Shirehorses
Encyclopedia
The Shirehorses are a spoof band comprising two BBC Radio
DJs from Manchester
, Mark Radcliffe
and Marc Riley
, known collectively as Mark and Lard
.
As part of their BBC Radio 1
shows, the pair produced pastiches of chart songs, such as "Lardy Boy", a parody of Placebo
's "Nancy Boy
", and "Why Is It Always Dairylea
", spoofing Travis
's "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
", using the band names 'Gazebo' and 'Travisty' respectively. When they rewrote The Seahorses
' "Love Is the Law" as "(Now) I Know (Where I'm Going) Our Kid", they chose the stage-name Shirehorses, which they then retained for future recordings and performances. Other parodies include "I Want a Roll with It" (spoofing "Roll with It" by Oasis
), "Feel Like Shite" ("Alright" by Supergrass
), and "Country Spouse" ("Country House" by Blur
).
The band toured extensively, playing many small, university gigs to exploit its popularity with students. However, it also performed at larger venues, supporting Blur on a 1997 UK tour, taking in several stadia, and appearing at Glastonbury
festival in 1997.
Marc Riley was formerly a member of British
Manchester
band The Fall and later The Creepers
before embarking on a radio presentation career alongside Mark Radcliffe. Formerly a double act on BBC Radio 1
, in March 2004 they went their separate ways, Radcliffe to BBC Radio 2
, Riley to BBC 6 Music
.
The Shirehorses have released two albums to date:
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
DJs from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
and Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
, known collectively as Mark and Lard
Mark and Lard
Mark and Lard, the stage name of Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley , are former BBC Radio 1 disc jockeys. Mark and Lard joined Radio 1 in October 1993 and left in March 2004...
.
As part of their 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...
shows, the pair produced pastiches of chart songs, such as "Lardy Boy", a parody of Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
's "Nancy Boy
Nancy Boy
"Nancy Boy" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was released on January 20, 1997 and became their breakthrough single, reaching #4 in the UK charts and making them known to mainstream audiences. As with their first...
", and "Why Is It Always Dairylea
Dairylea
Dairylea can refer to:* Dairylea a brand of cheese products produced by Kraft Foods in the UK.* Dairylea Cooperative Inc. a large, regional milk cooperative located in Syracuse NY, USA....
", spoofing Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
's "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
Why Does It Always Rain on Me? is a song by Scottish band Travis, released as the third single from their second studio album, The Man Who. The song became the group's international breakthrough single, receiving recognition around the world. It was their first Top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart,...
", using the band names 'Gazebo' and 'Travisty' respectively. When they rewrote The Seahorses
The Seahorses
The Seahorses were an English rock band, formed in 1996 by guitarist John Squire, following his departure from The Stone Roses.The band released one album in 1997 and began work on a follow up, before splitting up due to musical differences during recording sessions in January 1999.-History:Formed...
' "Love Is the Law" as "(Now) I Know (Where I'm Going) Our Kid", they chose the stage-name Shirehorses, which they then retained for future recordings and performances. Other parodies include "I Want a Roll with It" (spoofing "Roll with It" by Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
), "Feel Like Shite" ("Alright" by 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 ....
), and "Country Spouse" ("Country House" by Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
).
The band toured extensively, playing many small, university gigs to exploit its popularity with students. However, it also performed at larger venues, supporting Blur on a 1997 UK tour, taking in several stadia, and appearing at Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
festival in 1997.
Marc Riley was formerly a member of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
band The Fall and later The Creepers
The Creepers
The Creepers were an English rock music group, formed in Manchester in 1982, originally as Marc Riley & The Creepers. After being dismissed from The Fall by Mark E. Smith, Marc Riley formed his own record label with Jim Khambatta, and his own band. The first single "Favourite Sister" was...
before embarking on a radio presentation career alongside Mark Radcliffe. Formerly a double act 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...
, in March 2004 they went their separate ways, Radcliffe to 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...
, Riley to 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....
.
The Shirehorses have released two albums to date:
- The Worst...Album in the World...Ever...EVER!, a parody of the long string of compilation albums released in the UK since the 1990s called The Best (genre) Album in the world ever!.
- Our Kid EhOur Kid EhOur Kid Eh is the second album from the spoof band The Shirehorses,comprising two BBC Radio 1 DJs, Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley .This album's title is a play on the name of Radiohead's album, Kid A and it reached #20 on the UK Albums Chart.- Track listing :#"If You Tolerate This Piss" - Manic...
, a play on the name of RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's album, Kid AKid AKid A is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in October 2000 by the Parlophone label. A commercial success worldwide, Kid A went platinum in its first week of release in the United Kingdom. Despite the lack of an official single or music video as publicity, Kid A...
.