Amusement Parks on Fire
Encyclopedia
Amusement Parks on Fire are a shoegaze band from Nottingham
, England.
The band was formed by Michael Feerick in 2004, who wrote and performed all the instruments for the self-titled debut album. The band now performs as a five-piece group: Michael Feerick (guitar/vocals), Daniel Knowles (guitar/production), Peter Dale (drums), Gavin Poole (bass/vocals) and Joe Hardy (keyboards/samples/guitar/vocals).
of Portishead in 2005. The band signed to V2 Records
in 2005 and recorded their second studio album Out of the Angeles at Random Recordings in Nottingham, before moving to Sigur Rós
' Sundlaugin studio in Álafoss
, Iceland to mix. The band then toured Europe and America extensively.
The line-up altered to its current state in summer 2006 with the addition of Gavin Poole (bass) and Joe Hardy (keyboards/guitar). This was followed by a co-headline tour of the UK with the American noise outfit Scarling.
and a headline tour across mainland Europe and Scandinavia. The band played in Japan for the first time at the Summer Sonic Festival
2006.
In addition to the second album Out Of The Angeles, the band recorded a series of limited edition 12" EPs — the first of which, Blackout was released in late 2005, In Flight was released early in September 2006. These were followed by A Star Is Born on 2 April 2007 which, according to a Rough Trade
review, showcased "other dimensions to Amusement Parks On Fire's otherwordly sound ...Feerick's classical influences...and hinting at a more bullish Amusement Parks direction to come. "Out Of The Angeles 2" is set to be released in the US and Japan later in 2009 and will consist of "the b-sides from the OOTA EPs remastered and possibly remixed/worked to make an entirely new flowingly coherent LP".
The start of 2009 saw the band tour Ireland followed up in April and May by a well received full UK tour supporting 65daysofstatic
as well as their own headlining dates.
The band are currently at work in Los Angeles
, California
, on their third album
. September saw Amusement Parks On Fire tour the US with Psychedelic Furs
followed by shows in mainland Europe in November. An EP
of new material and selected tracks from the Out Of The Angeles EP's, as yet unreleased in the US, called Young Fight will be released to coincide with the tour. The new full length album will be released in 2010 and followed by an extensive world tour.
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England.
The band was formed by Michael Feerick in 2004, who wrote and performed all the instruments for the self-titled debut album. The band now performs as a five-piece group: Michael Feerick (guitar/vocals), Daniel Knowles (guitar/production), Peter Dale (drums), Gavin Poole (bass/vocals) and Joe Hardy (keyboards/samples/guitar/vocals).
History
The band began as the solo project of Michael Feerick in 2004, who wrote and recorded nine songs on a small budget with friend Daniel Knowles engineering the sessions. The self-titled debut album was released in the UK on Invada Records, a label run by Geoff BarrowGeoff Barrow
Geoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer, disc jockey, and instrumentalist for Portishead.Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol where Barrow grew up...
of Portishead in 2005. The band signed to V2 Records
V2 Records
V2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
in 2005 and recorded their second studio album Out of the Angeles at Random Recordings in Nottingham, before moving to Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
' Sundlaugin studio in Álafoss
Álafoss
Sundlaugin is a recording studio located near Álafoss, in the town of Mosfellsbær in Iceland. It was converted from a drained, abandoned swimming pool built in the 1930s and adjacent buildings...
, Iceland to mix. The band then toured Europe and America extensively.
The line-up altered to its current state in summer 2006 with the addition of Gavin Poole (bass) and Joe Hardy (keyboards/guitar). This was followed by a co-headline tour of the UK with the American noise outfit Scarling.
Scarling.
Scarling. is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, whose core members are Jessicka and Christian Hejnal-Addams. The band formed in 2002. They have released two albums, Sweet Heart Dealer and So Long, Scarecrow.-Name:...
and a headline tour across mainland Europe and Scandinavia. The band played in Japan for the first time at the Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
2006.
In addition to the second album Out Of The Angeles, the band recorded a series of limited edition 12" EPs — the first of which, Blackout was released in late 2005, In Flight was released early in September 2006. These were followed by A Star Is Born on 2 April 2007 which, according to a Rough Trade
Rough Trade
Rough Trade may refer to:*Rough Trade Records, a record label*Rough Trade , linked but independent London record stores*Rough Trade , a Canadian new wave rock band*Rough Trade , an episode of American Dad!...
review, showcased "other dimensions to Amusement Parks On Fire's otherwordly sound ...Feerick's classical influences...and hinting at a more bullish Amusement Parks direction to come. "Out Of The Angeles 2" is set to be released in the US and Japan later in 2009 and will consist of "the b-sides from the OOTA EPs remastered and possibly remixed/worked to make an entirely new flowingly coherent LP".
The start of 2009 saw the band tour Ireland followed up in April and May by a well received full UK tour supporting 65daysofstatic
65daysofstatic
65daysofstatic are an instrumental post-rock and math rock band from Sheffield, England comprising Paul Wolinski, Joe Shrewsbury, Rob Jones and Simon Wright...
as well as their own headlining dates.
The band are currently at work in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, on their third 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...
. September saw Amusement Parks On Fire tour the US with Psychedelic Furs
Psychedelic Furs
The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene...
followed by shows in mainland Europe in November. An EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of new material and selected tracks from the Out Of The Angeles EP's, as yet unreleased in the US, called Young Fight will be released to coincide with the tour. The new full length album will be released in 2010 and followed by an extensive world tour.
Band members
- Michael Feerick — guitar, vocals
- Daniel Knowles — guitar, production
- Peter Dale — drums
- Gavin Poole — bass, vocals
- Joe Hardy — keyboards, guitar, vocals
Studio albums
- Amusement Parks on Fire (Invada) 2005
- Out of the Angeles (V2V2 RecordsV2 Records is a record label that is owned by Universal Music Group as of October 2007. The label was founded in 1996 by Richard Branson, five years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI....
) 2006 - Road Eyes (Filter US) 2010
EPs
- Venosa/Eighty Eight (Invada/GM Recordings) 2005
- Blackout EP (V2) 2005
- In Flight (V2) 2006
- A Star Is Born (V2) 2007
- Young Fight (Filter US) 2009