The Urges
Encyclopedia
The Urges are a psychedelic
, Garage Rock
music group from Dublin, Ireland
festival's new band stage and shortly afterwards recruited their new drummer Ken Mooney. Having previously attracted the attention of producer Pete Holadai of The Radiators From Space
they started working on their debut single "Around (and around again)" which, produced by Holadai, charted at 20 in the Irish charts. The B-side "Jenny Jenny" was later included on the Parisian "Gloria Club" compilation alongside The Chesterfield Kings
and The Hives
.
2005 saw The Urges sound beginning to develop with the introduction of Organ
and their use of reverb. After scrapping their first attempts at a studio album they began to record a number of lo-fi home recordings which grabbed the attention of promoters throughout Europe where they began to build a steady fanbase. In August 2006 The Urges were invited to play the notorious garage festival Primitive in Rotterdam
where they met Jorge Explosion of Circo Perrotti studios.
They started work on their debut LP Psych Ward at the end of November at Jorge's analogue studio in Gijon, Spain. After five days of recording and a rushed mix they headed of to Estadio Hispánico in Leon to play the Purple Weekend festival alongside Kula Shaker
and The Electric Prunes
. After another mix the album was released in October 2007 on Screaming Apple, Off the hip and Stomping Ground to positive reviews worldwide.
On top of the success of Psych Ward The Urges headed over to New York to play the legendary Cavestomp festival which saw the return of The Sonics and The Alarm Clocks. After Cavestomp they played a number of gigs across the city and traveled to New Jersey where they recorded a live radio session for Joe Belocks show on WFMU
.
2008 saw The Urges sign to Little Steven Van Zandt
's Wicked Cool label in New York who re-released Psych Ward that September which featured the "Around (and around again)" single b-side "Jenny Jenny". The vinyl release featured a bonus CD containing the album plus "Around" and the previously unreleased "Don't lead me on" from the recordings of their scrapped album. They recorded a session for Dan Hegarty's 2FM radio show that summer followed by an appearance at The Electric Picnic which was also recorded for 2FM and were invited to record a BBC
session for Mark Lamarr
's radio show on BBC2 in November.
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
, Garage Rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
music group from Dublin, Ireland
Group Members
- Jim Walters - Lead vocal
- Gary Clarke - Rhythm guitar/organist & backing vocals
- Peter Smith - Lead guitar & backing vocals
- Ken Mooney - Drums
- Ross McGee - Bass guitar
Band history
The Urges were formed in Dublin, Ireland in 2003, where they quickly gained notoriety on the local scene. In 2004 the played the OxegenOxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...
festival's new band stage and shortly afterwards recruited their new drummer Ken Mooney. Having previously attracted the attention of producer Pete Holadai of The Radiators From Space
The Radiators From Space
The Radiators From Space are an Irish punk rock band. The band formed in 1975 in Dublin, originally under the name Greta Garbage and the Trashcans, and consisted of Philip Chevron , Pete Holidai, Steve Rapid, Jimmy Crashe and Mark Megaray. They were one of the earliest punk rock bands...
they started working on their debut single "Around (and around again)" which, produced by Holadai, charted at 20 in the Irish charts. The B-side "Jenny Jenny" was later included on the Parisian "Gloria Club" compilation alongside The Chesterfield Kings
The Chesterfield Kings
The Chesterfield Kings are a rock band from Rochester, New York, who began as a retro-1960s garage band, and who have heavily mined 1960s music, including some borrowing from the 1960s recordings of The Rolling Stones...
and The Hives
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
.
2005 saw The Urges sound beginning to develop with the introduction of Organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and their use of reverb. After scrapping their first attempts at a studio album they began to record a number of lo-fi home recordings which grabbed the attention of promoters throughout Europe where they began to build a steady fanbase. In August 2006 The Urges were invited to play the notorious garage festival Primitive in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
where they met Jorge Explosion of Circo Perrotti studios.
They started work on their debut LP Psych Ward at the end of November at Jorge's analogue studio in Gijon, Spain. After five days of recording and a rushed mix they headed of to Estadio Hispánico in Leon to play the Purple Weekend festival alongside Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
and The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s. Their song "Kyrie Eleison" was featured on the soundtrack of Easy Rider...
. After another mix the album was released in October 2007 on Screaming Apple, Off the hip and Stomping Ground to positive reviews worldwide.
On top of the success of Psych Ward The Urges headed over to New York to play the legendary Cavestomp festival which saw the return of The Sonics and The Alarm Clocks. After Cavestomp they played a number of gigs across the city and traveled to New Jersey where they recorded a live radio session for Joe Belocks show on WFMU
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format...
.
2008 saw The Urges sign to Little Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...
's Wicked Cool label in New York who re-released Psych Ward that September which featured the "Around (and around again)" single b-side "Jenny Jenny". The vinyl release featured a bonus CD containing the album plus "Around" and the previously unreleased "Don't lead me on" from the recordings of their scrapped album. They recorded a session for Dan Hegarty's 2FM radio show that summer followed by an appearance at The Electric Picnic which was also recorded for 2FM and were invited to record a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
session for Mark Lamarr
Mark Lamarr
Mark Lamarr is an English comedian, radio DJ and television presenter.-Early life:Lamarr was born in the Park South area of Swindon and has three elder sisters. His father is Irish...
's radio show on BBC2 in November.
Discography
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Tours
- US Tour 2007
- Spanish Tour 2008
- European Tour 2008
- US and Mexican Tour 2009 (including SXSW Festival)
- European Tour 2010