Help She Can't Swim
Encyclopedia
Help She Can't Swim were an English
indie
/art
rock
band, formed in Southampton
in 2003. They released a number of singles
on Fantastic Plastic Records
, along with an EP
and two album
s. Before signing to Fantastic Plastic, they had released one EP entitled Suck Our Band (a phrase taken from the lyrics of their song "Are You Feeling Fashionable?") on the Vacuous Pop label
. While originally recorded as a demo, Vacuous Pop were so taken with the 'Suck Our Band' recordings that they had to be given a proper release. Originally a five-piece, one of the founding members, Tom Baker, left the band in 2006, before the release of the band's second album The Death of Nightlife
, though still contributed to the recording
which had mostly been completed before his departure. The band announced they had split up on 26 May 2008 on their Myspace blog. Their reasoning behind the breakup, as quoted from their MySpace blog was "There are a lot of things that the four of us need to do personally that being in the band does not allow. We have had an amazing time being in HSCS; we got to release our music, tour, play shows with some great bands and met lots of lovely people."
A compilation album of b-sides was released digitally in 2010 called 'B Sides'.
Following the split members of the band have gone on to form new projects. Tom Denney released solo material under the name Lonely Ghosts. Leesey Frances also contributed vocals and clarinet to tracks on the Lonely Ghosts album and mini-album, as well as performing at live shows. Denney has also formed the band Soft Arrows with ex-members of My Device
and plays guitar in the lives shows for NULLIFIER. Lewis Baker played in indie-pop band Spaghetti Anywhere and now plays in Colours and Warm Brains.
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...
indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
/art
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, formed in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
in 2003. They released a number of singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on Fantastic Plastic Records
Fantastic Plastic Records
Fantastic Plastic Records is a London based record label. It was independent until 15 June 2007 when the Sanctuary Group was bought by the Universal Music Group.-Current artists:* Bearsuit* Bricolage* Guillemots* Luke Haines* New Cassettes* Oppenheimer...
, along with 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...
and two 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...
s. Before signing to Fantastic Plastic, they had released one EP entitled Suck Our Band (a phrase taken from the lyrics of their song "Are You Feeling Fashionable?") on the Vacuous Pop label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. While originally recorded as a demo, Vacuous Pop were so taken with the 'Suck Our Band' recordings that they had to be given a proper release. Originally a five-piece, one of the founding members, Tom Baker, left the band in 2006, before the release of the band's second album The Death of Nightlife
The Death of Nightlife
The Death of Nightlife is the second album by British indie/art rock band Help She Can't Swim, released in May 2007 on Fantastic Plastic Records. The album is available on 12" vinyl, CD, and download formats. The vinyl album includes an extra track, "Why Don't We Just Hurt Ourselves" which is...
, though still contributed to the recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
which had mostly been completed before his departure. The band announced they had split up on 26 May 2008 on their Myspace blog. Their reasoning behind the breakup, as quoted from their MySpace blog was "There are a lot of things that the four of us need to do personally that being in the band does not allow. We have had an amazing time being in HSCS; we got to release our music, tour, play shows with some great bands and met lots of lovely people."
A compilation album of b-sides was released digitally in 2010 called 'B Sides'.
Following the split members of the band have gone on to form new projects. Tom Denney released solo material under the name Lonely Ghosts. Leesey Frances also contributed vocals and clarinet to tracks on the Lonely Ghosts album and mini-album, as well as performing at live shows. Denney has also formed the band Soft Arrows with ex-members of My Device
My Device
My Device were a Brighton based band featuring Todd Jordan , Russell Eke and Alex "Doogle" Uren . They formed in 2003, and split in 2010....
and plays guitar in the lives shows for NULLIFIER. Lewis Baker played in indie-pop band Spaghetti Anywhere and now plays in Colours and Warm Brains.
Band members
- Tom Denney – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Leesey Frances – vocals, keyboards
- Tim Palmer – bass guitar, keyboards
- Lewis Baker – drums
- Tom Baker (2003–2006) – guitar, bass, keyboards
Discography
Albums
- Fashionista Super Dance TroupeFashionista Super Dance TroupeFashionista Super Dance Troupe is the debut album from indie/art rock band Help She Can't Swim, released on Fantastic Plastic Records in 2004.-Track listing:#"Fermez La Bouche" – 1:38#"I Don't Need You" – 1:51#"Bunty vs Beano" – 2:10...
– (December 2004) - The Death of NightlifeThe Death of NightlifeThe Death of Nightlife is the second album by British indie/art rock band Help She Can't Swim, released in May 2007 on Fantastic Plastic Records. The album is available on 12" vinyl, CD, and download formats. The vinyl album includes an extra track, "Why Don't We Just Hurt Ourselves" which is...
– (May 2007) - "B Sides" - (January 2010)
Singles
- "Bunty vs Beano" – (September 2004)
- "I Don't Need You" – (March 2005)
- "Midnight Garden – (March 2006)
- "Hospital Drama" – (March 2007)
EPs
- Suck Our Band – (June 2004)
- Committing Social Suicide – (December 2005)
- Pass The Hat Around – (November 2007)