Chris Helme
Encyclopedia
Chris Helme is an English
singer-songwriter
who briefly shot to fame as the frontman of The Seahorses
, the band formed by The Stone Roses
guitarist John Squire
.
/jazz
band Chutzpah (active between roughly 1993 and 1995 and regularly performing around York at Fibbers - where Helme used to work behind the bar and at The White Swan pub). In 1995 the band busked across rural France before splitting up. The band reformed in 2007 for a one-off gig at The White Swan. Helme played his first ever solo gig at Fibbers on 6 December 1994, supporting Nazareth
.
outside Woolworths
department store in York's Coney Street. Impressed by Helme's version of the The Rolling Stones
song, "No Expectations", he requested a demo tape and passed it on to Squire. Squire then went to see Helme perform at Fibbers on 26 May and 16 June 1996. Another gig was then arranged at the Roadhouse venue in Manchester, where Squire eventually invited Helme to join his new band, for which he had already recruited bassist Stuart Fletcher.
Geffen Records
, to whom Squire was still under contract following his departure from The Stone Roses, signed the band. The Seahorses released their debut album Do It Yourself in 1997. The album was produced
by Tony Visconti
and spawned three hit single
s. "Love is the Law" reached no. 2 in the UK Singles Chart
; "Blinded by the Sun" got to no. 7 and "Love Me and Leave Me" at no. 15. The follow-up single "You Can Talk to Me" also peaked at no. 15.
In January 1999, after two years of intensive touring, including support slots to The Rolling Stones
, U2
and Oasis
, a press release sent to the NME announced that the split of the Seahorses "due to John Squire's and lead singer Chris Helme's irreconcilable differences over the musical direction the band should take". Helme later claimed that "there was a personality clash during rehearsals. When he (Squire) came up with new stuff (for the follow-up to Do It Yourself) I didn't like his lyrics or tunes. I could have gone with it and made quite a lot of money, but I wasn't interested."
Paradoxically, a spokesman for the band informed the NME that Squire had become increasingly dissatisfied with the material being produced by Helme until it reached a point where their partnership was no longer possible". Squire would also later comment on his reasons for ending the band that "I thought, 'This sounds shit, we don't deserve to be in this place.' The band sounded complacent. I don't suppose it was anyone's fault. Maybe it got far too much attention for very little effort in the early stages, because of what I'd done in the past."
and fellow ex-Seahorse, Stuart Fletcher performing material written whilst in The Seahorses. The gigs were confirmed 11 days after the Seahorses' split was announced.
Following these initial gigs, which the NME
described as "fairly unambitious rock music", Helme abandoned the band format and performed occasional low-key solo acoustic shows in his native York. Helme then put together a backing band of session musicians, which at one point featured drummer Toby Drummond, who temporarily replaced Andy Watts in The Seahorses. The band played mostly showcase gigs in London plus a big headlining gig at the Theatre Royal
in York in May 2000.
In 2001 a new backing band was assembled, featuring Stuart Fletcher on bass again. With new management and PR, an official website was launched and a 3 track demo CD was serviced to the media.
With the new band, Helme performed numerous London showcase gigs at Ritz and undertook a short UK tour in November of that year.
Helme formed The Yards from the ashes of his solo backing band. The Yards released their debut album in 2005 and their second album Imperial Measures in March 2009, via their own label. Following long periods of inactivity, the band split in November 2009 with a farewell gig at the York venue The Duchess.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who briefly shot to fame as the frontman of The Seahorses
The Seahorses
The Seahorses were an English rock band, formed in 1996 by guitarist John Squire, following his departure from The Stone Roses.The band released one album in 1997 and began work on a follow up, before splitting up due to musical differences during recording sessions in January 1999.-History:Formed...
, the band formed by The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
guitarist John Squire
John Squire
John Thomas Squire is an English musician, songwriter and artist.Squire is best known as the guitarist for The Stone Roses, a rock band in which he formed a songwriting partnership with lead singer Ian Brown. After leaving The Stone Roses he went on to found The Seahorses and has since released...
.
Early Days
Prior to joining The Seahorses, Helme played in numerous unsigned York bands, including Daisy Space and folkFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band Chutzpah (active between roughly 1993 and 1995 and regularly performing around York at Fibbers - where Helme used to work behind the bar and at The White Swan pub). In 1995 the band busked across rural France before splitting up. The band reformed in 2007 for a one-off gig at The White Swan. Helme played his first ever solo gig at Fibbers on 6 December 1994, supporting Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
.
The Seahorses
A friend of Squire's long-time guitar technician discovered Helme buskingBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
outside Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
department store in York's Coney Street. Impressed by Helme's version of the The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
song, "No Expectations", he requested a demo tape and passed it on to Squire. Squire then went to see Helme perform at Fibbers on 26 May and 16 June 1996. Another gig was then arranged at the Roadhouse venue in Manchester, where Squire eventually invited Helme to join his new band, for which he had already recruited bassist Stuart Fletcher.
Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, to whom Squire was still under contract following his departure from The Stone Roses, signed the band. The Seahorses released their debut album Do It Yourself in 1997. The album was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
and spawned three hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s. "Love is the Law" reached no. 2 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 ...
; "Blinded by the Sun" got to no. 7 and "Love Me and Leave Me" at no. 15. The follow-up single "You Can Talk to Me" also peaked at no. 15.
In January 1999, after two years of intensive touring, including support slots to The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, a press release sent to the NME announced that the split of the Seahorses "due to John Squire's and lead singer Chris Helme's irreconcilable differences over the musical direction the band should take". Helme later claimed that "there was a personality clash during rehearsals. When he (Squire) came up with new stuff (for the follow-up to Do It Yourself) I didn't like his lyrics or tunes. I could have gone with it and made quite a lot of money, but I wasn't interested."
Paradoxically, a spokesman for the band informed the NME that Squire had become increasingly dissatisfied with the material being produced by Helme until it reached a point where their partnership was no longer possible". Squire would also later comment on his reasons for ending the band that "I thought, 'This sounds shit, we don't deserve to be in this place.' The band sounded complacent. I don't suppose it was anyone's fault. Maybe it got far too much attention for very little effort in the early stages, because of what I'd done in the past."
Post Seahorses
Following The Seahorses' demise, Helme undertook a short solo tour across England, backed by a newly-formed band featuring members of York band, 'The Lo Beams', Fraser Smith of Shed SevenShed Seven
Shed Seven are an English indie rock band from York and were one of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene that evolved during the 1990s, yet never received the degree of mainstream success achieved by bands such as Oasis and Blur...
and fellow ex-Seahorse, Stuart Fletcher performing material written whilst in The Seahorses. The gigs were confirmed 11 days after the Seahorses' split was announced.
Following these initial gigs, which 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...
described as "fairly unambitious rock music", Helme abandoned the band format and performed occasional low-key solo acoustic shows in his native York. Helme then put together a backing band of session musicians, which at one point featured drummer Toby Drummond, who temporarily replaced Andy Watts in The Seahorses. The band played mostly showcase gigs in London plus a big headlining gig at the Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard's Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not sold...
in York in May 2000.
In 2001 a new backing band was assembled, featuring Stuart Fletcher on bass again. With new management and PR, an official website was launched and a 3 track demo CD was serviced to the media.
With the new band, Helme performed numerous London showcase gigs at Ritz and undertook a short UK tour in November of that year.
Helme formed The Yards from the ashes of his solo backing band. The Yards released their debut album in 2005 and their second album Imperial Measures in March 2009, via their own label. Following long periods of inactivity, the band split in November 2009 with a farewell gig at the York venue The Duchess.