Pugwash (band)
Encyclopedia
Pugwash is an Irish
pop band fronted by Drimnagh
-born musician Thomas Walsh
. Pugwash has released four albums since its debut LP Almond Tea in 1999. The band signed a five-year deal with XTC
founding member Andy Partridge
's label Ape House in 2009. Influences on the band's sound are regularly cited as including XTC, Electric Light Orchestra
and Jeff Lynne
, The Beach Boys
, The Kinks
, Honeybus
and The Beatles
, though Walsh dismisses the Beatles comparisons as "lazy".
and, in 1995, one of those was named Demo of the Year by Irish music magazine Hot Press
. The recognition led to an introduction to US producer and musician Kim Fowley
, who asked Walsh to play guitar for him live and in studio. Fowley then introduced Walsh to Irish singer-songwriter Andy White
, with whom Walsh would go on to tour.
Using these as learning experiences, Walsh turned his full attention to writing and recording as Pugwash and in 1997 he signed a record deal with the now defunct Vélo Records. In 1999, Pugwash released debut album Almond Tea, which was co-produced by Walsh and Keith Farrell. Within four weeks of its release it had been placed at No 23 in a list of the top albums of the millennium in Hot Press. Following positive reviews for Almond Tea, Pugwash embarked on lengthy tour of Ireland, supporting numerous visiting artists including Television
and Grant-Lee Phillips
.
In 2002, Pugwash released second album Almanac. Again co-produced by Walsh and Farrell and featuring contributions from Air and Beck
collaborator Jason Falkner
, Almanac was another collection of similarly melodic and retro-styled songs which invited comparisons to classic 1960s and 1970s pop. The album caught the ear of Andy Partridge, who would go on to name the single "Apples" as the most exciting track he had heard that year. Almanac track Anyone Who Asks would later be used prominently in the 2008 Hollywood movie Pride and Glory
, starring Edward Norton
and Colin Farrell
. In 2003, Australian label Karmic Hit
released a compilation of remastered tracks from the first two Pugwash albums, entitled Earworm. The same year, Pugwash returned to the studio to record a follow-up to Almanac and was involved with the setting up of 1969 Records with Daragh Bohan. The label would go on to release the next two Pugwash albums.
The recording of Pugwash's third album Jollity
began after Walsh contacted Dave Gregory of XTC through a friend to ask Gregory to write a string arrangement for a song called "A Rose in a Garden of Weeds". Impressed with the demos Walsh sent him, Gregory readily agreed. Walsh then contacted The Section Quartet
, with whom he had previously performed in Dublin, about playing the arrangements and the quartet agreed to a recording session at Studio Two in London
's Abbey Road Studios
. Gregory was invited to conduct the quartet during the sessions. Gregory also wrote the string arrangement for the song I Want You Back in My Life which appeared on Jollity. This led to Gregory introducing Walsh to Andy Partridge, following which Partridge went on to co-write the song "Anchor" with Walsh. The album would also feature contributions from US artist Eric Matthews, Graham Hopkins
(ex-Therapy?
), Johnny Boyle
(The Frames
), Duncan Maitland (formerly of Picturehouse
) and Tosh Flood (of Irish band Saville), among others.
Jollity was released on 1969 Records in Ireland on 23 September 2005, and on Karmic Hit in Australia on 10 October 2005. It was met with numerous glowing reviews.
In mid-2006, Pugwash was invited by radio DJ Rick O'Shea
to take part in a fund-raising concert in aid of Brainwave, the Irish epilepsy association. While the concert subsequently fell through, Walsh decided to record a charity Christmas single in aid of the association. Walsh invited Eric Matthews, Dave Gregory, Mundy
and Dave Couse
to take part in the recording of the single. He also contacted Neil Hannon
of The Divine Comedy
, and Hannon's contribution became the first of many collaborations between him and Walsh. The track "Tinsel and Marzipan
" was released under the Pugwash & Friends moniker in December 2006, and reached number 23 in the Irish charts.
Walsh announced he had started recording the follow-up to Jollity in May 2007 and that Keith Farrell and Johnny Boyle were returning as bassist/engineer and drummer respectively, while Stephen Farrell was also assisting. Later that month he revealed the working title of the album was 11 Modern Antiquities
and that Neil Hannon was taking part in the recording sessions. Towards the end of the year, the band posted rough versions of a number of tracks and revealed the album was due to be released in February 2008. That date was eventually pushed back to 23 March. The album once again featured contributions from Jason Falkner, Dave Gregory, Eric Matthews, Tosh Flood and The Section Quartet and also included Brian Wilson
collaborator Nelson Bragg
, acclaimed US singer-songwriter Michael Penn
and Andy Partridge. Partridge also co-wrote two of the tracks, "My Genius" and "At the Sea". Eleven Modern Antiquities was once again met with acclaim by critics.
In January 2009, it was announced that Pugwash had signed a five-year deal with Partridge's Ape House label. The band's first release on Ape House was the compilation album Giddy
, a collection of songs from Pugwash's four studio albums as selected by Partridge. A planned expanded re-release of Eleven Modern Antiquities was also due to be put out in May 2010, but to date has not seen release.
Following a hiatus during which Walsh recorded and toured as The Duckworth Lewis Method
with Neil Hannon, Walsh announced in August 2010 that a fifth Pugwash album was in progress, with an expected release date of spring or summer 2011. While no title for the new collection was given, Walsh revealed that proposed songs included "August Born", "Fall Down", "I Don't Know What It Is", "I Really Miss My Friend" and "Dear Belinda". The last-named track was written for British actress Belinda Stewart-Wilson
, and Walsh claimed Stewart-Wilson had requested to sing vocals on the final version of the song.
From Almanac:
From Jollity:
As 'Pugwash and Friends':
From Eleven Modern Antiquities:
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
pop band fronted by Drimnagh
Drimnagh
Drimnagh is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city between Walkinstown, Crumlin and Inchicore, bordering the Grand Canal to the north and east. Drimnagh is in postal district Dublin 12.-Early to Medieval:...
-born musician Thomas Walsh
Thomas Walsh (musician)
Thomas Walsh is an Irish musician and frontman for the band Pugwash.In 2009 he worked with The Divine Comedy singer Neil Hannon on a project called "The Duckworth Lewis Method", a cricket-themed band and album. Their single The Age of Revolution was released digitally at the end of June and the...
. Pugwash has released four albums since its debut LP Almond Tea in 1999. The band signed a five-year deal with XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
founding member Andy Partridge
Andy Partridge
Andrew John "Andy" Partridge is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been known as Sir John Johns and Melchior and rose to fame as a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the pop/new wave band, XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.Partridge also...
's label Ape House in 2009. Influences on the band's sound are regularly cited as including XTC, Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
and Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, 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...
, Honeybus
Honeybus
Honeybus were a 1960s pop group formed in April 1967, in London. They were best known for their 1968 UK Top 10 hit single, "I Can't Let Maggie Go".-Line-up:The best known line-up consisted of:...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, though Walsh dismisses the Beatles comparisons as "lazy".
History
Using the money from a compensation award following a childhood accident, Walsh set up a recording facility in a shed in his parents' garden. He later claimed he was inspired to do so after hearing that musical hero Andy Partridge of English new wave group XTC had retired from touring and recorded his music at home in a shed. In the early 1990s, Walsh adopted Pugwash as a stage name and began recording some 150 demos to 4-trackMultitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
and, in 1995, one of those was named Demo of the Year by Irish music magazine Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
. The recognition led to an introduction to US producer and musician Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
, who asked Walsh to play guitar for him live and in studio. Fowley then introduced Walsh to Irish singer-songwriter Andy White
Andy White (singer-songwriter)
Andy White is an Irish singer/songwriter and poet, born in Belfast. He started writing poetry and music from a young age, penning a poem called "Riots" aged nine. He attended Methodist College Belfast. He studied English Literature at Robinson College, Cambridge University, graduating in 1984...
, with whom Walsh would go on to tour.
Using these as learning experiences, Walsh turned his full attention to writing and recording as Pugwash and in 1997 he signed a record deal with the now defunct Vélo Records. In 1999, Pugwash released debut album Almond Tea, which was co-produced by Walsh and Keith Farrell. Within four weeks of its release it had been placed at No 23 in a list of the top albums of the millennium in Hot Press. Following positive reviews for Almond Tea, Pugwash embarked on lengthy tour of Ireland, supporting numerous visiting artists including Television
Television (band)
Television was an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk" and New Wave music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti...
and Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his versatile voice, intense lyrical narratives and dexterity on the acoustic twelve-string guitar, a style that often sees him compared to Neil Young, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.- Background :Born in...
.
In 2002, Pugwash released second album Almanac. Again co-produced by Walsh and Farrell and featuring contributions from Air and Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
collaborator Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner
Jason Falkner is an American pop and rock musician. Active since the late 1980s, he has performed with several bands. In addition to releasing several albums as a solo artist, he is a prolific session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of other recordings by other bands and...
, Almanac was another collection of similarly melodic and retro-styled songs which invited comparisons to classic 1960s and 1970s pop. The album caught the ear of Andy Partridge, who would go on to name the single "Apples" as the most exciting track he had heard that year. Almanac track Anyone Who Asks would later be used prominently in the 2008 Hollywood movie Pride and Glory
Pride and Glory (film)
Pride and Glory is a 2008 crime drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor. It stars Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, and Noah Emmerich. The film was released on October 24, 2008, in the United States....
, starring Edward Norton
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
and Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
. In 2003, Australian label Karmic Hit
Karmic Hit
Karmic Hit is a record label based in Sydney. It was founded in 1993. The label features bands and musicians such as Steve Kilbey, Snog, David Lane and Halogen.-Releases:...
released a compilation of remastered tracks from the first two Pugwash albums, entitled Earworm. The same year, Pugwash returned to the studio to record a follow-up to Almanac and was involved with the setting up of 1969 Records with Daragh Bohan. The label would go on to release the next two Pugwash albums.
The recording of Pugwash's third album Jollity
Jollity
- Personnel :* Thomas Walsh: vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, lead guitar, piano, pianet, organ, tremolo guitar, Yamaha SY-2 synth, glockenspiel, Novatron, Mellotron, saxophone, vibes, samples, tambourine, shakers, sleighbells...
began after Walsh contacted Dave Gregory of XTC through a friend to ask Gregory to write a string arrangement for a song called "A Rose in a Garden of Weeds". Impressed with the demos Walsh sent him, Gregory readily agreed. Walsh then contacted The Section Quartet
The Section Quartet
The Section Quartet is a string quartet that is based in Los Angeles, California. Emerging in 1998, Section features Eric Gorfain and Daphne Chen on violin, Lauren Chipman on viola, and Richard Dodd on cello. It specializes in turning popular rock songs into classical quartet pieces...
, with whom he had previously performed in Dublin, about playing the arrangements and the quartet agreed to a recording session at Studio Two in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
. Gregory was invited to conduct the quartet during the sessions. Gregory also wrote the string arrangement for the song I Want You Back in My Life which appeared on Jollity. This led to Gregory introducing Walsh to Andy Partridge, following which Partridge went on to co-write the song "Anchor" with Walsh. The album would also feature contributions from US artist Eric Matthews, Graham Hopkins
Graham Hopkins
Graham Hopkins is an Irish drummer. He is the drummer in The Swell Season, The Frames, and former drummer for the hard rock/punk rock band Therapy?.- Early years :...
(ex-Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
), Johnny Boyle
Johnny Boyle
Johnny Boyle is the former drummer of Irish band The Frames. He first came to the attention of the Irish music scene when he joined Picture House before the release of their second album, Karmarama. He left the band shortly after the third studio album, Madness, Sadness, Gladness to join Marianne...
(The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
), Duncan Maitland (formerly of Picturehouse
Picturehouse (band)
Picturehouse are an Irish band from Dublin, Ireland.-Studio albums:-Irish charts:-Compilations:Picturehouse performed a cover version of Sweet Dreams My LA Ex and a hidden track of Papa Don't Preach on Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 1....
) and Tosh Flood (of Irish band Saville), among others.
Jollity was released on 1969 Records in Ireland on 23 September 2005, and on Karmic Hit in Australia on 10 October 2005. It was met with numerous glowing reviews.
In mid-2006, Pugwash was invited by radio DJ Rick O'Shea
Rick O'Shea
Rick O'Shea is an Irish radio personality. He was born in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 and attended and later University College Dublin . He is a DJ on RTÉ 2fm.-Radio:...
to take part in a fund-raising concert in aid of Brainwave, the Irish epilepsy association. While the concert subsequently fell through, Walsh decided to record a charity Christmas single in aid of the association. Walsh invited Eric Matthews, Dave Gregory, Mundy
Mundy
Mundy is an Irish singer-songwriter. 'Mundy' is a nickname given to Enright, as it not only refers to his name Edmund, but it is how he pronounces the word "Monday".-Biography:...
and Dave Couse
Dave Couse
Dave Couse is a musician, producer, and radio DJ. He was the lead singer and main song writer with Irish band A House and has released three albums as a solo artist...
to take part in the recording of the single. He also contacted Neil Hannon
Neil Hannon
Neil Hannon is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and frontman of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy. The band's official website even goes so far as to say, "The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon," and Hannon is quoted in an interview as saying, "The Divine Comedy...
of The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
, and Hannon's contribution became the first of many collaborations between him and Walsh. The track "Tinsel and Marzipan
Tinsel and Marzipan
"Tinsel and Marzipan" was a single released by Pugwash and Friends in Ireland in December 2006. All proceeds from the sale of the single were donated to the Irish Epilepsy Association Brainwave...
" was released under the Pugwash & Friends moniker in December 2006, and reached number 23 in the Irish charts.
Walsh announced he had started recording the follow-up to Jollity in May 2007 and that Keith Farrell and Johnny Boyle were returning as bassist/engineer and drummer respectively, while Stephen Farrell was also assisting. Later that month he revealed the working title of the album was 11 Modern Antiquities
Eleven Modern Antiquities (Pugwash album)
Eleven Modern Antiquities is the fourth studio album by Irish pop band Pugwash. It was released in Ireland by 1969 Records on March 21, 2008 and was originally scheduled for worldwide release in an expanded edition on Ape House records in May 2010, but so far this latter edition has not seen release...
and that Neil Hannon was taking part in the recording sessions. Towards the end of the year, the band posted rough versions of a number of tracks and revealed the album was due to be released in February 2008. That date was eventually pushed back to 23 March. The album once again featured contributions from Jason Falkner, Dave Gregory, Eric Matthews, Tosh Flood and The Section Quartet and also included Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
collaborator Nelson Bragg
Nelson Bragg
Nelson Bragg is a drummer-percussionist-vocalist from Rockport, Massachusetts.-Early years:Nelson Bragg played in several bands from 1979 to 1999 including positions as a pit drummer for over 20 stage musicals...
, acclaimed US singer-songwriter Michael Penn
Michael Penn
Michael Penn is an American singer, songwriter and composer. He is the eldest son of actor/director Leo Penn and actress Eileen Ryan, and the brother of actors Sean Penn and the late Chris Penn.-Career:...
and Andy Partridge. Partridge also co-wrote two of the tracks, "My Genius" and "At the Sea". Eleven Modern Antiquities was once again met with acclaim by critics.
In January 2009, it was announced that Pugwash had signed a five-year deal with Partridge's Ape House label. The band's first release on Ape House was the compilation album Giddy
Giddy (album)
Giddy is a compilation album by Irish band Pugwash, featuring tracks from their four studio albums. It was released by Ape Records on September 29, 2009.- Track listing :- Personnel :...
, a collection of songs from Pugwash's four studio albums as selected by Partridge. A planned expanded re-release of Eleven Modern Antiquities was also due to be put out in May 2010, but to date has not seen release.
Following a hiatus during which Walsh recorded and toured as The Duckworth Lewis Method
The Duckworth Lewis Method
The Duckworth Lewis Method are an Irish pop group formed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh of Pugwash. The Duckworth Lewis Method is also the title of the group's only album, which was released on 3 July 2009, a few days before the start of the 2009 Ashes series. A concept album...
with Neil Hannon, Walsh announced in August 2010 that a fifth Pugwash album was in progress, with an expected release date of spring or summer 2011. While no title for the new collection was given, Walsh revealed that proposed songs included "August Born", "Fall Down", "I Don't Know What It Is", "I Really Miss My Friend" and "Dear Belinda". The last-named track was written for British actress Belinda Stewart-Wilson
Belinda Stewart-Wilson
Belinda Stewart-Wilson is an English actress, best known for her role in the TV sitcom The Inbetweeners as Polly McKenzie.-Early life:The daughter of Sir Blair Stewart-Wilson, a British Army officer, Stewart-Wilson grew up on military postings in the UK, Germany, and Austria before her family...
, and Walsh claimed Stewart-Wilson had requested to sing vocals on the final version of the song.
Studio albums
- Almond Tea (1999)
- Almanac (June 2002)
- JollityJollity- Personnel :* Thomas Walsh: vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, electric guitar, lead guitar, piano, pianet, organ, tremolo guitar, Yamaha SY-2 synth, glockenspiel, Novatron, Mellotron, saxophone, vibes, samples, tambourine, shakers, sleighbells...
(September 2005) - Eleven Modern AntiquitiesEleven Modern Antiquities (Pugwash album)Eleven Modern Antiquities is the fourth studio album by Irish pop band Pugwash. It was released in Ireland by 1969 Records on March 21, 2008 and was originally scheduled for worldwide release in an expanded edition on Ape House records in May 2010, but so far this latter edition has not seen release...
(March 2008) - The Olympus Sound (August 2011)
Singles
From Almond Tea:- "The Finer Things in Life" (2000)
From Almanac:
- "Apples" (April 2002)
From Jollity:
- "It's Nice to be Nice" (2005)
- "This Could Be Good" (March 2006)
As 'Pugwash and Friends':
- "Tinsel and MarzipanTinsel and Marzipan"Tinsel and Marzipan" was a single released by Pugwash and Friends in Ireland in December 2006. All proceeds from the sale of the single were donated to the Irish Epilepsy Association Brainwave...
" (December 2006)
From Eleven Modern Antiquities:
- "Take Me Away" (February 2008)
- "At the Sea" (2008)
External links
- Official Website for Eleven Modern Antiquities