Friends Of The Bride
Encyclopedia
Friends of the Bride are a London-based indie pop
band (sometimes shortened to 'FoTB').
Consisting of Bobby Grindrod (vocals), Osamu Yano (guitar), Kerin Smith (bass) and Billy Reeves
AKA Brian Feltham (drums); the band won the 2006 London leg of the BBC
's Electric Proms 'Next Stage' competition and secured their first gig as part of the festival (which also featured performances by The Who
, James Brown
and Paul Weller). Drawing from a diverse range of influences that includes 1960s jazz
, Northern soul
and Yé-yé
as well as New Wave music
, Garage rock
and Anthony Newley
, the band employ a traditional 'Tin Pan Alley
'-inspired songwriting approach.
Despite their traditional indie format (guitar, bass, drums and vocals), front man Bobby Grindrod is known for his unique jazz-influenced vocal style and they have been cited by The Times
as "head[ing] the nu croon scene". In 2007, Grindrod's unusually smart appearance (influenced by early to mid 1960s fashion) prompted London's Metro
newspaper to run a full page style feature on him.
Such shameless appreciation for 1960s styling has led to accusations of 'retroism', however the band refute this; claiming that all contemporary music is clearly and heavily indebted to the past and therefore "[i]n its current usage, 'retro' is a misleading and repressive term that should be avoided at all costs".
Friends of the Bride released two singles (Buckle Up, Sunshine! and So, You Think You Can Dance?) on London's Young and Lost Club label in 2007 as well as contributing You Can't Take him Anywhere and Hey Buddy to a split EP (also featuring contributions from Manchester electro-pop group, Modernaire) on Brainlove Records
in 2008.
Between 2000 and 2006, Bobby Grindrod fronted Bath-based New Wave/Garage Rock outfit, The Fog Band
who released an acclaimed EP The Law of The Sea on Bath's Purr Records. Initially, his vocal approach was heavily influenced by 1960s Rhythm and blues
but as the band progressed he began to experiment with a 'cleaner' vocal approach (retained and developed in Friends of the Bride). Fog Band songwriter Oli Daltrey (son of Peter Daltrey
, lead singer of 1960s psychedelic band, Kaleidoscope
) began to accommodate this development in songs like 'The Cummerbund Years' and an exciting future beckoned. Despite this, the band soon became inexplicably defunct.
In 2006, Grindrod contributed to the short-lived music project, A Conversation Piece alongside Pagan Wanderer Lu
and Simon Love (lead singer of The Loves
). He also provided some backing vocals and narration on The Loves
' second album, Technicolour, in the same year.
Billy Reeves
and Kerin Smith previously performed in '90s indie band theaudience
alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor
.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band (sometimes shortened to 'FoTB').
Consisting of Bobby Grindrod (vocals), Osamu Yano (guitar), Kerin Smith (bass) and Billy Reeves
Billy Reeves
Billy Reeves is a British songwriter, musician, record producer and broadcaster.In the early 1990s he formed the band Congregation , releasing one album, Egham, on the Fire Records label for whom Reeves has previously worked as a public relations manager. The group never achieved much success...
AKA Brian Feltham (drums); the band won the 2006 London leg of the 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...
's Electric Proms 'Next Stage' competition and secured their first gig as part of the festival (which also featured performances by The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and Paul Weller). Drawing from a diverse range of influences that includes 1960s 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...
, Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
and Yé-yé
Yé-yé
Yé-yé was a style of pop music that emerged from France, Québec and Spain in the early 1960s. The term "yé-yé" derived from "yeah! yeah!" The style expanded worldwide, due to the success of figures such as the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg....
as well as New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, 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...
and Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
, the band employ a traditional 'Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
'-inspired songwriting approach.
Despite their traditional indie format (guitar, bass, drums and vocals), front man Bobby Grindrod is known for his unique jazz-influenced vocal style and they have been cited by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as "head[ing] the nu croon scene". In 2007, Grindrod's unusually smart appearance (influenced by early to mid 1960s fashion) prompted London's Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
newspaper to run a full page style feature on him.
Such shameless appreciation for 1960s styling has led to accusations of 'retroism', however the band refute this; claiming that all contemporary music is clearly and heavily indebted to the past and therefore "[i]n its current usage, 'retro' is a misleading and repressive term that should be avoided at all costs".
Friends of the Bride released two singles (Buckle Up, Sunshine! and So, You Think You Can Dance?) on London's Young and Lost Club label in 2007 as well as contributing You Can't Take him Anywhere and Hey Buddy to a split EP (also featuring contributions from Manchester electro-pop group, Modernaire) on Brainlove Records
Brainlove Records
Brainlove Records is an independent record label with a DIY ethic, based in London, England. The label works with artists making experimental indie, pop and electronic music, and those who blur the boundaries between genres....
in 2008.
Between 2000 and 2006, Bobby Grindrod fronted Bath-based New Wave/Garage Rock outfit, The Fog Band
The Fog Band
The Fog Band were a garage punk/indie rock act from Bath, England that existed between 2000 and 2006 and were fronted by Bobby Grindrod. Originally instrumental, the band's lead guitarist persuaded Grindrod to be their vocalist after being intrigued by...
who released an acclaimed EP The Law of The Sea on Bath's Purr Records. Initially, his vocal approach was heavily influenced by 1960s Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
but as the band progressed he began to experiment with a 'cleaner' vocal approach (retained and developed in Friends of the Bride). Fog Band songwriter Oli Daltrey (son of Peter Daltrey
Peter Daltrey
Peter James Daltrey is a British musician. He has been lead singer and chief songwriter for the bands Kaleidoscope and Fairfield Parlour. He is also a solo artist....
, lead singer of 1960s psychedelic band, Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope (UK band)
Kaleidoscope were an English psychedelic rock band that were active between 1967 and 1968. The band's songs were combining the elements of psychedelia with remarkable lyrics...
) began to accommodate this development in songs like 'The Cummerbund Years' and an exciting future beckoned. Despite this, the band soon became inexplicably defunct.
In 2006, Grindrod contributed to the short-lived music project, A Conversation Piece alongside Pagan Wanderer Lu
Pagan Wanderer Lu
Pagan Wanderer Lu is a one-man indie/electronica or 'Indietronica' band originally formed in Aberystwyth but now based in Cardiff. The act consists of Andy Regan .-Discography:...
and Simon Love (lead singer of The Loves
The Loves
The Loves were a heavily 1960s influenced pop band, formed in 2000 in Cardiff, Wales-Career:Their debut album Love was released on Track and Field Records in 2004, but attracted generally hostile press coverage, and was commercially unsuccessful...
). He also provided some backing vocals and narration on The Loves
The Loves
The Loves were a heavily 1960s influenced pop band, formed in 2000 in Cardiff, Wales-Career:Their debut album Love was released on Track and Field Records in 2004, but attracted generally hostile press coverage, and was commercially unsuccessful...
' second album, Technicolour, in the same year.
Billy Reeves
Billy Reeves
Billy Reeves is a British songwriter, musician, record producer and broadcaster.In the early 1990s he formed the band Congregation , releasing one album, Egham, on the Fire Records label for whom Reeves has previously worked as a public relations manager. The group never achieved much success...
and Kerin Smith previously performed in '90s indie band theaudience
Theaudience
Theaudience were a Britpop group active in the 1990s. They released one album and saw three singles enter the UK Singles Chart. The band's singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor became a successful solo artist after the band's disbandment....
alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...
.
Singles
- Want In? / Cut Down On My Friends' (Feltham Records, November 2006)
- Buckle Up, Sunshine! / End of Loneliness' (Young and Lost Club, April 2007)
- So, You Think You Can Dance / I've Had My Moments' (Young and Lost Club, November 2007)
Compilation appearances
- Sound of an Era II on Vinyl Junkie Records, Japan; Oct 2007 (So, You Think You Can Dance?)
- Two Thousand And Ace on Brainlove RecordsBrainlove RecordsBrainlove Records is an independent record label with a DIY ethic, based in London, England. The label works with artists making experimental indie, pop and electronic music, and those who blur the boundaries between genres....
, UK; Jul 2008 (I've Had My Moments)
External links
- Friends of the Bride My Space page
- http://music.guardian.co.uk/newbands/story/0,,2217877,00.htmlFriends of the Bride 'Band of the Day' at Guardian.co.ukGuardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
] - http://www.xfm.co.uk/friends-of-the-bride-meets-and-sessionInterview and session for XfmXfmXfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
] - http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/8577/Friends-Of-The-Bride.htmlInterview with This Is Fake DIYThis Is Fake DIYThis Is Fake DIY is a United Kingdom-based music webzine dedicated to alternative music. It is named after a song by the Scottish alternative rock group Bis....
] - Interview with Subba-Cultcha.com
- For He's a brolly good fellow
