The Black Velvets
Encyclopedia
The Black Velvets were a rock
band
from Liverpool
, England
. The band formed in 2003 and split up in August 2007 after releasing one album.
The band counted Liam Gallagher
as a fan and he was present when the band signed to Vertigo Records
but refused to sign as a witness when the band signed their contract. They also signed to Sanctuary Management.
The band's debut single
, "Get On Your Life" (Kilroe), was released in November 2004. They toured with The Glitterati
and Hurricane Party
as part of the 'New School of Rock Tour' in 2005. 2005 saw the release of further singles "3345" (Kilroe) (described as "three minutes of full-on, ear-splitting rock"), which gave them their biggest chart hit with a number 34 placing in the UK Singles Chart
, "Glamstar" (Kilroe), and "Once in a While" (Kilroe), and also saw the release of the band's self-titled debut album
. To coincide with the album's release, the band played at The Cavern in Liverpool, where they were awarded the honour of their own signed brick in the wall of the club. Extensive touring followed. The band also played dates supporting The Who, Mötley Crüe
, Mark Lanegan
, Razorlight
, The Killers, and appeared at the Oxegen
, T In The Park
, Isle of Wight
, Fuji Rock, Reading And Leeds
, Glastonbury
, Jersey Live
, and Tennents ViTal
festivals
.
The band's eponymous album was produced by Mike Crossey. The band toured the release but then subsequently parted ways with their management, and performed new material in 2006.
The Black Velvets' song "Fear and Loathing" appeared in the soundtrack
to the 2005 combat-driven racing game Burnout Revenge
as well as the PlayStation
version of Burnout Legends
. "Get on Your Life" was used in the TV series Sugar Rush
and included on the associated soundtrack album.
After the band split up in 2007, Carden and Kilroe went on to form a new outfit called 'The Old No. 7 Band'. As of 2010, Kilroe has formed a new outfit with Chris Kearney from The Aeroplanes and bassist Andy Ashton called 'Cold Shoulder'. Carden and Dutton were performing in 'The Marvellous Medicine Band' as well as 'The Dave Dutton Blues Explosion'.
Nick Kilroe also plays for Echo & The Bunnymen.
, AC/DC
and T. Rex
. Drummer Nick Kilroe described the band's sound in 2005 as "classic rock 'n' roll", going on to say that the band were looking for "another Oasis-style vibe". A live review from 2004 described the band as "obviously hugely influenced by the '70s, with each song boasting swaggering guitar riffs and drums that almost demanded to be stomped along to". Carol Hodge of the BBC
described the band: "Imagine the lumping energy of Motorhead, the solid guitars of Jimmy Paige and the prickly, note-perfect vocals of Roger Daltry, bearded and wearing a corduroy trilby, and you’re close to The Black Velvets". Michaela Annot of Drowned in Sound
described the band's sound as "Big stomping boogie woogie rock with just enough glam for the girls". Another reviewer thought the band combined "the dirty chug of primetime Slade and the throat searing rasps of AC/DC".
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
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 Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
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...
. The band formed in 2003 and split up in August 2007 after releasing one album.
History
The Black Velvets were formed in 2003 by guitarist Robbie Ross, drummer Nick Kilroe, and cousins Dave Dutton (bass guitar) and Paul Carden (vocals).The band counted Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
as a fan and he was present when the band signed to Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...
but refused to sign as a witness when the band signed their contract. They also signed to Sanctuary Management.
The band's debut single
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...
, "Get On Your Life" (Kilroe), was released in November 2004. They toured with The Glitterati
The Glitterati
The Glitterati are an English hard rock band from Leeds, and now primarily based in London, England. The band are currently signed with DR2 Records/Global Music.-Debut album:In 2004 the band released an EP called "Here Comes a Close Up"...
and Hurricane Party
Roadstar
Heaven's Basement are a British hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 2008 and Signed with Red Bull Records.-Heaven's Basement:Heaven's Basement are a hard rock band from the UK that are renowned for their heavy touring schedule and extreme energy live shows...
as part of the 'New School of Rock Tour' in 2005. 2005 saw the release of further singles "3345" (Kilroe) (described as "three minutes of full-on, ear-splitting rock"), which gave them their biggest chart hit with a number 34 placing in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, "Glamstar" (Kilroe), and "Once in a While" (Kilroe), and also saw the release of the band's self-titled debut 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...
. To coincide with the album's release, the band played at The Cavern in Liverpool, where they were awarded the honour of their own signed brick in the wall of the club. Extensive touring followed. The band also played dates supporting The Who, Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
, Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
, The Killers, and appeared at the Oxegen
Oxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...
, T In The Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
, Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, Fuji Rock, Reading And Leeds
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, 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...
, Jersey Live
Jersey Live
Jersey Live is an indie/dance music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity, Jersey. The festival has grown in popularity and size each year and has drawn interest from people outside the Channel Islands with overseas visitors making up approximately 25% of...
, and Tennents ViTal
Tennents ViTal
Tennent's ViTal is an annual music festival in Northern Ireland. It was first held near Botanic Gardens in 2002 then later moved to Ormeau Park in 2007, both of these venues were in Belfast...
festivals
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
.
The band's eponymous album was produced by Mike Crossey. The band toured the release but then subsequently parted ways with their management, and performed new material in 2006.
The Black Velvets' song "Fear and Loathing" appeared in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 2005 combat-driven racing game Burnout Revenge
Burnout Revenge
Burnout Revenge is the fourth video game in the Burnout series of racing games, released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox on September 13, 2005 and Xbox 360 on March 7, 2006, alongside the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS title Burnout Legends....
as well as the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
version of Burnout Legends
Burnout Legends
Burnout Legends is a game in the popular Burnout franchise, specifically released for the PlayStation Portable on September 13, 2005, and the Nintendo DS on November 29, 2005. The game features many of the tracks and gameplay modes from the first three Burnout games, but repackaged for the handheld...
. "Get on Your Life" was used in the TV series Sugar Rush
Sugar Rush (TV series)
Sugar Rush is an Emmy Award–winning British television comedy drama series developed by Shine Limited and broadcast by Channel 4, based on the Julie Burchill novel of the same name...
and included on the associated soundtrack album.
After the band split up in 2007, Carden and Kilroe went on to form a new outfit called 'The Old No. 7 Band'. As of 2010, Kilroe has formed a new outfit with Chris Kearney from The Aeroplanes and bassist Andy Ashton called 'Cold Shoulder'. Carden and Dutton were performing in 'The Marvellous Medicine Band' as well as 'The Dave Dutton Blues Explosion'.
Nick Kilroe also plays for Echo & The Bunnymen.
Musical style
The band described their influences as "Glam Punk Rock n' Roll", and their influences included Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
and T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
. Drummer Nick Kilroe described the band's sound in 2005 as "classic rock 'n' roll", going on to say that the band were looking for "another Oasis-style vibe". A live review from 2004 described the band as "obviously hugely influenced by the '70s, with each song boasting swaggering guitar riffs and drums that almost demanded to be stomped along to". Carol Hodge of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
described the band: "Imagine the lumping energy of Motorhead, the solid guitars of Jimmy Paige and the prickly, note-perfect vocals of Roger Daltry, bearded and wearing a corduroy trilby, and you’re close to The Black Velvets". Michaela Annot of Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
described the band's sound as "Big stomping boogie woogie rock with just enough glam for the girls". Another reviewer thought the band combined "the dirty chug of primetime Slade and the throat searing rasps of AC/DC".
Members
- Paul Carden - vocals
- Nick Kilroe - drums
- Dave Dutton - bass guitar
- Robbie Ross - guitar
Albums
- The Black Velvets (12 Sep 2005, CD, Vertigo)
- "I Won't Lie Down"
- "Get On Your Life"
- "Once In A While
- "Not All The Time"
- "3345"
- "Glamstar"
- "Lady Lime"
- "You Won't Be Changing Me"
- "Save Me"
- "You're Not Giving It All"
Singles
- "Get On Your Life" (2004, CD, Vertigo): "Get On Your Life"/"Rude Boy"/"Fear And Loathing"
- "3345" (2005, CD, Vertigo): "3345"/"Not All The Time"/"You're So Rock 'N' Roll" - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#34
- "Glamstar" (2005, Vertigo)
- "Once in a While" (2005, Vertigo) - UK #75