Spraydog
Encyclopedia
Spraydog are a band from Newcastle upon Tyne
, who formed in Chester-le-Street
and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
They also recorded two BBC Radio 1
sessions for DJ John Peel
. They kick-started their career touring with the band Kenickie
and continue to play live both in their hometown and occasionally elsewhere in the UK and Europe.
According to their MySpace
profile, their musical influences include Pixies, My Bloody Valentine and Pavement
. NME
magazine described them in 2006 as "very great, scrummy lo-fi scuzz". Spraydog celebrated their 10th anniversary in April 2007.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, who formed in Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Band members
The current line up consists of- Steve Robson (vocals, guitar),
- Maria Fontana (vocals),
- Phil Tyler (guitar)
- James Atkinson (bass) and
- Jonny Partington (drums).
Recordings
They have released 5 studio albums, 4 on their own label, Ferric Mordant, and numerous singles and compilation contributions on a variety of independent labels including Fierce Panda, Stupidcat and Fortuna Pop! Their most recent album, Karate Summer Camp was released in late 2006.They also recorded two 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...
sessions for DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. They kick-started their career touring with the band Kenickie
Kenickie
Kenickie were a four-piece rock band from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The band were formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne , drummer Johnny X , lead guitarist and occasional vocalist Marie du Santiago and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose...
and continue to play live both in their hometown and occasionally elsewhere in the UK and Europe.
According to their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile, their musical influences include Pixies, My Bloody Valentine and Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
. 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...
magazine described them in 2006 as "very great, scrummy lo-fi scuzz". Spraydog celebrated their 10th anniversary in April 2007.
Additional information
- Phil has a sideline as a folk duo performing shape noteShape noteShape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
and early American folk songs - Chris Lanigan also plays drums in the current line up of Milky Wimpshake and Phil frequently guests in the same band on fiddle
- Maria Fontana played the dental nurse in the Royal Television SocietyRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
award-winning 2002 short film Danny and His Amazing Teeth - A compilation album of early material, Lines Are Drawn Only By The Eye was released in the USA on Kittridge Records
- The cover artwork of all Spraydog albums and the majority of their singles is by long-time Spraydog collaborator Sarah E Hall
- Acclaimed singer-songwriter and poet Neville Clay contributes the spoken-word part on the Spraydog track "Amaranth"