Flipron
Encyclopedia
Flipron are a psychedelic pop
band from Glastonbury
, England
, consisting of singer and songwriter
Jesse Budd, pianist
/organist Joe Atkinson, and drummer
Mike Chitty. They were signed to Tiny Dog Records
in 2003.Their music has been likened to Tom Waits
, Syd Barrett
and The Kinks
.
2004/5: Fancy Blues and Rustique Novelties
The first album was recorded in Glastonbury and released in 2004. The Observer Music Monthly magazine put it at number 6 in their 50 albums of the month for October with Charles Shaar Murray
giving it a four star review.
In July 2004 they recorded their first live session for Tom Robinson
on BBC 6 Music
.
As part of the tour to promote the album, Flipron appeared as support act for Donovan
(for whom Flipron's Joe Atkinson was playing keyboards) at Cardiff St David's Hall and Bristol's St George's Hall.
Two singles were released from the album; "Hanging Round The Lean-to With Grandad" and "Raindrops Keep Falling On the Dead/The End Of Summer". The latter featured an animated black and white video made by American director Alex de Campi
.
2006/7: Biscuits For Cerberus
The second album, Biscuits For Cerberus was mainly recorded at drummer Mike Chitty's house and released in 2006. The Daily Telegraph described it as a "woozy, bohemian pop massacre. Brilliant, but frankly unclassifiable."
In March 2006, they appeared at The Spice Of Life in London with Rat Scabies
performing The Damned hit "Smash It Up
" ,which was recorded by BBC 6 Music
for their Pretty Ancient event (celebrating thirty years of punk
).
A single, "Dogboy Vs Monsters" was released in early 2007 and featured a silent movie pastiche
video, again directed by Alex de Campi.
Shortly after the recording of Biscuits For Cerberus, bassist Mark Wingfield left the band and Greg Shepheard who had engineered the first two albums joined.
2008/9: Gravity Calling
The third album, Gravity Calling, was recorded at Chris Jagger
's Somerset studio with former Damned drummer Rat Scabies
producing.
Q Magazine described it as sounding like a "more ramshackle Madness" and added the song "How It Works" to their 50 essential download list in their January 2009 issue
August 2008 saw them appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for five nights at the Gilded Balloon.
On 31 October 2008, they returned to BBC 6 Music for another live session for Tom Robinson.
In November 2008, they embarked on a co-headlining UK tour with Birmingham's Misty's Big Adventure
and they toured again in spring 2009 with Mark Wingfield returning on bass.
Two singles were released from the album, "Book Of Lies" and the title track.
In May 2009 they recorded a session for Mark Lamarr
's God's Jukebox show on BBC Radio 2
(which was repeated on Lamarr's Best of 2009 show in January 2010).
A range of vintage equipment was used in the recording of Gravity Calling and was featured in Guitar & Bass Magazine's January 2009 edition with interviews with Jesse Budd, Rat Scabies and Flipron manager, Phil Taylor (who also managed Bobby Long
).
2010/11: The Coolest Names In Showbiz and US Tour.
A new single, the ska
flavoured The Coolest Names In Showbiz, again produced by Rat Scabies, was released in July 2010.The song made its live debut at a show in Bath supporting The (English) Beat.
In August 2010, Flipron returned to the Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this time for a nine night residency.
In September 2010 they toured the USA for the first time with John Thompson (who also plays with the current line up of The Selecter
) on bass and returned to the US in March 2011 to appear at the South By Southwest
festival in Austin, Texas.
Since 2010 live bass duties have been shared by John Thompson and Nick Walkling.
A new single The Stupidest Face In Town was released in June 2011.
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
band from Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, consisting of singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Jesse Budd, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
/organist Joe Atkinson, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Mike Chitty. They were signed to Tiny Dog Records
Tiny dog records
Tiny Dog Records is a UK based independent record company founded in 1999.They currently have 3 bands on their rosta - Flipron, Scott 4 and Magic Car....
in 2003.Their music has been likened to Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, 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...
and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
.
2004/5: Fancy Blues and Rustique Novelties
The first album was recorded in Glastonbury and released in 2004. The Observer Music Monthly magazine put it at number 6 in their 50 albums of the month for October with Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
giving it a four star review.
In July 2004 they recorded their first live session for Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
on BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
.
As part of the tour to promote the album, Flipron appeared as support act for Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
(for whom Flipron's Joe Atkinson was playing keyboards) at Cardiff St David's Hall and Bristol's St George's Hall.
Two singles were released from the album; "Hanging Round The Lean-to With Grandad" and "Raindrops Keep Falling On the Dead/The End Of Summer". The latter featured an animated black and white video made by American director Alex de Campi
Alex de Campi
Alex de Campi is a British-American music video director and comics writer.-Biography:De Campi was educated at Princeton University, majoring in Art History. Prior to her writing career, she worked as an investment banker in Hong Kong...
.
2006/7: Biscuits For Cerberus
The second album, Biscuits For Cerberus was mainly recorded at drummer Mike Chitty's house and released in 2006. The Daily Telegraph described it as a "woozy, bohemian pop massacre. Brilliant, but frankly unclassifiable."
In March 2006, they appeared at The Spice Of Life in London with Rat Scabies
Rat Scabies
Christopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
performing The Damned hit "Smash It Up
Smash It Up
"Smash It Up" is a song by The Damned, released as a single in 1979.The single was the second release from the band's Machine Gun Etiquette album, where it was listed as "Smash It Up ". The single was banned from BBC Radio 1's playlist because of its perceived anarchic lyrics, stalling at number 35...
" ,which was recorded by BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
for their Pretty Ancient event (celebrating thirty years of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
).
A single, "Dogboy Vs Monsters" was released in early 2007 and featured a silent movie pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
video, again directed by Alex de Campi.
Shortly after the recording of Biscuits For Cerberus, bassist Mark Wingfield left the band and Greg Shepheard who had engineered the first two albums joined.
2008/9: Gravity Calling
The third album, Gravity Calling, was recorded at Chris Jagger
Chris Jagger
Chris Jagger is an English musician, born December 19, 1947 in Dartford, Kent.Four and a half years younger than Mick Jagger, he released his first two albums in 1973 and 1974...
's Somerset studio with former Damned drummer Rat Scabies
Rat Scabies
Christopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
producing.
Q Magazine described it as sounding like a "more ramshackle Madness" and added the song "How It Works" to their 50 essential download list in their January 2009 issue
August 2008 saw them appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for five nights at the Gilded Balloon.
On 31 October 2008, they returned to BBC 6 Music for another live session for Tom Robinson.
In November 2008, they embarked on a co-headlining UK tour with Birmingham's Misty's Big Adventure
Misty's Big Adventure
Misty's Big Adventure are an eight piece band from Birmingham, England. Their music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk....
and they toured again in spring 2009 with Mark Wingfield returning on bass.
Two singles were released from the album, "Book Of Lies" and the title track.
In May 2009 they recorded a 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 God's Jukebox show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
(which was repeated on Lamarr's Best of 2009 show in January 2010).
A range of vintage equipment was used in the recording of Gravity Calling and was featured in Guitar & Bass Magazine's January 2009 edition with interviews with Jesse Budd, Rat Scabies and Flipron manager, Phil Taylor (who also managed Bobby Long
Bobby Long (musician)
Bobby Long is a British singer-songwriter whose largely acoustic body of work has its roots in folk. Born Robert Thomas Long in Wigan, near Manchester, he moved at age 4 to Calne in Wiltshire, where he grew up, though he still holds deep roots in Wigan.- History :He learned cello as a child,...
).
2010/11: The Coolest Names In Showbiz and US Tour.
A new single, the ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
flavoured The Coolest Names In Showbiz, again produced by Rat Scabies, was released in July 2010.The song made its live debut at a show in Bath supporting The (English) Beat.
In August 2010, Flipron returned to the Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this time for a nine night residency.
In September 2010 they toured the USA for the first time with John Thompson (who also plays with the current line up of The Selecter
The Selecter
The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
) on bass and returned to the US in March 2011 to appear at the South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival in Austin, Texas.
Since 2010 live bass duties have been shared by John Thompson and Nick Walkling.
A new single The Stupidest Face In Town was released in June 2011.