The June Brides
Encyclopedia
The June Brides were an English
indie pop
group, formed in London
in 1983, by Phil Wilson and Simon Beesley of International Rescue
. Influenced by Postcard-label bands such as Josef K
and punk-era bands such as Buzzcocks
, The Desperate Bicycles
and The Television Personalities, their mix of guitar pop with viola and trumpet formed a blueprint for many of the indie pop
bands that would follow.
boss Alan McGee
who gave them several gigs at the now famous 'Living Room', but reputedly decided not to sign The June Brides to his new label as it would have been "too obvious". Two Joe Foster-produced 1984 singles on The Pink Label, "In The Rain" and "Every Conversation" saw The June Brides receive much attention and these two songs appeared frequently on compilation albums from that era. A year later, the mini-album There Are Eight Million Stories... appeared (produced by John O'Neill
of That Petrol Emotion
) and went straight to number one in the UK Indie Chart
, staying there for a month. The album remained in the indie chart for 38 weeks. Disillusioned with Pink, the band moved to Marc Riley
's In-Tape label for two further singles - "No Place Like Home" and "This Town" and in 1986 opened for The Smiths
on their Irish tour dates. The June Brides were asked to contribute to the NME
s C86
compilation but declined for fear of being pigeonholed.
After losing confidence in In-Tape, they approached Go! Discs, who had offered them a deal the previous year, but with the band falling out of favour with critics and some of their early fans,
Go! Discs were no longer interested. The band split in 1986, with singer Wilson embarking on a solo career on Creation Records
.
In 2006, Sarandon
paid tribute by naming their fourth 7" album The June Bride, which saw Phil Wilson guesting on vocals.
The band were also honoured in 2006 by a tribute album Still Unravished
, released on Irish label yesboyicecream records, which featured covers by bands such as Manic Street Preachers
, Television Personalities, The Tyde
, Jeffrey Lewis
& The Jasmine Minks
. Dave Eggers
and Everett True
contributed liner notes for the album.
On 23 January 2009, Phil Wilson, Simon Beesley, Jon Hunter and Frank Sweeney reformed The June Brides for a one off show at The Others, Stoke Newington in London
.
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...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
group, formed in 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...
in 1983, by Phil Wilson and Simon Beesley of International Rescue
International Rescue
International Rescue can refer to*International Rescue Corps, the UK rescue organisation*A fictional rescue organization seen in Thunderbirds *The original name of UK indie band The June Brides*A hit 1989 song by Fuzzbox...
. Influenced by Postcard-label bands such as Josef K
Josef K (band)
Josef K were a Scottish post-punk band, active between 1979 and 1982, who released singles on the Postcard Records label. The band was named after the protagonist of Franz Kafka's novel The Trial...
and punk-era bands such as 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...
, The Desperate Bicycles
Desperate Bicycles
The Desperate Bicycles were an English new wave group who released a series of independent recordings in the late 1970s and inspired many other bands to do likewise. The Desperate Bicycles pioneered the do-it-yourself ethic of punk, adopting a proselytising role exemplified by their ardent...
and The Television Personalities, their mix of guitar pop with viola and trumpet formed a blueprint for many of the indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
bands that would follow.
History
After forming in June 1983, they first played live as a band in August that year, soon attracting the attention of future Creation RecordsCreation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
boss Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
who gave them several gigs at the now famous 'Living Room', but reputedly decided not to sign The June Brides to his new label as it would have been "too obvious". Two Joe Foster-produced 1984 singles on The Pink Label, "In The Rain" and "Every Conversation" saw The June Brides receive much attention and these two songs appeared frequently on compilation albums from that era. A year later, the mini-album There Are Eight Million Stories... appeared (produced by John O'Neill
John O'Neill (guitarist)
John Joseph O'Neill is the rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter within the punk/new wave band The Undertones...
of That Petrol Emotion
That Petrol Emotion
That Petrol Emotion are a Northern Irish, London-based band with an American vocalist, Steve Mack.-Career:The band originally formed in 1984 from the ashes of the Derry Hitmakers, Bam Bam and the Calling and The Undertones. It was formed by guitarist John O'Neill and second guitarist Raymond Gorman...
) and went straight to number one in the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The 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...
, staying there for a month. The album remained in the indie chart for 38 weeks. Disillusioned with Pink, the band moved to Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
's In-Tape label for two further singles - "No Place Like Home" and "This Town" and in 1986 opened for The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
on their Irish tour dates. The June Brides were asked to contribute to the 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...
s C86
C86 (music)
C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey melodies, although other...
compilation but declined for fear of being pigeonholed.
After losing confidence in In-Tape, they approached Go! Discs, who had offered them a deal the previous year, but with the band falling out of favour with critics and some of their early fans,
Go! Discs were no longer interested. The band split in 1986, with singer Wilson embarking on a solo career on Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
.
In 2006, Sarandon
Sarandon (band)
Sarandon are an English indie rock group, formed in London in 2003, who have so far released two albums.-History:Initially formed by singer/guitarist Simon Williams , drummer James Higgott and bass player Joe Morris , the group played their debut show in central London after having rehearsed only...
paid tribute by naming their fourth 7" album The June Bride, which saw Phil Wilson guesting on vocals.
The band were also honoured in 2006 by a tribute album Still Unravished
Still Unravished
Still Unravished - A Tribute To The June Brides is a tribute album to the English indie pop band The June Brides, consisting of cover versions of their songs. The liner notes were written by Dave Eggers and Everett True...
, released on Irish label yesboyicecream records, which featured covers by bands such as Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
, Television Personalities, The Tyde
The Tyde
The Tyde are an American indie rock group. Tracing their roots to early 1990s LA indie band Further, formed by Darren Rademaker and brother Brent, The Tyde cite Felt, The Beach Boys and The Byrds as major influences....
, Jeffrey Lewis
Jeffrey Lewis
Jeffrey Lewis is an American singer/songwriter and comic book artist.-Early life:Lewis attended State University of New York at Purchase and graduated in 1997 with a degree in Literature...
& The Jasmine Minks
The Jasmine Minks
The Jasmine Minks are a British indie band, whose early singles were amongst the first releases by Creation Records.-History:Formed in Aberdeen in 1983, the band were initially a quartet of Jim Shepherd , Adam Sanderson , Martin Keena, and Tom Reid...
. Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
and Everett True
Everett True
For the cartoon character, see The Outbursts of Everett True.Everett True is a British music journalist, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex...
contributed liner notes for the album.
On 23 January 2009, Phil Wilson, Simon Beesley, Jon Hunter and Frank Sweeney reformed The June Brides for a one off show at The Others, Stoke Newington in 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...
.
EPs
- "This Town" (May 1986, In-Tape, IT030 [7"]/ITT030 [12"])
- Peel Sessions (22/10/85) (Apr 1987, Strange Fruit, SFPS023 [12"]) #29
Compilations
- For Better Or Worse (Jan 1995, Overground, OVER40CD [CD])
- Every Conversation: The Story Of The June Brides & Phil Wilson (2005, Cherry Red, CDM RED 273 [2CD])
Singles
- "In The Rain"/"Sunday to Saturday" (Jun 1984, Pink, PINKY1 [7"])
- "Every Conversation"/"Disneyland" (Sep 1984, Pink, PINKY2 [7"]) #11
- "In The Rain/Every Conversation" (Apr 1986, Pink, PINLY9 [12"])
- "No Place Called Home"/"We Belong" (Nov 1985, In-Tape, IT024 [7"]/ITT024 [12"]) #3
Tribute albums
- Still Unravished - A Tribute to The June BridesStill UnravishedStill Unravished - A Tribute To The June Brides is a tribute album to the English indie pop band The June Brides, consisting of cover versions of their songs. The liner notes were written by Dave Eggers and Everett True...
(Feb 2006, Yesboyicecream, YBI01 [LP])