The Broken Family Band
Encyclopedia
The Broken Family Band were a British
rock band from Cambridge
and London
.
The band was formed in Cambridge
, England
by Steven Adams, Jay Williams, Micky Roman and Gavin Johnson in 2001, following the break-up of Adams and Williams’ indie rock band Hofman. Their musical style has variously been referred to as alt. country, country rock, new wave, and indie-rock (the latter term being favoured by the band).
, they were signed to indie label Snowstorm, for which they recorded one mini album ‘The King Will Build A Disco’ and their first full length album ‘Cold Water Songs’, both of which featured guest appearances from Samantha Parton from The Be Good Tanyas
, Martin Green from Lau
, Inge Thomson
from Harem Scarem
and Owen Turner from Magoo
. Both records received an excellent critical response, as well bringing the group to the attention of John Peel
, who had them record two sessions.
Following a trip to South By Southwest
in Austin
, Texas
, the band moved to The Track & Field Organisation
record label, for which they recorded the mini album Jesus Songs (which includes a cover of "The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 2" by Neutral Milk Hotel
, having received permission from the song’s reclusive author Jeff Mangum), and the albums Welcome Home, Loser, Balls and Hello Love. Throughout this period the group’s reputation and fanbase increased, resulting in them performing at Glastonbury Festival
, the Green Man
Festival, Tanned Tin, on the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival
, in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Ireland…
The Broken Family Band were invited in 2006 to make a short film for Channel 4 for their "4Play" strand; they did this and it was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 22nd October 2006 at 1.25am, with 0.14 million viewers (4.1% UK audience share). The second broadcast was on 12th November 2006 at 2.10am, with 0.07 million viewers and a 3.6% audience share. The programme was ably produced by High Horse Films.
The group originally featured a selection of guests, both on recordings and in live performance, although as their sound become less rooted in acoustic traditions, they began to solely appear as a four-piece, occasionally augmented by Timothy Victor.
In 2009 the band moved to Cooking Vinyl
and released the album Please And Thank You. The band announced on their 2009 tour that this album will be their last, and that their final date in Cambridge will be their last gig.
In November 2007, Welcome Home Loser was included in The Guardian
newspaper's '1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die'.
In 2006 Adams released the album 'Problems' on Track & Field under the name The Singing Adams, which featured contributions from various friends. A live band version of The Singing Adams featuring Timothy Victor and Howard Monk performed a few shows in London in 2007.
Adams has also written for The Guardian
and The Times
newspapers, as well as for The Stool Pigeon music paper. In 2006 he was commissioned by The Today Programme to write a song commemorating the show broadcasting from Glastonbury Festival. In 2008 he was commissioned to write a song for Radio 3’s The Verb as well as a Christmas
song for The Today Programme.
Roman also plays drums for Daniel Flay & The Irreparable Guilt. As of November 2009, the group are recording an E.P due for limited release in 2010 with shows around the U.K to be announced.http://www.myspace.com/danielflay
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...
rock band from Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and London
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...
.
The band was formed in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, 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...
by Steven Adams, Jay Williams, Micky Roman and Gavin Johnson in 2001, following the break-up of Adams and Williams’ indie rock band Hofman. Their musical style has variously been referred to as alt. country, country rock, new wave, and indie-rock (the latter term being favoured by the band).
Career
Originally formed “for fun” and to play irregular shows at their local pub and record one album, the band were encouraged by friends to perform support slots in London. After appearing on a bill with The WalkmenThe Walkmen
The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon , Walter Martin , and Matt Barrick —and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser . All but Bauer...
, they were signed to indie label Snowstorm, for which they recorded one mini album ‘The King Will Build A Disco’ and their first full length album ‘Cold Water Songs’, both of which featured guest appearances from Samantha Parton from The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian traditional music group, whose influences included folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they performed can be referred to as alt-country or Americana.-Career:...
, Martin Green from Lau
Lau
Lau may refer to:An indigenous people that live on the Solomon Islands.People with the German/Austrian surname:* Charlie Lau, catcher and hitting coach in Major League Baseball* Laurence Lau , actor...
, Inge Thomson
Inge Thomson
Inge Thomson is a singer and multi instrumentalist from Fair Isle in Shetland.She is a founder member of Harem Scarem and plays accordion and percussion in Karine Polwart's band...
from Harem Scarem
Harem Scarem
Harem Scarem were a Canadian melodic rock band from Toronto, ON. Harem Scarem achieved popularity in Japan and their native Canada in the early 1990s. Harem Scarem were active from 1987 to 2008...
and Owen Turner from Magoo
Magoo
Magoo may refer to:*Mr. Magoo, a cartoon character** Mr. Magoo , a live-action movie about the cartoon*Magoo , American rapper*Magoo , an indie rock band from Norfolk, England...
. Both records received an excellent critical response, as well bringing the group to the attention of 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...
, who had them record two sessions.
Following a trip to South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the band moved to The Track & Field Organisation
The Track & Field Organisation
The Track & Field Organization is a London based independent record label, founded in 1999 by Steven Drew and Paul Wright. The label's first release was Kicker's "Said and Done" / "Chancifer" single, in April 2000, and The Tyde's debut album, Once, in March 2001.-Artists:* Beatnik Filmstars* The...
record label, for which they recorded the mini album Jesus Songs (which includes a cover of "The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 2" by Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
, having received permission from the song’s reclusive author Jeff Mangum), and the albums Welcome Home, Loser, Balls and Hello Love. Throughout this period the group’s reputation and fanbase increased, resulting in them performing at 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...
, the Green Man
Green Man
A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit...
Festival, Tanned Tin, on the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival
Cambridge Folk Festival
The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival held on the site of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. It occurs...
, in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Ireland…
The Broken Family Band were invited in 2006 to make a short film for Channel 4 for their "4Play" strand; they did this and it was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 22nd October 2006 at 1.25am, with 0.14 million viewers (4.1% UK audience share). The second broadcast was on 12th November 2006 at 2.10am, with 0.07 million viewers and a 3.6% audience share. The programme was ably produced by High Horse Films.
The group originally featured a selection of guests, both on recordings and in live performance, although as their sound become less rooted in acoustic traditions, they began to solely appear as a four-piece, occasionally augmented by Timothy Victor.
In 2009 the band moved 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 released the album Please And Thank You. The band announced on their 2009 tour that this album will be their last, and that their final date in Cambridge will be their last gig.
Critical reception
In 2007, Time Out described the band as being "Cambridge’s most famous recipients of relentless critical acclaim".In November 2007, Welcome Home Loser was included in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper's '1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die'.
Extra-curricular activities
Steven Adams now performs with the band Singing Adams, who released their debut album 'Everybody Friends Now' on Records Records Records records in April 2010.In 2006 Adams released the album 'Problems' on Track & Field under the name The Singing Adams, which featured contributions from various friends. A live band version of The Singing Adams featuring Timothy Victor and Howard Monk performed a few shows in London in 2007.
Adams has also written for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspapers, as well as for The Stool Pigeon music paper. In 2006 he was commissioned by The Today Programme to write a song commemorating the show broadcasting from Glastonbury Festival. In 2008 he was commissioned to write a song for Radio 3’s The Verb as well as a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
song for The Today Programme.
Roman also plays drums for Daniel Flay & The Irreparable Guilt. As of November 2009, the group are recording an E.P due for limited release in 2010 with shows around the U.K to be announced.http://www.myspace.com/danielflay
Singles
- "Love Your Man, Love Your Woman" - June 2007
- "Happy Days Are Here Again" (Track & Field) - September 2005
- "Poor Little Thing" (Harvest Time Recordings) - April 2004
- "The Broken Family Band & Magoo Christmas single" (Snowstorm Records) - December 2003
- "At the Back of the Chapel" (Snowstorm Records) - September 2003
- "Mitcham's Corner/This Is a Drinking Establishment" (Glitterhouse Records) - June 2003
- "The Perfect Gentleman" (Snowstorm Records) - March 2003
Mini albums
- Jesus SongsJesus SongsJesus Songs is a 2004 mini-album by British group The Broken Family Band. The songs have a unifying theme in Jesus Christ, though the band themselves are not Christians....
(Track & Field) - March 2004 - The King Will Build a Disco (Snowstorm Records) - November 2002
Albums
- Please and Thank You (Cooking Vinyl) - April 2009
- Hello Love (Track & Field) - July 2007
- Balls (Track & Field) - February 2006
- Welcome Home, LoserWelcome Home, LoserWelcome Home, Loser is the second full-length album by British group The Broken Family Band. It was released in 2005 by the Track & Field Organisation.-Track listing:#Happy Days Are Here Again - 2:54#Living in Sin - 3:10#O Princess - 3:15...
(Track & Field) - February 2005 - Cold Water Songs (Snowstorm Records) - June 2003