History

The band grew out of earlier band The Daisies, who had been active since the early 1990s and released the album "Kowloon House" in the US on Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

 and the single "If I Was Barry White" in 1996 on Regal Recordings

Regal Recordings

Regal Recordings is a British record label functioning as an imprint of Parlophone.-Background:Regal Records was a British record label founded in 1914 as a subsidiary of the UK branch of Columbia Records known as Columbia Graphophone Company...

 in the UK. They also toured the US in 1995 supporting fellow Oxford band Supergrass

Supergrass

Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....

. The Daisies line-up of Jamie Hyatt (vocals, guitar), Mark Willis (guitar), Daniel Kemp (bass), and Simon Wickson (drums) were joined by keyboard player Richard Brincklow and the band became Medal and signed to Polydor Records

Polydor Records

Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...

. Early singles "Ordinary", "Possibility", and "Up Here For Hours" received a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

, and saw the band compared to The Verve

The Verve

The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...

. The band's debut album, Drop Your Weapon, was released in June 1999 (on A&M

A&M Records

A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

 in the United States), and support slots with label mates Cast

Cast (band)

Cast are an English rock band from Liverpool, formed in 1992 by John Power and Peter Wilkinson after Power left The La's and Wilkinson's former band Shack had split...

, The Bluetones

The Bluetones

The Bluetones were an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members were Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002...

 and The Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...

 followed. The album prompted the description "Indescribably complicated and bewilderingly pretentious and that's only the cover" from 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...

, who compared the album to Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

's The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...

. After the Porno Song EP on Polydor, Kemp left the band (replaced eventually by former Fuzzgun bassist Ollie) and they were also dropped by Polydor, prompting them to set up their own El Producto label. After two singles, the band issued their second album, Stuntman, in 2001. The band split up soon after, without touring the album or any official announcement.

The Daisies reformed for one night to bid farewell to the Zodiac venue in Oxford in May 2007. The band were the first act to perform at the venue when it opened in 1995.

Hyatt now fronts another Oxford band "The Family Machine", who formed in 2006 and released their debut album "You Are The Family Machine" in March 2008 on Alcopop Records.

Singles

• "Ordinary" (1998) Polydor
• "Possibility" (1999) Polydor
• "Up Here For Hours" (1999) Polydor
• Porno Song EP (1999) Polydor
• "Fingerprints" (2000) El Producto
• "Stuntman" (2001) El Producto