Supergrass - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Supergrass was an English

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...

band from Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

. The band consisted of brothers Gaz

Gaz Coombes

Gaz Coombes is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English alternative rock band, Supergrass. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers which featured Supergrass band mate Danny Goffey...

(guitar

Guitar

The 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 lead vocals) and Rob Coombes

Rob Coombes

Rob Coombes was the keyboard player for Supergrass.He is the older brother of Gaz Coombes and was the newest member of Supergrass, officially joining in 2002...

(keyboards

Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

), Mick Quinn

Mick Quinn

Mick Quinn is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He formed the DB Band with bassist Paul Wilson, formerly of Shake Appeal in 2010 and released début EP "Stranger In The Alps" on the 17th September 2011...

(bass

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

and backing vocals) and Danny Goffey

Danny Goffey

Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...

(drums

Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

and backing vocals).

Coombes, Quinn and Goffey formed Supergrass in 1993 in Oxford with Gaz's brother Rob Coombes officially joining the band in 2002. The band signed to Parlophone

Parlophone

Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...

records in 1994 and produced I Should Coco

I Should Coco

I Should Coco is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released through Parlophone in May 1995. Supergrass were formed in 1993 by Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey and they released their debut single from the album, "Caught by the Fuzz", in May 1995 on the...

(1995), the biggest selling début album for the label since 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...

Please Please Me

Please Please Me is the debut album by the English rock band The Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do" .Of the album's fourteen songs, eight were written by Lennon–McCartney...

. Their first album's fourth single Alright was a huge international hit that established the band's reputation. Since then the band have released five albums: In It for the Money

In It for the Money

In It for the Money is the second album by Supergrass, released in 1997. NME called it "more fun than watching a wombat in a washing machine" and named it the 10th best album of the year. In 1998, Q readers voted it the 68th greatest album of all time, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at...

(1997), Supergrass

Supergrass (album)

Supergrass is the third album by the English rock group Supergrass. It was released in the UK on 20 September 1999 and reached #3. It is often referred to as both "the X-ray" album, due to the picture on the sleeve, and self-titled...

(1999), Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

Life On Other Planets, or L.O.O.P as it is often abbreviated to, is the fourth album from English rock band Supergrass. It is the first album that includes Rob Coombes as an official member of the band, and originally went under the working title of 'Get Lost'...

(2002), Road to Rouen

Road to Rouen

Road to Rouen is the fifth studio album by English rock band Supergrass. The album was released in the UK on 15 August 2005 by Parlophone, and in the US on 27 September 2005 by Capitol Records...

(2005) and Diamond Hoo Ha

Diamond Hoo Ha

Diamond Hoo Ha is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Supergrass, released in the UK on 24 March 2008, and offers a return to punchier Supergrass songs, in comparison to the more mellow Road To Rouen, their previous album released in 2005. Several songs appearing on the album were...

(2008), as well as a decade-ending compilation called Supergrass is 10

Supergrass Is 10

Supergrass Is 10 is a compilation album celebrating the first 10 years of the band Supergrass. It includes singles from their first release, "Caught by the Fuzz" , to their then latest release, "Kiss of Life" ....

(2004).

In August 2009 they signed to Cooking Vinyl

Cooking Vinyl

Cooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...

and began work on 7th studio album Release the Drones. It remained unreleased and unfinished as, on 12 April 2010, the band announced that it was splitting up due to musical and creative differences. The group disbanded after four farewell gigs, the final one at La Cigale

La Cigale

La Cigale is a theater at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex that is connected to Le Trabendo and the Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1389 people or 954 people...

, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

on 11 June 2010.

The Jennifers and formation (1990–1993)

At the age of 16 and 18 respectively Gaz Coombes

Gaz Coombes

and Danny Goffey

Danny Goffey

were members of shoegaze

Shoegazing

Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...

band The Jennifers

The Jennifers

The Jennifers were a short-lived British rock group formed at Wheatley Park School and featuring vocalist Gaz Coombes, guitarist Nic Goffey, drummer Danny Goffey and bassist Andy Davies...

along with Nick Goffey

Dom and Nic

dom&nic is the working name of directors Nic Goffey and Dominic Hawley. They have been directing notable music videos and commercials since 1994....

and Andy Davis. The band played gig

Gig (musical performance)

Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...

s at various venues around Oxfordshire, often public house

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

s and clubs. One pub the band played at was the Jericho Tavern

Jericho Tavern

The Jericho Tavern is a music venue and pub in the Jericho area of Oxford, England at 56 Walton Street. In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was an important part of the music scene which spawned Ride, Radiohead and Supergrass.-History:...

in Oxford

Oxford

. The band enjoyed enough success to release one single in 1992, "Just Got Back Today

Just Got Back Today

"Just Got Back Today" was the only release from British band The Jennifers. The band included Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey, who would go on to become the guitarist and drummer of successful Britpop band Supergrass. Also in the line-up was Danny's brother, Nic, who would go on to direct music videos...

", on Nude Records

Nude Records

Nude Records was a London based record label, set up in 1992 by Saul Galpern who had previously been involved in the success of artists such as Simply Red, the Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and The Au Pairs. The label's first success was with Suede. Suede's debut album was the fastest...

before they disbanded.

When Coombes began working at the local Harvester

Harvester (restaurant)

Harvester Restaurants is a popular family farmhouse-style licensed restaurant chain with more than 170 outlets in the United Kingdom.-History:-Courage:...

he befriended co-worker Mick Quinn

Mick Quinn

. The two realised they had common music interests and Coombes invited Quinn to come and jam

Jam session

Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...

with himself and Goffey. In February 1993 they formed Theodore Supergrass, "for about two months" Quinn explains, "then we realized that Theodore was a bit rubbish so we took that off."

Goffey claims that the name was his idea and says; "Although the others will dispute it, it was me. We were Theodore Supergrass and the idea was the band would be a little black character, and we wouldn't ever have to do interviews. We'd get the questions in advance, script the answers and then animate Theodore Supergrass answering them. But it cost too much money."
The brother of Gaz, Rob Coombes

Rob Coombes

Rob Coombes was the keyboard player for Supergrass.He is the older brother of Gaz Coombes and was the newest member of Supergrass, officially joining in 2002...

, played flute

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

for the band's début gig at the Co-Op Hall

The Zodiac (club)

The O2 Academy Oxford is a music venue in Oxford, England, which is part of the O2 Academy brand operated by Academy Music Group. Prior to 2009, it was known as the Carling Academy Oxford and before that, as The Zodiac. To many, the club remains "The Zodiac".-The Zodiac:The Zodiac was a club on...

, Oxford in 1993. In January 1995 he first performed as keyboardist with the band for a live 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...

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...

session. His role in the band progressed over the years, post I Should Coco

I Should Coco

material is credited to "Supergrass and Rob Coombes", however, he wasn't introduced as a band member until almost a decade later.

Britpop years and stardom (1994–1998)

In mid-1994, Supergrass issued their debut single "Caught by the Fuzz

Caught by the Fuzz

-Background:Supergrass had released "Caught by the Fuzz" and "Mansize Rooster" as singles on Backbeat Records, which sold out quickly and gained the interest of record producer Sam Williams, who then offered to record some demos of the band's other songs at Sawmills Studio...

" on the small independent local label Backbeat Records. The song recounts lead singer and guitarist Gaz Coombes

Gaz Coombes

's experience of being arrested by the police for possession of cannabis

Cannabis

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...

. The limited release of vinyl copies sold out quickly, thanks in part to support from John Peel

John Peel

on his Radio One

BBC Radio 1

show. The Parlophone

Parlophone

label signed the band and re-released the single in the autumn of the same year. It achieved the rare feat of both 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...

and Melody Maker

Melody Maker

Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...

"Single Of The Week" status in the same week.

"Mansize Rooster

Mansize Rooster

"Mansize Rooster" is a song by Supergrass, released as the second single from their debut album I Should Coco. It reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart, remaining on the chart for three weeks...

", released in February 1995, peaked at number 20 in the UK Single Charts and "Lenny

Lenny (Supergrass song)

"Lenny" is a song by Supergrass, released as the fourth single from their debut album I Should Coco. It reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart, remaining on the chart for three weeks.-Formats and track listings:CD CDR6410# "Lenny"...

", the bands first top 10 single. "Lenny" was followed soon afterwards by the band's debut album, I Should Coco

I Should Coco

(May 1995), which entered the UK Album Charts at number one. It achieved a half-a-million sales in the UK and over a million worldwide. NME reviewer Steve Sutherland gave the album a nine out of ten rating, writing, "These freaks shall inherit the earth." The album's fourth single, the double A-side release "Alright"/"Time"

Alright/Time

"Alright" is a song by British alternative rock band Supergrass. It was released with "Time" as a double A-side single from their debut album I Should Coco on 3 July 1995...

, stayed in British Top Three for a month, peaking at number two.

Supergrass followed I Should Coco with 18 months of heavy touring, appearing at festivals such as Scotland's T In The Park

T in the Park

T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...

and 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...

. After Performing in Rio

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

's Hollywood Rock Festival in April 1996, Supergrass met the infamous train robber Ronnie Biggs

Ronnie Biggs

Ronald Arthur "Ronnie" Biggs is an English criminal, known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, for his escape from prison in 1965, for living as a fugitive for 36 years and for his various publicity stunts while in exile. In 2001, he voluntarily returned to the United Kingdom and...

, and apparently said to him, "I was frightened for my life when I heard there was a supergrass

Supergrass (informer)

Supergrass is a slang term for an informer, which originated in London. Informers had been referred to as "grasses" since the late-1930s, and the "super" prefix was coined by journalists in the early 1970s to describe those informers from the city's underworld who testified against former...

in the area." A photograph of Ronnie Biggs and Gaz together was subsequently included in the music video for their 1996 single "Going Out

Going Out

"Going Out" was the first single to be taken from In It for the Money, the second album by Britpop band Supergrass. It was released in February 1996, and reached 5 in the UK Charts. Apparently the song was originally written in the key of E, because the engine of Supergrass' tour bus would tick at...

". Recorded at Great Linford Manor the single peaked at number five in the UK charts, but was the last song produced by Sam Williams. Supergrass returned to Sawmills studio

Sawmills Studio

Sawmills Studios, created in 1974 near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall, England is best known as the recording studio used by musicians such as Robert Plant, Oasis, The Coronas, The Verve, Supergrass, Muse, The Holloways, Razorlight, The Stone Roses, The Dukes of Stratosphear ...

to co-produce follow up album, In It For The Money

In It for the Money

(released April 1997), with John Cornfield

John Cornfield

John Cornfield is a British record producer and sound engineer. He has been working from Sawmills Studios in Cornwall since 1982. As the chief engineer he has assisted some highly respected and regarded producers, including John Leckie and Tom Dowd, and has worked with a vast selection of artists...

. The album was a huge success, and went platinum in the UK, but confused some fans expecting I Should Coco part 2. The single, "Richard III

Richard III (song)

"Richard III" is a song by the band Supergrass. It was the second single to be released from In It for the Money, the band's second album. The single was preceded by "Going Out", which was released over a year before...

" reached number two. Subsequent releases, "Sun Hits the Sky

Sun Hits the Sky

"Sun Hits the Sky" is a song by the Britpop band Supergrass. It was the third single from the band's second album In It for the Money. It was released in June 1997, and reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart...

" and "Late In The Day

Late in the Day

"Late in the Day" was the fourth and final single from Britpop band Supergrass' album In It for the Money. It was released in October 1997, and reached #18 in the UK charts...

" reached numbers 10 and 18 respectively.

Around this time Supergrass also appeared on the front cover of The Big Issue

The Big Issue

The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...

, interviewed for the magazine at Heathrow Airport by infamous ex-drug smuggler Howard Marks

Howard Marks

Dennis Howard Marks is a Welsh author and former drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug...

Further musical growth (1999–2004)

The band again took a short break before returning in 1999 with the single "Pumping on Your Stereo

Pumping on Your Stereo

"Pumping on Your Stereo" is a song by Supergrass, released as their first single from their self-titled third album, Supergrass .The single reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart...

". The promo video, produced in conjunction with the Jim Henson's Creature Shop

Jim Henson's Creature Shop

Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, and Frank Oz.It was originally created as a result of the observation that the team that had been put together for The Dark Crystal was extremely hard to recreate for Labyrinth, since the...

, featured the band with comical "muppet" bodies. The single generated welcome publicity following their time out of the limelight, as did a small sold-out tour scheduled around the single release, the final night of which was at Shepherds Bush Empire

Shepherds Bush Empire

The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...

as part of MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

's "Five Night Stand" festival. The single and the tour were followed by their third LP Supergrass

Supergrass (album)

(1999). The following spring the record was released in the U.S Once more, the album was recorded at Sawmills Studio with longtime associate Cornfield producing. Supergrass was well received critically and commercially and it has since gone platinum in the UK, but did not reap the same level of success as its predecessors. Critics claimed the album was "hit and miss" which showed up particularly as the "also-rans are surrounded by songs that are as great as anything Supergrass has ever recorded". Their next single, "Moving", proved popular and reached the Top Ten in the UK. And their third single, "Mary

Mary (Supergrass song)

"Mary" was the third and final single from the Britpop band Supergrass' eponymous third album. Released in November 1999, it reached a disappointing #36 on the UK Charts, their lowest charting single for 5 years. This was also the last Supergrass single to be released on cassette.-Chord progression...

" entered the Top 40. There followed a long hiatus.

After three years out of the limelight, the band returned with Life on Other Planets

Life on Other Planets

(September 2002). Recorded at Heliocentric, Rockfield

Rockfield Studios

Rockfield Studios, near Monmouth in Wales and just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire are where many of British rock music’s most successful recordings have been made.-History:...

and Mayfair

Mayfair Studios

Mayfair Studios is a recording studio located in Primrose Hill, London, England. The studio was originally established in Mayfair, London in the 1960s thus giving the studio its name...

Studios and produced by Beck

Beck

Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...

collaborator Tony Hoffer

Tony Hoffer

Tony Hoffer is an American producer, guitarist, and music mixer who is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air...

. The album was released in the UK on Parlophone but in US, on the Island Def Jam

The Island Def Jam Music Group

The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group, formerly The Island Def Jam Music Group, is an umbrella label formed in 1999 when Universal Music Group merged two of its daughter companies, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings, to create a label group. In 2011, Motown Records was split from the Universal...

imprint. Though the record was not as commercially successful as Supergrass' first three albums - failing to make the Top Three in the UK album chart - given their extended absence, the album's highest placing at number nine was respectable. However, the critical response to the album was generally very positive, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

from allmusic claiming "The world is a better place for having Supergrass in it.". It has since gone gold in the UK. Life on Other Planets was also notable as it was the first Supergrass album to recognise Rob Coombes as an official member. For the band's first three albums, Supergrass officially consisted of Gaz Coombes, Goffey and Quinn although Rob Coombes contributed to many of the band's songs and videos, and toured with them. Tracks recorded before this were often credited to "Supergrass and Rob Coombes". The band followed Life on Other Planets with another extended three-year hiatus, devoting to touring and personal engagements.

In June 2004 the bands record company suggested the band release a singles compilation Supergrass is 10

Supergrass Is 10

, spawning two new self-produced tracks: Kiss of Life

Kiss of Life (Supergrass song)

"Kiss of Life" is a song by the band Supergrass. It was released as a single from the compilation album, Supergrass is 10. It was a new song, recorded for the compilation and was released in May 2004, reaching #23 in the UK Singles Chart. B-side "We Dream of This" was built around "Kiss of Life"...

and Bullit. The companion DVD contained 'Home Movie', a humorous documentary charting the bands first 10 years achievements, made in collaboration with Seen the Light

Seen the Light

"Seen the Light" is a song by Supergrass. It was the third single from their fourth album Life on Other Planets. It was the first Supergrass release on DVD and reached #22 in the UK Singles Chart when it was released in January 2003...

director Simon Hilton

Simon Hilton

Simon Hilton is a British music video, concert and documentary director and editor and multimedia creative based in London.- Early life and career :...

. The record entered the UK album chart at number four and has since gone gold in the UK.

Development in recent years (2005–2008)

Recording of fifth studio album, Road to Rouen

Road to Rouen

Road to Rouen is the fifth studio album by English rock band Supergrass. The album was released in the UK on 15 August 2005 by Parlophone, and in the US on 27 September 2005 by Capitol Records...

began in France in a studio built by the band in Normandy. Working with French engineer Pierre-Olivier Margerand it represented a significant change in direction and was perceived as a more mature body of work.

St. Petersburg, the string laden first single, was released on 8 August 2005. The album followed a week later ( released 27 September in North America ) and reached #9 on the UK charts, going on to achieve silver status in the UK. Opinion at the time was divided, but the album garnered the band many new fans and a measure of creative respect, some even embraced it as "the sound of a band at last hitting their stride".

Second single, "Low C", featured a video by acclaimed Pumping On Your Stereo

Pumping on Your Stereo

"Pumping on Your Stereo" is a song by Supergrass, released as their first single from their self-titled third album, Supergrass .The single reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart...

director Garth Jennings

Hammer & Tongs

Hammer & Tongs is the pseudonym of promo and film director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, as well as the name of their production company...

, shot in Weeki Wachee Springs

Weeki Wachee Springs

Weeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida, where underwater performances by "mermaids", women dressed with fins about their legs as well as other fancy outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River...

Florida. Third single "Fin

Fin

A fin is a surface used for stability and/or to produce lift and thrust or to steer while traveling in water, air, or other fluid media, . The first use of the word was for the limbs of fish, but has been extended to include other animal limbs and man-made devices...

" interpreted as a missive to the Coombes brothers recently deceased mother, received much critical praise; The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

referring to it as "so gorgeously light and airy that listening to it is like sleepwalking in space".

The band toured the songs in both acoustic and electric formats with percussionist Satin Singh joining the live band throughout. From August 2005 to September 2006 they performed in Japan, South America, USA, and Europe, finishing with a memorable gig at the Beijing Pop Festival

Beijing Pop Festival

The Beijing Pop Festival is a rock music festival held in Beijing, China's Chaoyang Park each September since 2005. It features rock bands from China as well as from overseas....

.
The follow up album, Diamond Hoo Ha

Diamond Hoo Ha

was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio

Hansa Tonstudio

Das Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located on Köthener Strasse in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. Amongst English-performing musical acts it used to be known as 'Hansa Studio By the Wall', 'Hansa by the Wall', or 'The Great Hall by the Wall' in reference to the fact that it was...

, Berlin, with producer Nick Launey and mixed at Seedy Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles. The band toured in the summer 2007, headlining Guilfest

GuilFest

GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...

among others and debuting new material, with the youngest sibling of the Coombes brothers ex-22-20s

22-20s

22-20s are an English rock band formed in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The band originally disbanded in December 2005 but reformed in 2008 and released Shake/Shiver/Moan in 2010....

keyboardist Charly

Charly Coombes

Charly Coombes is an English multi-instrumentalist and vocalist....

on second guitar, percussion and backing vocals.

On 27 September 2007 bassist Mick Quinn

Mick Quinn

sustained a broken heel bone and two spinal fractures in a sleepwalking accident whilst on holiday in France. During his recuperation, Gaz and Danny promoted first single "Diamond Hoo Ha Man

Diamond Hoo Ha Man

"Diamond Hoo Ha Man" is a song by British rock band Supergrass. The single was first played live at Guilfest 2007 in Guildford, England, and this live version was then released as a free download via the band's website...

" as the Diamond Hoo Ha Men, with a run of small club shows in December/January. To celebrate the single release, Mick Quinn appeared as Diamond Ho Ha Man Biff Hymenn at the Apple Store, Regents Street, London, marking his return to touring duties on 15 January". Charly

Charly Coombes

Charly Coombes is an English multi-instrumentalist and vocalist....

directed Glange Fever (under pseudonym Chas Harrison) a rockumentary

Rockumentary

The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a documentary about rock music or its musicians. The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap....

which followed their exploites.
The single was released as a limited edition, chocolate vinyl 7".

In February 2008, the video of their second single "Bad Blood

Bad Blood (Supergrass song)

"Bad Blood" is the second single from British rock group Supergrass' sixth album, Diamond Hoo Ha. It was released on 17 March 2008, which was one week before the album's release date...

" was released on the band's official web-site, winning Best Rock Video at the UK Music Video Awards

UK Music Video Awards

The UK Music Video Awards is an annual celebration of creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music video and moving image for music....

and the single followed on 17 March.

In 2008, Parlophone

Parlophone

was taken over by venture capitalist group, Terra Firma

Terra Firma Capital Partners

Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd is a leading U.K.-based private equity firm, best known for its failed investment in British music company EMI. Financier Guy Hands founded the firm in 2002 through the spin-off of Nomura Principal Finance Group...

and Supergrass ended their contract with the label. Rebel In You

Rebel In You

"Rebel In You" is a song by British rock band Supergrass. It is the third single from the album Diamond Hoo Ha, and is the band's final single release...

, final single from the Diamond Hoo Ha

Diamond Hoo Ha

album, was released, under licence from Parlophone, on the band's own imprint, 'Supergrass Records'.

Independent careers and breakup (2009-2010)

The band headlined Wychwood Festival

Wychwood Festival

The Wychwood Festival is an annual music festival held at Cheltenham racecourse in Gloucestershire, UK, the weekend after the late May Bank Holiday...

on 30 May and also Sellindge Music Festival

Sellindge Music Festival

-The Event:Sellindge Music Festival is a three-day outdoor event that takes place annually in the countryside between Ashford and Folkestone in South Kent...

(6 June), Provinssirock Festival (13 June) and a short European trek in July at BBK Live (10 July) at Bilbao, Bikini Festival (11 July) in Toulouse, Festival Les Ardentes (12 July ) in Liège (Belgium) and Paredes de Coura Festival

Paredes de Coura Festival

Paredes de Coura Festival is a rock festival that is held every year in August at Praia do Tabuão in Paredes de Coura, Portugal. It is one of the three largest music summer festivals in Portugal, together with Sudoeste Festival and Optimus Alive. The first edition was held in 1993...

(30 July) in Portugal. Also a co-headlining date at 2009's Truck Festival

Truck Festival

Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. It was started in 1998 by the Bennett family , who decided that mainstream festivals such as Glastonbury had become too commercial and predictable. It is held in July at Hill Farm in Steventon, near Abingdon...

along with Ash

Ash (band)

Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...

, on 25 July and 26 at Hill Farm in Steventon, Oxfordshire

Steventon, Oxfordshire

Steventon is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, about south of Abingdon and a similar distance west of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred to Oxfordshire.-History:...

.

On 12 April 2010, the band announced they would split after a series of four farewell shows, with their final gig in Paris on 11 June 2010.

At the time of the split, Supergrass were working on their seventh studio album, tentatively titled Release the Drones. In early 2010, the band revealed that the album had been influenced by krautrock

Krautrock

Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...

bands such as Can

Can (band)

Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...

, and drone music

Drone music

Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...

, and that the members had swapped instruments on several tracks during its recording. Coombes said of the approach to the album: "This record's actually been very collaborative. It's been cool to try something different and chaotic." Coombes stated that the album was "nearly finished", and it was scheduled for release in May. The album remains unfinished and unreleased.

Solo projects

During 1998, Coombes and Quinn were invited to play on Dr John's Anutha Zone album (they appear on the track "Voices In My Head"), whilst Goffey contributed to the debut album by Lodger

Lodger

Lodger may refer to:* Lodger , a 1979 art rock album by David Bowie* Lodger , a Finnish indie rock band* Lodger , a short-lived supergroup comprising members of Powder, Supergrass, and Delicatessen...

(which also featured his partner Pearl Lowe

Pearl Lowe

-External links:*...

and members of the band Delicatessen

Delicatessen (band)

Delicatessen were an indie-rock group formed in Leicester, England in the early 1990s. They released three albums and four singles before splitting in 1998.-Biography:...

).

Danny Goffey has also embarked on a solo project between Supergrass engagements called "Van Goffey" which saw tracks being released via 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....

in August 2006, the first three being "Crack House Blues", "I Feel so Gaye" and "Natalie Loves the F". He plays drums on the charity football song "Born In England" by a collective of musicians called Twisted X, which charted at number 8 in the UK Charts in 2004. Danny Goffey was also a drummer in the 2004 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", along with members of Radiohead

Radiohead

Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...

and The Darkness under the name Band Aid 20

Band Aid 20

Band Aid 20 was the 2004 incarnation of the charity group Band Aid. The group, which included Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bono of U2, and Paul McCartney, re-recorded the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written by Band Aid organizers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure.-Recording:The song was recorded...

.

In July 2008, Coombes joined Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...

on stage during a show that saluted The Who

The Who

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...

's musical career, VH1 Rock Honors

VH1 Rock Honors

The VH1 Rock Honors were an annual ceremony paying homage to bands who influenced the sound of rock music. The events began in 2006, and the final event took place in 2008. The general format of each show is for modern bands to "pay tribute" to classic greats of the rock/metal world , after which...

. Coombes performed vocals on The Who's classic song "Bargain".

In 2007 and 2008, while Mick Quinn was still recuperating from his injury, Danny Goffey and Gaz Coombes were performing as the duo Diamond Hoo Ha Men, the name taken from the band's sixth album and its lead single (see above). They appeared in character as Duke Diamond and Randy Hoo Ha to play gigs at small venues. Gigs included an appearance at the Apple Store on London's Regent Street, which featured Mick Quinn's first appearance in the band since his injury. He appeared on stage introduced by Gaz as Biff Hymen.

Goffey and Coombes were members of side-project The Hotrats (originally The Hot Rats). They released an album of covers produced by Nigel Godrich

Nigel Godrich

Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...

called Turn Ons

Turn Ons

Turn Ons is a covers album by The Hotrats. It was released in the UK on 25 January 2010. The album has received generally favorable reviews since its release. It entered the US Heatseekers at number 40.-Track listing:...

in 25 January 2010. A cover of "Drive My Car

Drive My Car

"Drive My Car" is a song primarily written by Paul McCartney, with lyrical contributions from John Lennon, and first released by The Beatles on the British version of the 1965 album Rubber Soul; it also appeared in North America on the Yesterday and Today collection...

" by The Beatles

The Beatles

appears in an advert for Orange, a fragrance by Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss

Hugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...

. Since Supergrass announced they were to split, The Hotrats have joined with Air to perform The Virgin Suicides live for the first time, over several concert dates.

In May 2010 Mick Quinn formed the DB Band with former Shake Appeal

Shake Appeal

Shake Appeal is the name of a rock group from Oxford, England from 1984-1989. The last line-up of the band evolved into Swervedriver.-Origins:...

bassist Fab Wilson. The band released their first EP "Stranger In The Alps" on 17th September 2011. They have toured Holland, France and appeared at Oxford's Truck Festival

Truck Festival

in Stevenage. The band plan to record a full length LP for release in 2012.

Gaz Coombes is currently recording a solo album at his home studio in Oxford. Ten songs have been recorded with Sam Williams, who produced 1995's I Should Coco

I Should Coco

for Supergrass. The album is due for release in 2011.

Discography

I Should Coco
I Should Coco
I Should Coco is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released through Parlophone in May 1995. Supergrass were formed in 1993 by Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey and they released their debut single from the album, "Caught by the Fuzz", in May 1995 on the...

(1995)
In It for the Money
In It for the Money
In It for the Money is the second album by Supergrass, released in 1997. NME called it "more fun than watching a wombat in a washing machine" and named it the 10th best album of the year. In 1998, Q readers voted it the 68th greatest album of all time, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at...

(1997)
Supergrass
Supergrass (album)
Supergrass is the third album by the English rock group Supergrass. It was released in the UK on 20 September 1999 and reached #3. It is often referred to as both "the X-ray" album, due to the picture on the sleeve, and self-titled...

(1999)
Life on Other Planets
Life on Other Planets
Life On Other Planets, or L.O.O.P as it is often abbreviated to, is the fourth album from English rock band Supergrass. It is the first album that includes Rob Coombes as an official member of the band, and originally went under the working title of 'Get Lost'...

(2002)
Road to Rouen
Road to Rouen
Road to Rouen is the fifth studio album by English rock band Supergrass. The album was released in the UK on 15 August 2005 by Parlophone, and in the US on 27 September 2005 by Capitol Records...

(2005)
Diamond Hoo Ha
Diamond Hoo Ha
Diamond Hoo Ha is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Supergrass, released in the UK on 24 March 2008, and offers a return to punchier Supergrass songs, in comparison to the more mellow Road To Rouen, their previous album released in 2005. Several songs appearing on the album were...

(2008)

Awards

Year	Ceremony	Award	Result
1995	Ivor Novello Awards Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...	Best Contemporary Song (Alright Alright/Time "Alright" is a song by British alternative rock band Supergrass. It was released with "Time" as a double A-side single from their debut album I Should Coco on 3 July 1995... )	Won
1995	Mercury Prize Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...	Best Album (I Should Coco I Should Coco I Should Coco is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released through Parlophone in May 1995. Supergrass were formed in 1993 by Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey and they released their debut single from the album, "Caught by the Fuzz", in May 1995 on the... )	Nominated
1995	NME Awards NME Awards The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....	Best New Band	Won
1995	Q Awards Q Awards The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...	Best New Act	Won
1996	BRIT Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...	British Breakthrough Act	Won
1996	Silver Clef Awards	New Music	Won
1998	BRIT Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...	Best British Video (Late In The Day Late in the Day "Late in the Day" was the fourth and final single from Britpop band Supergrass' album In It for the Money. It was released in October 1997, and reached #18 in the UK charts... )	Nominated
2000	BRIT Awards Brit Awards The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...	Best British Video (Pumping on Your Stereo Pumping on Your Stereo "Pumping on Your Stereo" is a song by Supergrass, released as their first single from their self-titled third album, Supergrass .The single reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart... )	Nominated
2005	Muso Awards Muso Awards The Muso Awards is a charity music award ceremony held in London, England, that began in September 2002. The awards are voted "by musicians, for musicians", and the ceremony features live performances by a variety of artists...	Best Male Vocal (Gaz Coombes Gaz Coombes Gaz Coombes is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English alternative rock band, Supergrass. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers which featured Supergrass band mate Danny Goffey... )	Won
2008	UK Music Video Awards UK Music Video Awards The UK Music Video Awards is an annual celebration of creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music video and moving image for music....	Best Rock Video (Bad Blood Bad Blood (Supergrass song) "Bad Blood" is the second single from British rock group Supergrass' sixth album, Diamond Hoo Ha. It was released on 17 March 2008, which was one week before the album's release date... )	Won

External links

The official Supergrass fan site
Children of the Monkey Basket.com - run and maintained by the members of Supergrass.
Through a Glass Darkly: samples from Release the Drones

Twitter of the Monkey Basket

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

The Jennifers and formation (1990–1993)

Britpop years and stardom (1994–1998)

Further musical growth (1999–2004)

Development in recent years (2005–2008)

Independent careers and breakup (2009-2010)

Solo projects

Discography

Awards

Further reading

External links