcase of the best of chart music, The Hit Parade was formed in 1984, by three schoolfriends Raymond Watts,...
(2CD compilation, Camden Deluxe 2003)
Singles
- Sparky's Note (Hemiola 1994)
- 538 ep (Chemikal Underground 1995)
- Spook on the High Lawn (Chemikal Underground 1997)
- Freon Shortwave (Chemikal Underground 1998)
Albums
- Cha Cha Cohen (Chemikal Underground 1998)
- All Artists Are Criminals (Chemikal Underground 2002)