Spitfire (UK band)
Encyclopedia
Spitfire are a British
band
from Crawley
, West Sussex
, England whose ever-changing line up revolved around brothers Nick and Jeff Pitcher. Other members included Steve White, Justin Welch
, Steven Walker (who went on to play in the Auteurs
and Modern English
), Matt Wise and Scott Kenny.
Two early EPs
on Eve Recordings saw the band linked to the shoegazing
scene, and to the Scene That Celebrates Itself, although a cover
of "The Six Million Dollar Man
" theme staked out their retro appeal.
Around this time, the band were involved in several controversial incidents; including the handing out of backstage passes for groupies, and a string of apparently sexist proclamations to the music press of the time. The band later insisted that these incidents were merely ironic, and intended to poke fun at rock stars' posturing. Their debut album, Feverish, was released on Paperhouse Records in 1993.
Spitfire were hailed as influential by many New wave of new wave
bands, and regularly gigged with S*M*A*S*H and These Animal Men
between 1994 and 1996. The Pitcher brothers were resident DJs at Brighton
club The Basement, which with Camden
's Good Mixer pub and Blow Up club was at the core of the pre-Britpop
scene.
A second album Electric Colour Climax
, followed on Lowlife Records in 1996. The band again courted controversy, with a sleeve featuring a retro pornographic image, found at London
's Toe Rag Studies
where the band had recorded the album on vintage recording equipment in five days. The band's studio line-up then included Pete Whittick, Bob (Turbo) MacPherson, Scott Kenny, Matt Wise, Vanessa Widdup and Rob Colley (previously with the Brighton
funk band, Arthur).
The band drifted apart around 1999, with the Pitcher brothers forming Cheetah. Wise and Kenny had, meanwhile, started a new band called Society who continue to write and perform material to the present day.
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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England whose ever-changing line up revolved around brothers Nick and Jeff Pitcher. Other members included Steve White, Justin Welch
Justin Welch
Justin Steven Welch is an English musician, best known as the drummer in the Britpop band, Elastica....
, Steven Walker (who went on to play in the Auteurs
The Auteurs
The Auteurs were a British alternative rock band of the 1990s, and a vehicle for the songwriting talents of Luke Haines .-Career:...
and Modern English
Modern English
Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England, completed in roughly 1550.Despite some differences in vocabulary, texts from the early 17th century, such as the works of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible, are considered to be in Modern...
), Matt Wise and Scott Kenny.
Two early EPs
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...
on Eve Recordings saw the band linked to the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
scene, and to the Scene That Celebrates Itself, although a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
" theme staked out their retro appeal.
Around this time, the band were involved in several controversial incidents; including the handing out of backstage passes for groupies, and a string of apparently sexist proclamations to the music press of the time. The band later insisted that these incidents were merely ironic, and intended to poke fun at rock stars' posturing. Their debut album, Feverish, was released on Paperhouse Records in 1993.
Spitfire were hailed as influential by many New wave of new wave
New wave of new wave
The New Wave of New Wave was a term coined by music journalists to describe a sub-genre of the British alternative rock scene in the early 90s, in which bands displayed punk, post-punk and New Wave influences, particlularly from bands such as The Clash, Blondie, Wire, and The Stranglers. The band...
bands, and regularly gigged with S*M*A*S*H and These Animal Men
These Animal Men
These Animal Men were an English band who achieved minor fame in the 1990s as part of the New Wave of New Wave before splitting up after releasing two albums, in 1998.-History:...
between 1994 and 1996. The Pitcher brothers were resident DJs at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
club The Basement, which with Camden
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
's Good Mixer pub and Blow Up club was at the core of the pre-Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
scene.
A second album Electric Colour Climax
Electric Colour Climax
Electric Colour Climax is the second album from the band Spitfire, released in 1996 on Lowlife Records. At the time of recording, the band was living in Crawley but involved in running events at Brighton nightclub The Basement...
, followed on Lowlife Records in 1996. The band again courted controversy, with a sleeve featuring a retro pornographic image, found at 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 Toe Rag Studies
Toe Rag Studios
Toe Rag Studios is an analogue recording studio located in Hackney, London, UK.-History:The studio was founded in 1991 by Liam Watson and Josh Collins in the Shoreditch area of London. In 1997, the business relocated to Hackney due to rising overheads...
where the band had recorded the album on vintage recording equipment in five days. The band's studio line-up then included Pete Whittick, Bob (Turbo) MacPherson, Scott Kenny, Matt Wise, Vanessa Widdup and Rob Colley (previously with the Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
funk band, Arthur).
The band drifted apart around 1999, with the Pitcher brothers forming Cheetah. Wise and Kenny had, meanwhile, started a new band called Society who continue to write and perform material to the present day.