The The
Encyclopedia
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson
being the only constant band member.
in the NME
, asking for
"Bass/lead guitarist into Velvets
/Syd Barrett
". Johnson later placed a second advertisement in the NME, stating his new influences as "The Residents
/Throbbing Gristle
".
Finally, The The made their debut at London's Africa Centre on 11 May 1979, third on the bill to Scritti Politti
and PragVEC
, using backing tape tracks that Johnson created at his day job at De Wolfe studios for the drums and bass. The band at this point consisted of Johnson on vocal, electric piano, guitar and tapes and Keith Laws on synthesiser and tapes.
In 1978 Johnson had recorded a demo solo album
(See Without Being Seen) which he continued to sell at various underground gigs on cassettes. In 1979, working with Colin Lloyd-Tucker (a friend from De Wolfe Music
the Soho music publisher/recording studio they were both employed by) Johnson recorded his first album proper, Spirits which featured the track "What Stanley Saw", later licensed to Cherry Red Records
for their Perspectives & Distortion compilation album
, to appear alongside Virgin Prunes
, Lemon Kittens, Thomas Leer
, Kevin Coyne
and Mark Perry
. To date this is the only song from Spirits to have been commercially released. As The The was now getting underway, Johnson was simultaneously working with experimental synth-pop combo The Gadgets.
Peter Ashworth
, now a photographer but then known as Triash, became The The's drummer in 1980, and Tom Johnston (also managing The The at this point and later to become a cartoonist for the Evening Standard
, Daily Mirror and The Sun
newspapers) was added on bass. It was Keith Laws who suggested the name '' to Matt Johnson. Although both Ashworth and Johnston were credited with appearing on The The's debut single ("Controversial Subject"/"Black and White") on 4AD Records
neither actually played on the recordings
, which were produced by Wire
members Bruce Gilbert
and Graham Lewis
. All instruments
were played by Johnson and Laws. Johnston and Ashworth soon dropped out of The The and to return to their respective day jobs.
As a duo (Johnson and Laws), The The began playing shows with Wire
, Cabaret Voltaire
, DAF
, This Heat
, The Birthday Party
and Scritti Politti
.
In 1981 Johnson was signed up by Ivo Watts-Russell
for 4AD Records to record a solo album Burning Blue Soul
. Although all of the instruments and vocals were performed by Johnson, the album featured various producers including Wire's Bruce Gilbert
and Graham Lewis
, Ivo and Johnson himself. Years later, due to a request from Johnson it would be re-issued and credited to The The.
In September 1981, the duo (Johnson and Laws) signed a deal with Some Bizzare Records
, and released the 7" single "Cold Spell Ahead". Shortly thereafter, Laws left to pursue his studies and the only remaining member of The The was Johnson. Later in 1981, Colin Lloyd-Tucker and Simon Fisher-Turner would team up with Johnson for a series of stripped down The The acoustic concerts in London.
.
In 1982, the intended debut album by The The (The Pornography of Despair) was recorded, but was never officially released. Johnson apparently ran off some cassette copies for friends, and several tracks were subsequently re-recorded and issued as b-sides, but the album remains unmixed and unissued. Steve James Sherlock played flute and saxophone on the re-recordings of "Three Orange Kisses From Kazan" and "Waitin' For The Upturn", two of the songs from the album which saw the light of day as b-sides.
Instead, in 1983 The The released their official album debut, the synth-noir classic Soul Mining
. It featured the minor UK #71 hit "This Is the Day
", as well as a new recording of "Uncertain Smile". Produced by Johnson and Paul Hardiman
it featured guest appearances from Orange Juice
's drummer Zeke Manyika
, Jools Holland
, Thomas Leer
and J. G. Thirlwell
(aka Foetus
).
During The The's more prolific period of releases, from Soul Mining (1983) to Dusk (1992), most artwork used on the albums and single releases was produced by Johnson's brother Andrew Johnson
, using the pseudonym Andy Dog. The artwork has a distinctive style, and sometimes courted controversy, most notably the initial release of the 1986 single "Infected" which featured a masturbating devil and was withdrawn from sale and re-issued with an edited version of the same drawing.
For the 1986 album Infected, The The still only consisted of Johnson, but augmented by session musicians and featured friends such as Orange Juice
drummer/singer Zeke Manyika
and Rip Rig + Panic singer Neneh Cherry
. This album spawned four charting singles in the UK, notably "Heartland" and made the UK Top 30. It was also unusual for having a full length accompanying film. Costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, Infected: The Movie was shot on locations in Bolivia, Peru and New York. Different songs were directed by different directors, mainly Tim Pope
and Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson
(of Throbbing Gristle
). Throughout 1986-1987 Johnson toured the world extensively with Infected: The Movie, showing the film in cinemas in place of performing live concerts. The film was also shown twice in its entirety on Channel 4
in the UK and on MTV
's 120 Minutes
in the US
.
In 1987 Johnson also took some tentative steps back into live performance. Whilst promoting Infected: The Movie in Australia he had a chance encounter with Billy Bragg
who persuaded him to return to Britain and support Red Wedge
, a coalition of like-minded musicians supporting the British Labour Party
in its election campaign. Johnson agreed and enrolled long time friend and collaborator Zeke Manyika
to join him in performing shows in London featuring stripped down versions of political The The songs such as "Heartland". This experience convinced Johnson to put a band together once again.
guitarist Johnny Marr
, ex-Julian Cope
bassist James Eller and ex-ABC
drummer David Palmer as full fledged members. This line-up, plus guest singer Sinéad O'Connor
, recorded the album Mind Bomb
, which debuted at #4 in the UK Albums Chart
and featured the band's highest charting single to that time, "The Beat(en) Generation", which peaked at #18 in the UK Singles Chart
. The first single from Mind Bomb
was actually scheduled to be "Armageddon Days (are here again)" but with its chorus of "Islam is rising, the Christians mobilising" and sensitivities over the Salman Rushdie affair that had recently erupted, this song was deemed unsuitable for release by Epic/CBS.
Keyboardist D.C. Collard was added to the official line-up in 1989 (keyboard player Steve Hogarth
, who'd played on Infected, had initially been asked to join but opted instead to become the new lead vocalist of Marillion
). The band embarked on a lengthy world tour in 1989–90 called The The Versus The World. The final line up was complete when Melanie Redmond, who had just completed a world tour with Duran Duran joined the tour during the European leg. The live film of the same name, directed by Tim Pope
, was filmed during the three nights The The performed at London's Royal Albert Hall
at the end of the tour.
sasa
In 1990 the studio EP Shades of Blue was released. This included cover versions of Fred Neil
's "Dolphins" and Duke Ellington
's "Solitude" as well as a new original song "Jealous of Youth" and a live version of "Another Boy Drowning" from Burning Blue Soul. This and a later EP of remixes, 1993's Dis-infected, were compiled into a 1994 full-length album for the North American market called Solitude.
In 1993, the five-piece line-up issued the album Dusk
, which debuted at #2 in the UK and spun off three Top 40 singles in the UK, led by "Dogs of Lust". Another world tour followed, the Lonely Planet tour, at which point the band's line-up was reshuffled; Marr and Eller left, and were replaced by Atlanta based guitarist Keith Joyner and New York bassist Jared Michael Nickerson, respectively. Also added was Boston harmonica player Jim Fitting, who auditioned in New York in early 1993. The version of their hit "This Is The Day" featuring Jim Fitting was often dubbed "That Was The Day". Palmer bowed out partway through the tour and was replaced by ex Stabbing Westward
drummer Andy Kubiszewski
.
Another full length film, directed by long time collaborator Tim Pope
, was made for this album. From Dusk Til Dawn was shot in New Orleans and New York and along with Johnson and Johnny Marr also featured various characters from the New York underground scene such as sexologist Annie Sprinkle
, writer and raconteur Quentin Crisp
, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa
, and porn star Rick Savage
amongst many other carnival characters.
Now permanently relocated to New York, The The's next project was 1995's Hanky Panky
, an album that consisted entirely of Hank Williams cover tunes. Hanky Panky was recorded by a new group consisting of Johnson, Collard, Fitting, ex Iggy Pop
guitarist Eric Schermerhorn
, ex David Bowie
bass guitarist Gail Ann Dorsey
(billed as "Hollywood" Dorsey), and drummer the "Reverend" Brian MacLeod. Their cover version of "I Saw The Light" hit #31 UK.
In 1997 an experimental album called Gun Sluts was recorded but left unreleased by the band after it was rejected for being too uncommercial by their label. The The severed their eighteen year relationship with Sony and moved to Interscope, on Trent Reznor
's Nothing Records
imprint.
In 2000, The The, now consisting of Johnson, Schermerhorn, Nashville bassist Spencer Campbell and drummer Earl Harvin, released NakedSelf
and embarked on yet another lengthy world tour, the Naked Tour, this one lasting 14 months. NakedSelf
remains The The's final studio album to date.
This same line-up also recorded two new tracks, "Deep Down Truth", featuring Angela McCluskey
on vocals and "Pillar Box Red". Both songs were produced by Clive Langer
and Alan Winstanley
for the 2002 compilation album 45 RPM: The Singles of The The
In June 2002, The The made a sole live appearance at the Meltdown Festival at London's Royal Festival Hall as guests of David Bowie
. At this point, the band consisted solely of Johnson and longtime friend and collaborator J. G. Thirlwell
aka Foetus
on tapes and loops, and young film director Benn Northover on film and video.
This is the last live performance by The The to date; Johnson has stated on the official The The web site in the FAQ section that "There are no plans for one-off shows or tours in the near future but there will undoubtedly be another The The tour at some point."
For Swedish filmmaker Johanna St Michaels this has included Best Wishes Bernhard (prize winning film of Dokumentär Films Premien Nordic Panorama 2003), Snapshots From Reality (Nominated for Best International Short at ICA Birdseye View Film festival London 2007) The Track, Going Live, The Island Amid the Worlds and Bilder av Dina.
For English director Nichola Bruce it has included the documentary The Dramatic Art of Steven Berkhoff and a new documentary feature film about the Apollo moon landings, Moonbug, which was completed in autumn 2010 and won the Special Jury Remi Award for Theatrical Feature Documentary at the 2011 Houston International Film Festival. The soundtrack is penciled in for release in early 2012 as volume 2 in the Cineola series of original soundtrack albums.
Je t'aime infiniment, a film co-directed by Lebanese filmmaker Corine Shawi and Danish director Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen was completed in 2010.
In May 2007, The The also released a new download-only single on their web site. Entitled "Mrs. Mac", an autobiographical song about Johnson's first day at school as a child in Stratford, East London. All instruments and vocals on the track were performed by Johnson.
A press release was issued along with this track, announcing a forthcoming The The album called The End of the Day with various songs from The The's catalogue being performed by some of Johnson's favourite artists including Elysian Fields
, J.G. Thirlwell, Thomas Leer
, Elbow
, Rob Ellis, John Parish
, Anna Domino
, Meja
, Angela McCluskey
, Ergo Phizmiz among others. To date, the album remains a work in progress, although a preview can be heard on the Jukebox at the band's official site.
In June 2009 it was announced that The The had created an original soundtrack to the Gerard Johnson
debut feature film Tony
. The film was released in February 2010 to critical acclaim; Sight & Sound
said “If Mike Leigh remade Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer... Remarkable", The Guardian
"The perfect marriage of genre and style" and The Independent
“Grim, painful and uncomfortably funny”. The soundtrack
was released on The The's Cineola imprint in March 2010, as volume one of several upcoming soundtrack and instrumental albums.
A new generation was recently been exposed to The The's music on American television as "This Is The Day" has been extensively used in high profile advertising campaigns for Levi's Dockers, M&Ms and Amazon. The The's music continues to be used on British radio and television such as in Shane Meadows recent Channel 4 series This Is England '86
. In 2011 "This Is The Day" was covered by British band Manic Street Preachers
and received extensive radio play.
The The launched 'Radio Cineola' in January 2010, a monthly 15 minute broadcast from their official web site featuring previews of upcoming releases, works in progress, chats with collaborators and from the vault, previously unheard material. The shows are presented by Johnson and other guests. Shows so far have included contributions from, and collaborations with musicians Deadly Avenger, Hayley Willis, Thomas Feiner, Angela McCluskey, Colin Lloyd Tucker plus poet John Tottenham, photographer Steve Pyke
, actress Marlene Kaminsky, spiritual healer Abdi Assadi and many others. Monthly downloadable Radio Cineola broadcasts ceased at the end of December 2010.
During this period Johnson's political activity seems to have been limited to conservation issues in his native East London. He was a founder member of the Save Shoreditch committee and directed and narrated a short film for its cause. Along with fellow artists such as Brad Lochore, Tracey Emin
and Lucinda Rogers he has been fighting the eastwards expansion of the City of London into Shoreditch and the probable demolition of much of this East London neighbourhood.
Official band members have been:
Exclusive The The tracks appear on the following compilation albums of tracks by various artists:
See also: "Solitude" (EP) which was released in December 1999 and contained remixes of The The songs - most notably, "That was the Day", a version of their hit single, "This is the Day".
Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
being the only constant band member.
Early years (1977–1981)
In November 1977, Matt Johnson placed an advertisementAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
in 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...
, asking for
"Bass/lead guitarist into Velvets
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
/Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
". Johnson later placed a second advertisement in the NME, stating his new influences as "The Residents
The Residents
The Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
/Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
".
Finally, The The made their debut at London's Africa Centre on 11 May 1979, third on the bill to Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Although there have been various changes to the line-up, Cardiff-born singer-songwriter Green Gartside was the founding member of the band and the only member to have remained throughout the group's...
and PragVEC
PragVEC
prag VEC were a post-punk band from London, probably most famous for the song "Cigarettes" on their debut EP: We can sit about, talk about the kinds of fags we smoke and for the reference to them in the Half Man Half Biscuit song "prag VEC at the Melkweg"....
, using backing tape tracks that Johnson created at his day job at De Wolfe studios for the drums and bass. The band at this point consisted of Johnson on vocal, electric piano, guitar and tapes and Keith Laws on synthesiser and tapes.
In 1978 Johnson had recorded a demo solo album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
(See Without Being Seen) which he continued to sell at various underground gigs on cassettes. In 1979, working with Colin Lloyd-Tucker (a friend from De Wolfe Music
De Wolfe Music
De Wolfe Music is the originator of what has become known as production music as it was established in 1909 and began its recorded library in 1927 with the advent of 'Talkies'. The library consists of over 80,000 tracks, all pre-cleared for licensing and synchronisation...
the Soho music publisher/recording studio they were both employed by) Johnson recorded his first album proper, Spirits which featured the track "What Stanley Saw", later licensed to Cherry Red Records
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
for their Perspectives & Distortion 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...
, to appear alongside Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes
Virgin Prunes was an Irish gothic rock band formed in 1977. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name The Prunes until they split up in 1990.-Career:...
, Lemon Kittens, Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer is a British musician who as well as releasing a number of albums and singles in his own right, was also one half of the 1980s electropop band Act...
, Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne
Kevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star" was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004....
and Mark Perry
Mark Perry
Mark Perry may refer to:* Mark Perry , college wrestler at the University of Iowa* Mark Perry , American author* Mark Perry , professor at the University of Michigan...
. To date this is the only song from Spirits to have been commercially released. As The The was now getting underway, Johnson was simultaneously working with experimental synth-pop combo The Gadgets.
Peter Ashworth
Peter Ashworth
Peter Ashworth is a UK photographer. Ashworth initially specialized in music photography, between 1979 and 2000. In the 1980s, he worked with many UK bands including Eurythmics, Soft Cell, and Associates...
, now a photographer but then known as Triash, became The The's drummer in 1980, and Tom Johnston (also managing The The at this point and later to become a cartoonist for the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
, Daily Mirror and The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspapers) was added on bass. It was Keith Laws who suggested the name '' to Matt Johnson. Although both Ashworth and Johnston were credited with appearing on The The's debut single ("Controversial Subject"/"Black and White") on 4AD Records
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
neither actually played on the recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, which were produced by Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
members Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art-punk band Wire, Gilbert branched out into electronic music, performance art, music production, and DJing during the band's extended periods of inactivity...
and Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis is an English musician.Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976...
. All instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
were played by Johnson and Laws. Johnston and Ashworth soon dropped out of The The and to return to their respective day jobs.
As a duo (Johnson and Laws), The The began playing shows with Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
, Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire (band)
Cabaret Voltaire were a British music group from Sheffield, England.Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement.Their earliest performances...
, DAF
Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft or D.A.F. is an influential German electropunk/NDW band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel "Gabi" Delgado-López , Robert Görl , Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke , Michael Kemner and Wolfgang Spelmans...
, This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
, The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
and Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Although there have been various changes to the line-up, Cardiff-born singer-songwriter Green Gartside was the founding member of the band and the only member to have remained throughout the group's...
.
In 1981 Johnson was signed up by Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the English indie record label 4AD. He has also produced several records, himself preferring to use the term "musical director" to explain his role in the creation....
for 4AD Records to record a solo album Burning Blue Soul
Burning Blue Soul
Burning Blue Soul is an album released under the artist name of Matt Johnson. This album was re-released in 1993 under Matt Johnson's band's name, The The, featuring on some tracks very different mixes from the original 1981 "psychedelic eye" cover release...
. Although all of the instruments and vocals were performed by Johnson, the album featured various producers including Wire's Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art-punk band Wire, Gilbert branched out into electronic music, performance art, music production, and DJing during the band's extended periods of inactivity...
and Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis is an English musician.Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976...
, Ivo and Johnson himself. Years later, due to a request from Johnson it would be re-issued and credited to The The.
In September 1981, the duo (Johnson and Laws) signed a deal with Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.-1981-1989:One of the first bands that...
, and released the 7" single "Cold Spell Ahead". Shortly thereafter, Laws left to pursue his studies and the only remaining member of The The was Johnson. Later in 1981, Colin Lloyd-Tucker and Simon Fisher-Turner would team up with Johnson for a series of stripped down The The acoustic concerts in London.
The Matt Johnson years (1982–1987)
The The's next single was a variation on "Cold Spell Ahead", an early version of "Uncertain Smile". Produced in New York by Mike Thorne; it reached #68 UK. This version is different from the more familiar album version, and featured sax and flute by session player Crispin Cioe rather than (as on the album version) the piano of Squeeze's Jools HollandJools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
.
In 1982, the intended debut album by The The (The Pornography of Despair) was recorded, but was never officially released. Johnson apparently ran off some cassette copies for friends, and several tracks were subsequently re-recorded and issued as b-sides, but the album remains unmixed and unissued. Steve James Sherlock played flute and saxophone on the re-recordings of "Three Orange Kisses From Kazan" and "Waitin' For The Upturn", two of the songs from the album which saw the light of day as b-sides.
Instead, in 1983 The The released their official album debut, the synth-noir classic Soul Mining
Soul Mining
Soul Mining was The The's second album. Soul Mining was released in 1983 and included the UK singles "Uncertain Smile" which reached No. 68 in December 1982 and "Perfect" which made No...
. It featured the minor UK #71 hit "This Is the Day
Soul Mining
Soul Mining was The The's second album. Soul Mining was released in 1983 and included the UK singles "Uncertain Smile" which reached No. 68 in December 1982 and "Perfect" which made No...
", as well as a new recording of "Uncertain Smile". Produced by Johnson and Paul Hardiman
Paul Hardiman
Paul Hardiman is a British record producer noted for his work with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions , and Lloyd Cole solo. More famously he also produced the worldwide hit "Lady in Red" by Chris De Burgh and the critically acclaimed Soul Mining by The The.- External links :...
it featured guest appearances from Orange Juice
Orange Juice
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
's drummer Zeke Manyika
Zeke Manyika
Zeke Manyika is a drummer, vocalist and songwriter.Manyika was born in Zimbabwe, but has lived in Britain for most of his life. From 1982 to 1984 he was a member of the pop group Orange Juice, and contributed to their biggest hit single, "Rip It Up"...
, Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
, Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer is a British musician who as well as releasing a number of albums and singles in his own right, was also one half of the 1980s electropop band Act...
and J. G. Thirlwell
J. G. Thirlwell
James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
(aka Foetus
Foetus (band)
Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
).
During The The's more prolific period of releases, from Soul Mining (1983) to Dusk (1992), most artwork used on the albums and single releases was produced by Johnson's brother Andrew Johnson
Andy Dog Johnson
Andy Johnson is the older brother of The The's Matt Johnson. He is an artist best known for designing the record sleeves of The The in the 1980s and 1990s which were produced under the pseudonym Andy Dog...
, using the pseudonym Andy Dog. The artwork has a distinctive style, and sometimes courted controversy, most notably the initial release of the 1986 single "Infected" which featured a masturbating devil and was withdrawn from sale and re-issued with an edited version of the same drawing.
For the 1986 album Infected, The The still only consisted of Johnson, but augmented by session musicians and featured friends such as Orange Juice
Orange Juice
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
drummer/singer Zeke Manyika
Zeke Manyika
Zeke Manyika is a drummer, vocalist and songwriter.Manyika was born in Zimbabwe, but has lived in Britain for most of his life. From 1982 to 1984 he was a member of the pop group Orange Juice, and contributed to their biggest hit single, "Rip It Up"...
and Rip Rig + Panic singer Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
. This album spawned four charting singles in the UK, notably "Heartland" and made the UK Top 30. It was also unusual for having a full length accompanying film. Costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, Infected: The Movie was shot on locations in Bolivia, Peru and New York. Different songs were directed by different directors, mainly Tim Pope
Tim Pope
Timothy Michael Pope is a film director most famous for his music videos, having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career.-Early life and career:...
and Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson
Peter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
(of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
). Throughout 1986-1987 Johnson toured the world extensively with Infected: The Movie, showing the film in cinemas in place of performing live concerts. The film was also shown twice in its entirety on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK and on 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 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1987 Johnson also took some tentative steps back into live performance. Whilst promoting Infected: The Movie in Australia he had a chance encounter with Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
who persuaded him to return to Britain and support Red Wedge
Red Wedge
Red Wedge was a collective of musicians who attempted to engage young people with politics in general, and the policies of the Labour Party in particular, during the period leading up to the 1987 general election, in the hope of ousting the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.Fronted by...
, a coalition of like-minded musicians supporting the British Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in its election campaign. Johnson agreed and enrolled long time friend and collaborator Zeke Manyika
Zeke Manyika
Zeke Manyika is a drummer, vocalist and songwriter.Manyika was born in Zimbabwe, but has lived in Britain for most of his life. From 1982 to 1984 he was a member of the pop group Orange Juice, and contributed to their biggest hit single, "Rip It Up"...
to join him in performing shows in London featuring stripped down versions of political The The songs such as "Heartland". This experience convinced Johnson to put a band together once again.
Return to a full-fledged band (1988–2002)
By 1988, The The was an actual band again, Johnson having recruited ex-SmithsThe 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...
guitarist Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
, ex-Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
bassist James Eller and ex-ABC
ABC (band)
ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
drummer David Palmer as full fledged members. This line-up, plus guest singer Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, recorded the album Mind Bomb
Mind Bomb
Mind Bomb is the 4th album by The The, released by Some Bizarre/Epic on July 11, 1989 and recorded between October 1988 and May 1989.For this album, instead of recording with numerous session musicians as he did previously, Matt Johnson assembled a genuine band behind him to play the bulk of the...
, which debuted at #4 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and featured the band's highest charting single to that time, "The Beat(en) Generation", which peaked at #18 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The first single from Mind Bomb
Mind Bomb
Mind Bomb is the 4th album by The The, released by Some Bizarre/Epic on July 11, 1989 and recorded between October 1988 and May 1989.For this album, instead of recording with numerous session musicians as he did previously, Matt Johnson assembled a genuine band behind him to play the bulk of the...
was actually scheduled to be "Armageddon Days (are here again)" but with its chorus of "Islam is rising, the Christians mobilising" and sensitivities over the Salman Rushdie affair that had recently erupted, this song was deemed unsuitable for release by Epic/CBS.
Keyboardist D.C. Collard was added to the official line-up in 1989 (keyboard player Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
, who'd played on Infected, had initially been asked to join but opted instead to become the new lead vocalist of Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
). The band embarked on a lengthy world tour in 1989–90 called The The Versus The World. The final line up was complete when Melanie Redmond, who had just completed a world tour with Duran Duran joined the tour during the European leg. The live film of the same name, directed by Tim Pope
Tim Pope
Timothy Michael Pope is a film director most famous for his music videos, having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career.-Early life and career:...
, was filmed during the three nights The The performed at London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
at the end of the tour.
sasa
In 1990 the studio EP Shades of Blue was released. This included cover versions of Fred Neil
Fred Neil
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
's "Dolphins" and Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
's "Solitude" as well as a new original song "Jealous of Youth" and a live version of "Another Boy Drowning" from Burning Blue Soul. This and a later EP of remixes, 1993's Dis-infected, were compiled into a 1994 full-length album for the North American market called Solitude.
In 1993, the five-piece line-up issued the album Dusk
Dusk (The The album)
Dusk is the 5th album by The The, recorded in 1992 and released by Sony Records in January 1993. The album peaked at #2 in the UK, and at #142 in America...
, which debuted at #2 in the UK and spun off three Top 40 singles in the UK, led by "Dogs of Lust". Another world tour followed, the Lonely Planet tour, at which point the band's line-up was reshuffled; Marr and Eller left, and were replaced by Atlanta based guitarist Keith Joyner and New York bassist Jared Michael Nickerson, respectively. Also added was Boston harmonica player Jim Fitting, who auditioned in New York in early 1993. The version of their hit "This Is The Day" featuring Jim Fitting was often dubbed "That Was The Day". Palmer bowed out partway through the tour and was replaced by ex Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward
Stabbing Westward was an American industrial rock and alternative rock band. They formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois and began recording in the 1990s. The band announced a dissolution in 2002.- Early years :...
drummer Andy Kubiszewski
Andy Kubiszewski
Andy Kubiszewski is an American/Polish musician, songwriter, remixer and producer.Kubiszewski was born in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. His start in rock music came while attending the Cleveland Institute of Music when he and a pair of classmates formed the new wave band Exotic Birds...
.
Another full length film, directed by long time collaborator Tim Pope
Tim Pope
Timothy Michael Pope is a film director most famous for his music videos, having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career.-Early life and career:...
, was made for this album. From Dusk Til Dawn was shot in New Orleans and New York and along with Johnson and Johnny Marr also featured various characters from the New York underground scene such as sexologist Annie Sprinkle
Annie Sprinkle
Annie M. Sprinkle is an American former prostitute, stripper, pornographic actress, cable television host, porn magazine editor, writer and sex film producer...
, writer and raconteur Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa
Curtis Sliwa
Curtis Sliwa is an American anti-crime activist, founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, and radio talk show host and media personality.-Guardian Angels:...
, and porn star Rick Savage
Rick Savage
Richard "Rick" Savage is the bassist and one of the founding members of the English rock band, Def Leppard. He is called "Sav" to avoid confusion between him and the other Rick in the band, drummer Rick Allen. He and lead vocalist, Joe Elliot, are the only remaining original members of the band...
amongst many other carnival characters.
Now permanently relocated to New York, The The's next project was 1995's Hanky Panky
Hanky Panky (The The album)
An album by The The consisting only of cover versions of country singer Hank Williams songs.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Hank Williams; arrangements/re-arrangements by Matt Johnson and D.C...
, an album that consisted entirely of Hank Williams cover tunes. Hanky Panky was recorded by a new group consisting of Johnson, Collard, Fitting, ex Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
guitarist Eric Schermerhorn
Eric Schermerhorn
Eric Schermerhorn, is an American guitarist and composer. Born in Massachusetts on April 11th 1960, he has since lived in NYC and Los Angeles. He played with Iggy Pop on the American Caeser and Naughty Little Doggie albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine It's My Life....
, ex David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
bass guitarist Gail Ann Dorsey
Gail Ann Dorsey
Gail Ann Dorsey is an American musician considered one of the premier bass guitarists and vocalists within the alternative rock scene. With a distinguished career as a session musician, it has been most notably her long association performing in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to the present day,...
(billed as "Hollywood" Dorsey), and drummer the "Reverend" Brian MacLeod. Their cover version of "I Saw The Light" hit #31 UK.
In 1997 an experimental album called Gun Sluts was recorded but left unreleased by the band after it was rejected for being too uncommercial by their label. The The severed their eighteen year relationship with Sony and moved to Interscope, on Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
's Nothing Records
Nothing Records
Nothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992...
imprint.
In 2000, The The, now consisting of Johnson, Schermerhorn, Nashville bassist Spencer Campbell and drummer Earl Harvin, released NakedSelf
NakedSelf
NakedSelf is a 2000 album by The The. The album received mainly positive reviews from critics with an average Metacritic rating of 75/100.- Track listing :# "Boiling Point" - 5:48...
and embarked on yet another lengthy world tour, the Naked Tour, this one lasting 14 months. NakedSelf
NakedSelf
NakedSelf is a 2000 album by The The. The album received mainly positive reviews from critics with an average Metacritic rating of 75/100.- Track listing :# "Boiling Point" - 5:48...
remains The The's final studio album to date.
This same line-up also recorded two new tracks, "Deep Down Truth", featuring Angela McCluskey
Angela McCluskey
Angela McCluskey is a Scottish singer-songwriter based in California. She performs as a solo artist and as a member of the folk rock group, Wild Colonials. McCluskey has also provided vocals for Curio and recorded the European dance hit and US Mitsubishi commercial hit "Breathe" among other songs...
on vocals and "Pillar Box Red". Both songs were produced by Clive Langer
Clive Langer
Clive Langer is a British record producer active from the mid 1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films Still Crazy and Brothers of the Head. Prior to his record producing career he was a guitarist with the British cult band Deaf SchoolLanger...
and Alan Winstanley
Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley is a British record producer active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.-Notable studio albums produced by Alan Winstanley and Clive Langer:* One Step Beyond... – Madness...
for the 2002 compilation album 45 RPM: The Singles of The The
In June 2002, The The made a sole live appearance at the Meltdown Festival at London's Royal Festival Hall as guests of David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. At this point, the band consisted solely of Johnson and longtime friend and collaborator J. G. Thirlwell
J. G. Thirlwell
James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
aka Foetus
Foetus (band)
Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
on tapes and loops, and young film director Benn Northover on film and video.
This is the last live performance by The The to date; Johnson has stated on the official The The web site in the FAQ section that "There are no plans for one-off shows or tours in the near future but there will undoubtedly be another The The tour at some point."
Recent activities (2003–present)
Since 2003 the reclusive Matt Johnson has kept well away from the public eye and has concentrated primarily on soundtrack work, scoring numerous documentaries, films and art installations.For Swedish filmmaker Johanna St Michaels this has included Best Wishes Bernhard (prize winning film of Dokumentär Films Premien Nordic Panorama 2003), Snapshots From Reality (Nominated for Best International Short at ICA Birdseye View Film festival London 2007) The Track, Going Live, The Island Amid the Worlds and Bilder av Dina.
For English director Nichola Bruce it has included the documentary The Dramatic Art of Steven Berkhoff and a new documentary feature film about the Apollo moon landings, Moonbug, which was completed in autumn 2010 and won the Special Jury Remi Award for Theatrical Feature Documentary at the 2011 Houston International Film Festival. The soundtrack is penciled in for release in early 2012 as volume 2 in the Cineola series of original soundtrack albums.
Je t'aime infiniment, a film co-directed by Lebanese filmmaker Corine Shawi and Danish director Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen was completed in 2010.
In May 2007, The The also released a new download-only single on their web site. Entitled "Mrs. Mac", an autobiographical song about Johnson's first day at school as a child in Stratford, East London. All instruments and vocals on the track were performed by Johnson.
A press release was issued along with this track, announcing a forthcoming The The album called The End of the Day with various songs from The The's catalogue being performed by some of Johnson's favourite artists including Elysian Fields
Elysian Fields (band)
Elysian Fields is a Brooklyn, New York based band founded in 1995 by co-composers Jennifer Charles and Oren Bloedow . Their music has been sometimes described as "noir rock", due to its sultry, dark and mysterious inflections, be it sonically or lyrically...
, J.G. Thirlwell, Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer is a British musician who as well as releasing a number of albums and singles in his own right, was also one half of the 1980s electropop band Act...
, Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
, Rob Ellis, John Parish
John Parish
John Parish is a British musician and producer best known for his work with singer and songwriter PJ Harvey,. His sister is the actress Sarah Parish.-Partial discography:Solo*Rosie *How Animals Move...
, Anna Domino
Anna Domino
Anna Domino is a Tokyo-born indie rock artist who has released several albums under that moniker, notably for Les Disques du Crepuscule and Factory Records. Notable performers Domino has collaborated with include The The, Blaine L. Reininger and Virginia Astley. She is also one half of the duo...
, Meja
Meja
Meja , is a Swedish composer, artist and singer. Among her best known songs are "I'm Missing You","All 'Bout the Money" and "Private Emotion"...
, Angela McCluskey
Angela McCluskey
Angela McCluskey is a Scottish singer-songwriter based in California. She performs as a solo artist and as a member of the folk rock group, Wild Colonials. McCluskey has also provided vocals for Curio and recorded the European dance hit and US Mitsubishi commercial hit "Breathe" among other songs...
, Ergo Phizmiz among others. To date, the album remains a work in progress, although a preview can be heard on the Jukebox at the band's official site.
In June 2009 it was announced that The The had created an original soundtrack to the Gerard Johnson
Gerard Johnson
Gerard Johnson is a British keyboard player. He is best known for his work with Saint Etienne and The Syn.-Early years:Born in 1963 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, he was educated at Presentation College, Reading, Berkshire. He was a member of the Progress Theatre Student Group...
debut feature film Tony
Tony
Tony is a male name. It can be a short form of Anthony or Antonio. It may refer to:* Anthony , includes a list of people with this name* Kawasaki Ki-61, a Japanese WWII-era fighter aircraft, code-named "Tony"...
. The film was released in February 2010 to critical acclaim; Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
said “If Mike Leigh remade Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer... Remarkable", The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
"The perfect marriage of genre and style" and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
“Grim, painful and uncomfortably funny”. The soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
was released on The The's Cineola imprint in March 2010, as volume one of several upcoming soundtrack and instrumental albums.
A new generation was recently been exposed to The The's music on American television as "This Is The Day" has been extensively used in high profile advertising campaigns for Levi's Dockers, M&Ms and Amazon. The The's music continues to be used on British radio and television such as in Shane Meadows recent Channel 4 series This Is England '86
This Is England '86
This Is England '86 is a 2010 British drama series written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne. A spin-off from the 2006 film This Is England, and set three years later, it focuses on the mod revival scene rather than the skinhead subculture...
. In 2011 "This Is The Day" was covered by British band 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...
and received extensive radio play.
The The launched 'Radio Cineola' in January 2010, a monthly 15 minute broadcast from their official web site featuring previews of upcoming releases, works in progress, chats with collaborators and from the vault, previously unheard material. The shows are presented by Johnson and other guests. Shows so far have included contributions from, and collaborations with musicians Deadly Avenger, Hayley Willis, Thomas Feiner, Angela McCluskey, Colin Lloyd Tucker plus poet John Tottenham, photographer Steve Pyke
Steve Pyke
Steve Pyke MBE is a British photographer living in New York City. From 1981 to 1984, he worked for diverse publications including The Face and NME. Pyke has been a staff photographer at The New Yorker since 2004.-Life and career:...
, actress Marlene Kaminsky, spiritual healer Abdi Assadi and many others. Monthly downloadable Radio Cineola broadcasts ceased at the end of December 2010.
During this period Johnson's political activity seems to have been limited to conservation issues in his native East London. He was a founder member of the Save Shoreditch committee and directed and narrated a short film for its cause. Along with fellow artists such as Brad Lochore, Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin
Tracey Karima Emin RA is a British artist of English and Turkish Cypriot origin. She is part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs ....
and Lucinda Rogers he has been fighting the eastwards expansion of the City of London into Shoreditch and the probable demolition of much of this East London neighbourhood.
Official members
Matt Johnson is the only permanent member of The The. As well, from 1983–1988 (and again from 2002–present) he was the only official member of The The.Official band members have been:
- Matt JohnsonMatt Johnson (singer)Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
– vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, melodica, engineering. - Keith Laws – synthesiser (1979–1981). Now a Professor of NeuropsychologyNeuropsychologyNeuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...
at the University of HertfordshireUniversity of HertfordshireThe University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
. - Tom Johnston – bass guitar (1980). Now a cartoonist for national newspapers.
- Triash (a.k.a. Peter AshworthPeter AshworthPeter Ashworth is a UK photographer. Ashworth initially specialized in music photography, between 1979 and 2000. In the 1980s, he worked with many UK bands including Eurythmics, Soft Cell, and Associates...
) – drums, percussion (1980) - Colin Lloyd Tucker – guitars/vocals (1981)
- Simon Fisher TurnerSimon Fisher TurnerSimon Turner is an English musician, songwriter, composer, producer and actor.After portraying Ned East in the 1971 BBC TV adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays and roles in films such as The Big Sleep , Dover-born Simon Turner quickly rose to fame as a teen star in Britain thanks to his mentor...
– guitars/vocals (1981) - David Palmer – drums (1985–1994) (see also ABCABC (band)ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...
) - Johnny MarrJohnny MarrJohnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
– guitars and harmonica (1988–1994) (see also The SmithsThe SmithsThe 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...
) - James Eller – bass (1988–1994)
- D.C. Collard – keyboards (1989–1997)
- Jim Fitting – harmonica (1993–1995)
- Keith Joyner – guitar (1993–1994)
- Jared Michael Nickerson – bass (1993–1994)
- Gail Ann DorseyGail Ann DorseyGail Ann Dorsey is an American musician considered one of the premier bass guitarists and vocalists within the alternative rock scene. With a distinguished career as a session musician, it has been most notably her long association performing in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to the present day,...
(billed as 'Hollywood' Dorsey) – bass (1995) - Brian MacLeod – drums (1995–1997)
- Spencer CampbellSpencer CampbellSpencer Campbell is an English television producer.- Career :Campbell's early credits include working as a researcher in the early 1980s on the Granada Television television magazine Chalkface...
– bass (1998–2002) - Earl HarvinEarl HarvinEarl Harvin is a drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist from the New York area who has lived in Dallas, Texas and Los Angeles and is now residing in Berlin, Germany....
– drums (1998–2002) - Eric SchermerhornEric SchermerhornEric Schermerhorn, is an American guitarist and composer. Born in Massachusetts on April 11th 1960, he has since lived in NYC and Los Angeles. He played with Iggy Pop on the American Caeser and Naughty Little Doggie albums, and David Bowie on the Tin Machine It's My Life....
– guitars (1995–2002)
Collaborators and contributors
The following artists were not official members of The The, but made notable contributions to various projects by the band.- Marc AlmondMarc AlmondMarc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
- vocals (1982) - David JohansenDavid JohansenDavid Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
- Harmonica (1982) (see also New York DollsNew York DollsThe New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
) - J. G. ThirlwellJ. G. ThirlwellJames George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
– tapes, samples, percussion (1983–present) (see also FoetusFoetus (band)Foetus is the primary musical outlet of industrial music pioneer J. G. Thirlwell. Until 1995 the band underwent various name changes, all including the word foetus. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel...
) - Andy DogAndy Dog JohnsonAndy Johnson is the older brother of The The's Matt Johnson. He is an artist best known for designing the record sleeves of The The in the 1980s and 1990s which were produced under the pseudonym Andy Dog...
– paintings, illustrations, sleeves, (1981–1993) - Tim PopeTim PopeTimothy Michael Pope is a film director most famous for his music videos, having directed feature films, and for a brief pop career.-Early life and career:...
– filmmaker (1986–2002) - Peter ChristophersonPeter ChristophersonPeter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
– filmmaker (1986–1987) - Jools HollandJools HollandJulian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
– piano (1983) - Thomas LeerThomas LeerThomas Leer is a British musician who as well as releasing a number of albums and singles in his own right, was also one half of the 1980s electropop band Act...
– keyboards (1983) - Zeke ManyikaZeke ManyikaZeke Manyika is a drummer, vocalist and songwriter.Manyika was born in Zimbabwe, but has lived in Britain for most of his life. From 1982 to 1984 he was a member of the pop group Orange Juice, and contributed to their biggest hit single, "Rip It Up"...
– drums (see also Orange JuiceOrange JuiceOrange Juice was a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes. The band...
) (1983) - Steve HogarthSteve HogarthSteve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
– piano (1986) - Neneh CherryNeneh CherryNeneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
– vocals (1986) - Anna DominoAnna DominoAnna Domino is a Tokyo-born indie rock artist who has released several albums under that moniker, notably for Les Disques du Crepuscule and Factory Records. Notable performers Domino has collaborated with include The The, Blaine L. Reininger and Virginia Astley. She is also one half of the duo...
– vocals (1986) - Andrew PoppyAndrew PoppyAndrew Poppy is an English composer, pianist, and record producer.-Biography:From 1974 to 1979 he studied music at Royal Holloway College and Goldsmiths College University of London, studying piano with Susan Bradshaw and earning a B.M...
- Arranger (1986) - Ashley SlaterAshley SlaterAshley Slater is a UK based trombone player and best known for his work with Norman Cook in the band Freak Power. He was born in Schefferville, Canada in 1961...
- Trombone (1986) - Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
– vocals (1989) - Melanie Redmond - vocals (1989–1990)
- Vinnie ColaiutaVinnie ColaiutaVincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
- Drums (1993) (see also Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
) - Bruce Smith - Drums (1993) (see also The Pop GroupThe Pop GroupThe Pop Group are a British post-punk band from Bristol, England, formed in 1978, whose dissonant sound spanned punk, free jazz, funk and dub reggae. Their lyrics were often political in nature...
) - Danny ThompsonDanny ThompsonDaniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
- Upright bass (1988–1993) - Lloyd ColeLloyd ColeLloyd Cole is an English singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989, and for his subsequent solo work.-Early life:...
– vocals (1999) - Benn NorthoverBenn NorthoverBenn Northover is a British actor, filmmaker and artist.Northover began his acting career in television with appearances in the TV dramas Silent Witness, Ultimate Force and Hostage to Terror...
– filmmaker (2002) - Steve James Sherlock - sax/flute (1979–81)
Commercially released albums
- Matt Johnson: Burning Blue SoulBurning Blue SoulBurning Blue Soul is an album released under the artist name of Matt Johnson. This album was re-released in 1993 under Matt Johnson's band's name, The The, featuring on some tracks very different mixes from the original 1981 "psychedelic eye" cover release...
(1981)- Original release and 1983 reissue credited to Matt Johnson. The 1993 re-release of Burning Blue Soul credits this album to The The.
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
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| UK |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
NLD Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
NO VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
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| 1983 | Soul Mining Soul Mining Soul Mining was The The's second album. Soul Mining was released in 1983 and included the UK singles "Uncertain Smile" which reached No. 68 in December 1982 and "Perfect" which made No... |
27 | - | - | 14 | - | 16 | - | - | - | |
| 1986 | Infected | 14 | - | - | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | - | 89 |
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| 1989 | Mind Bomb Mind Bomb Mind Bomb is the 4th album by The The, released by Some Bizarre/Epic on July 11, 1989 and recorded between October 1988 and May 1989.For this album, instead of recording with numerous session musicians as he did previously, Matt Johnson assembled a genuine band behind him to play the bulk of the... |
4 | 32 | - | 39 | - | 3 | 30 | - | 138 | |
| 1993 | Dusk Dusk (The The album) Dusk is the 5th album by The The, recorded in 1992 and released by Sony Records in January 1993. The album peaked at #2 in the UK, and at #142 in America... |
2 | 20 | 28 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 142 | |
| 1995 | Hanky Panky Hanky Panky (The The album) An album by The The consisting only of cover versions of country singer Hank Williams songs.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Hank Williams; arrangements/re-arrangements by Matt Johnson and D.C... |
28 | - | - | - | 17 | - | 22 | 50 | - | |
| 2000 | NakedSelf NakedSelf NakedSelf is a 2000 album by The The. The album received mainly positive reviews from critics with an average Metacritic rating of 75/100.- Track listing :# "Boiling Point" - 5:48... |
45 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2010 | Tony Tony (2009 film) Tony is a 2009 English drama film written and directed by Gerard Johnson and starring Peter Ferdinando. The film also had the alternative title of Tony: London Serial Killer.-Plot:... Soundtrack album from the film |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Compilation albums
- SolitudeSolitude (album)Solitude is an album by The The consisting mainly of live performances . "Jealous of Youth" and "Dolphins" appear for the first time on this album, rather than as singles.-Track listing:#That Was The Day...
(1993) - 45 RPM (2002)
- London Town Box Set (2002)
Exclusive The The tracks appear on the following compilation albums of tracks by various artists:
- Some Bizzare AlbumSome Bizzare AlbumSome Bizzare Album was the first album by Some Bizzare Records. It was released in 1981 as a sampler of the label's musical ethos. The acts were not actually signed exclusively to the label at the time.-Information:...
(1981) - If You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your SoulIf You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your SoulIf You Can't Please Yourself, You Can't Please Your Soul is the second compilation album released by Some Bizzare and features tracks by Einstürzende Neubauten, Cabaret Voltaire, Coil and Marc Almond.-Cover Artwork:...
(1985)
Unreleased, limited edition and promo-only albums
The recording career of The The/Matt Johnson features numerous full-length albums that have never seen commercial release. Despite their unavailability on disc, Johnson includes these albums in almost every official discography issued by the band.| Year | Artist | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Release Status | |||
| 1978 | Matt Johnson | See Without Being Seen | A Matt Johnson solo project. | Very limited cassette release, only available at concerts. |
| 1979 | Matt Johnson | Spirits | A Matt Johnson solo project. | Unreleased in any form. One track ("What Stanley Saw") later licensed to Cherry Red Records for their compilation Perspectives & Distortion. |
| 1982 | The The | The Pornography of Despair | Scrapped debut album. | Commercially unreleased. Some cassette copies were run off for friends of Matt Johnson. Several tracks were later re-recorded and/or re-mixed, and used as B-sides and bonus tracks on other albums. |
| 1997 | The The | Gun Sluts | Completed album for Sony, which declined to release it. | Unreleased. Some 'rough mixes' have been streamed at The The web site. |
| 2000 | The The | 2 Blocks Below Canal | Completed album. | Unreleased. Some 'rough mixes' have been streamed at The The web site. |
| 2002 | The The | Film Music | Compilation of soundtrack music. | Promotional-only release. |
| 2007 | The The | The End Of The Day | Collaborative work with many other artists. | Announced as "forthcoming" in May 2007. As yet unreleased. |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
NZ Singles Chart |
US Modern Rock |
AUS Singles Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
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| 1980 | "Controversial Subject" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1981 | "Cold Spell Ahead" | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1982 | "Uncertain Smile" | 68 | - | - | - | Soul Mining |
| 1983 | "Perfect" | 79 | 19 | - | - | - |
| "Uncertain Smile (1983)" | 100 | - | - | 43 | Soul Mining | |
| "This Is the Day" | 71 | - | - | - | ||
| 1986 | "Sweet Bird of Truth" | 88 | - | - | - | Infected |
| "Heartland" | 29 | - | - | - | ||
| "Infected" | 48 | - | - | 24 | ||
| 1987 | "Slow Train To Dawn" | 64 | - | - | 95 | |
| "Sweet Bird of Truth (1987)" | 55 | 19 | - | - | ||
| 1989 | "The Beat(en) Generation" | 18 | 4 | 13 | 50 | Mind Bomb |
| "Gravitate to Me" | 63 | 27 | 15 | - | ||
| "Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)" | 70 | - | - | - | ||
| "Kingdom of Rain" | - | - | 16 | - | ||
| 1990 | "Jealous of Youth" | - | - | 7 | - | Solitude |
| 1991 | "Shades of Blue (EP)" | 54 | - | - | 87 | - |
| 1993 | "Dogs of Lust" | 25 | 16 | 2 | 70 | Dusk |
| "Slow Emotion Replay" | 35 | - | - | - | ||
| "Love Is Stronger Than Death" | 39 | - | 14 | - | ||
| 1994 | "Dis-Infected (EP)" | 17 | - | - | - | - |
| 1995 | "I Saw the Light" | 31 | - | 24 | - | Hanky Panky |
| 2000 | "Shrunken Man" | - | - | - | - | NakedSelf |
| 2007 | "Mrs Mac" | - | - | - | - | - |
See also: "Solitude" (EP) which was released in December 1999 and contained remixes of The The songs - most notably, "That was the Day", a version of their hit single, "This is the Day".