The Distractions
Encyclopedia
The Distractions are a British
punk rock
/new wave
band from Manchester
, England
.
), now mixing punk rock with sixties influences. They shared bills with the likes of Buzzcocks
, Magazine
and Joy Division
, and their debut EP
, You're Not Going Out Dressed Like That, released in 1979, led to a deal with Factory Records
, who released the follow-up, "Time Goes By So Slow". In a 1979 newsletter, Tony Wilson
described the band: "Reminds the management of AustinTexas 66, but take your choice". The band had already signed a deal with Island Records
in September 1979, before the Factory single was released, according to Wilson "due to irresistible desire to play the game". An album and a few more singles followed, but the band failed to break into the top 40 despite favourable reviews. Shortly after the album's release Perrin quit the band to be replaced by former Ludus
guitarist, Arthur Kadmon
. The group disbanded in 1981. Before their end, the band included another latter member, Debbie Shure.
Finney went on to work with the Secret Seven and the Art of Noise. Kadmon played briefly with The Fall and later went to work in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, who released a sole single in 1987. Pip Nicholls went to play drums in Glass Animals, alongside Miaow
singer Cath Carroll
. Sidebottom leads the Republic of Swing samba band.
In January 2010, The Distractions official website was launched. Later in 2010 the band decided to release their first material in nearly thirty years in the form of the Black Velvet EP on Occultation Recordings. The EP comprised three tracks that were recorded in the mid 1990s during a brief reformation, which also saw them play a few gigs in Manchester and Liverpool. The Black Velvet digital download EP was launched on 13 September 2010 with the download and a limited number of CD promos being offered by Occultation.
Perrin and Finney were back in the studio in June 2010 to record new material for a 12" vinyl EP, Come Home featuring "Lost", "Nicole" and "Oil Painting". Come Home is expected to be released in November 2010, and a compilation album
of The Distractions' TJM, Factory Records and mid 1990s material entitled Nothing will be released on CD in 2011.
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...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, 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...
.
History
The band was originally formed in 1975 by college friends Mike Finney (vocals) and Steve Perrin (guitar), alongside Lawrence Tickle (bass) and Tony Trap (drums). The band changed tack with the advent of punk in 1977 and Finney and Perrin recruited a new line-up of Pip Nicholls (bass), Adrian Wright (guitar), and Alec Sidebottom (drums, formerly of The Purple GangThe Purple Gang (band)
The Purple Gang are a British rock band active intermittently since the 1960s.-History:Although they were associated with the London psychedelic scene, they originated in Stockport, then in Cheshire, as a jugband. The band adopted the name, The Purple Gang, when they changed their image to the...
), now mixing punk rock with sixties influences. They shared bills with the likes of Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, Magazine
Magazine (band)
Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...
and Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, and their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, You're Not Going Out Dressed Like That, released in 1979, led to a deal with Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
, who released the follow-up, "Time Goes By So Slow". In a 1979 newsletter, Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
described the band: "Reminds the management of AustinTexas 66, but take your choice". The band had already signed a deal with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in September 1979, before the Factory single was released, according to Wilson "due to irresistible desire to play the game". An album and a few more singles followed, but the band failed to break into the top 40 despite favourable reviews. Shortly after the album's release Perrin quit the band to be replaced by former Ludus
Ludus
Luduș is a town in central Romania in Mureș County, 44 km south-west from the county's capital Târgu Mureș.Six villages are administered by the town: Avrămeşti , Cioarga , Ciurgău , Fundătura , Gheja and Roșiori .-History:* 1330 - First mentioned as Plehanus de...
guitarist, Arthur Kadmon
Arthur Kadmon
Arthur Kadmon was a guitarist who worked with different New Wave bands from Manchester, England, as Manicured Noise, Ludus, The Distractions and The Fall....
. The group disbanded in 1981. Before their end, the band included another latter member, Debbie Shure.
Finney went on to work with the Secret Seven and the Art of Noise. Kadmon played briefly with The Fall and later went to work in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, who released a sole single in 1987. Pip Nicholls went to play drums in Glass Animals, alongside Miaow
Miaow (band)
Miaow were an indie band from Manchester, England, active between 1984 and 1988. They were led by former Glass Animals singer and NME writer Cath Carroll on vocals and guitar, with Steve Maguire , Ron Caine and Chris Fenner...
singer Cath Carroll
Cath Carroll
Cath Carroll is a British musician and music journalist.-Career:Carroll was raised in Swansea, then Manchester. She played guitar in post-punk band Property of... in 1978, which also included former Warsaw drummer Tony Tabac. In 1979 she formed the band Glass Animals with her friend Liz Naylor...
. Sidebottom leads the Republic of Swing samba band.
In January 2010, The Distractions official website was launched. Later in 2010 the band decided to release their first material in nearly thirty years in the form of the Black Velvet EP on Occultation Recordings. The EP comprised three tracks that were recorded in the mid 1990s during a brief reformation, which also saw them play a few gigs in Manchester and Liverpool. The Black Velvet digital download EP was launched on 13 September 2010 with the download and a limited number of CD promos being offered by Occultation.
Perrin and Finney were back in the studio in June 2010 to record new material for a 12" vinyl EP, Come Home featuring "Lost", "Nicole" and "Oil Painting". Come Home is expected to be released in November 2010, and a compilation album
Compilation album
A 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...
of The Distractions' TJM, Factory Records and mid 1990s material entitled Nothing will be released on CD in 2011.
Singles/EPs
- You're Not Going Out Dressed Like That EP: "Doesn't Bother Me/Nothing" b/w "Maybe It's Love/Too Young" (1979) TJM
- "Time Goes By So Slow" b/w "Pillow Fight" (1979) Factory
- "It Doesn't Bother Me" b/w "One Way Love" (1980) Island
- "Boys Cry" b/w "Paracetamol Paralysis" (1980) Island
- "Something For The Weekend" b/w "What's The Use?" (1980) Island
- And Then There's... EP: "24 Hours" b/w "Ghost Of A Chance/Love Is Not For Me" (1981) That (UK indieUK Indie ChartThe UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
#47) - Black Velvet EP: "Black Velvet", "Still It Doesn't Ring", "If You Were Mine" (2010) Occultation Recordings
- Come Home EP: "Lost", "Nicole", "Oil Painting" (2010) Occultation Recordings
Albums
- Nobody's PerfectNobody's Perfect (Distractions album)Nobody's Perfect is the debut album by UK new-wave band The Distractions. Following the records's poor sales, the band split in 1981, the album remaining The Distractions' only LP....
(1980) IslandIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...