Trademark (band)
Encyclopedia
Trademark are an English
band, formed in 1995, and consisting of Oliver Horton, Stuart Meads and Paul Soulsby (who joined in 1999). They are noted for predominantly using synthesizer
s and are often branded as electropop or synth pop (and for a short time "Oddball
Labcoat
Pop
"). They have played live regularly since 2002 and over the years their shows have included science lectures, illuminated labcoats, giant perspex bottom-plugs and slide projections. They were signed to Truck Records
in 2004 and released their second album, Raise The Stakes, in April 2007.
A successful gig at the 2002 Truck Festival
(where Trademark were noted as being the only band without guitars) led to a series of performances in Oxford
. The band also played regularly in London, with a few appearances at The Fan Club at The Verge in Kentish Town. As the band's reputation grew, Trademark supported Chicks on Speed
at Oxford Zodiac, and The Human League
at Ocean in London. "Fear : Disconnnection" was finished in January 2003, and was sold by the band at gigs and over the website.
In January 2004, the band followed this up by self releasing "This is Our Trademark", an EP
with a set of five tracks. This led to them being signed by Truck Records, and the putting together of Want More which featured tracks from "Fear:Disconnnection" and "This is Our Trademark" plus a few new tracks. Want More was released in June 2004 to the critical acclaim of The Sunday Times
among others. In December 2004 Trademark went on tour with the Human League around the UK.
At the start of 2005 they started recording the follow-up to Want More. The recording took eighteen months to complete as the band wanted to explore new production techniques and instrumentations. During this time the band continued to gig in the UK, and recording was finally completed in May 2006. Due to complications with arranging distribution and PR, the album, Raise the Stakes, was eventually released in April 2007.
Trademark have produced remix
es for other artists in addition to their usual work. Artists include Matinee Club (formerly the Modern), Boy Kill Boy and Jon Baz.
N.B. These are all now out of print
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...
band, formed in 1995, and consisting of Oliver Horton, Stuart Meads and Paul Soulsby (who joined in 1999). They are noted for predominantly using synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and are often branded as electropop or synth pop (and for a short time "Oddball
Oddball (disambiguation)
Oddball, Oddballs, or Odd Ball may refer to:* Oddball Codes, are NPA NXX numbers that generally are associated with non-standard telephony service and/or have unique characteristics, including N11 numbers Oddball, Oddballs, or Odd Ball may refer to:* Oddball Codes, are NPA NXX numbers that...
Labcoat
White coat
A white coat or laboratory coat is a knee-length overcoat/smock worn by professionals in the medical field or by those involved in laboratory work. The coat protects their street clothes and also serves as a simple uniform...
Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
"). They have played live regularly since 2002 and over the years their shows have included science lectures, illuminated labcoats, giant perspex bottom-plugs and slide projections. They were signed to Truck Records
Truck Records
Truck Records was an independent record label based in Oxford, England. It grew out of the Truck Festival, held annually in Steventon, a small village near Oxford...
in 2004 and released their second album, Raise The Stakes, in April 2007.
History
Trademark was formed around the time of 1995 by two teenage cousins Oliver Horton and Stuart Meads. They had previously played music together as children, under the names The Singing Sheep, The Three Flags and Technobeat. By their mid teens they wanted to formulate themselves as a group. In 1999 the pair were joined by Paul Soulsby.A successful gig at the 2002 Truck Festival
Truck Festival
Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. It was started in 1998 by the Bennett family , who decided that mainstream festivals such as Glastonbury had become too commercial and predictable. It is held in July at Hill Farm in Steventon, near Abingdon...
(where Trademark were noted as being the only band without guitars) led to a series of performances in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The band also played regularly in London, with a few appearances at The Fan Club at The Verge in Kentish Town. As the band's reputation grew, Trademark supported Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed is a multi-national musical ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts....
at Oxford Zodiac, and The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
at Ocean in London. "Fear : Disconnnection" was finished in January 2003, and was sold by the band at gigs and over the website.
In January 2004, the band followed this up by self releasing "This is Our Trademark", an EP
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...
with a set of five tracks. This led to them being signed by Truck Records, and the putting together of Want More which featured tracks from "Fear:Disconnnection" and "This is Our Trademark" plus a few new tracks. Want More was released in June 2004 to the critical acclaim of The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
among others. In December 2004 Trademark went on tour with the Human League around the UK.
At the start of 2005 they started recording the follow-up to Want More. The recording took eighteen months to complete as the band wanted to explore new production techniques and instrumentations. During this time the band continued to gig in the UK, and recording was finally completed in May 2006. Due to complications with arranging distribution and PR, the album, Raise the Stakes, was eventually released in April 2007.
Trademark have produced remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es for other artists in addition to their usual work. Artists include Matinee Club (formerly the Modern), Boy Kill Boy and Jon Baz.
Compilation albums
- A Synthpop Tribute to the Giants of Reggae (2001, Reggae Reggae Records)
Early works
- "Registered" (1995)
- "Industrial" (1997)
- "Obscure" (1998)
- "Audiologue" (1999)
- "Fear:Disconnection" (2003)
- "This Is Our Trademark EP" (2004)
N.B. These are all now out of print
Truck Festival cover songs
- 2003 - "God Only KnowsGod Only Knows"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. It is the eighth track on the group's 11th studio album, Pet Sounds , and one of their most widely recognized songs. "God Only Knows" was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher and lead vocal by Carl...
" - 2004 - "The Windmills of Your MindThe Windmills of Your Mind"The Windmills of Your Mind" is a song performed by Noel Harrison, with music composed by Michel Legrand and English lyrics written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, which was used as the theme for the 1968 film, The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Steve McQueen alongside and ultimately versus...
" - 2005 - "Whiskey in the JarWhiskey in the Jar"Whiskey in the Jar" is a famous Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland, with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry, as well as Fenit, a village in county Kerry. It is about a Rapparee , who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed...
" - 2006 - "Turn it on AgainTurn It On Again"Turn It On Again" is a single from the British progressive rock band Genesis, from their 1980 album Duke.The lyrics deal with a man who does nothing more than watch his television, so much that he becomes obsessed with the people he watches on it, believing them to be his friends.The song is also...
" - 2007 - "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My MonkeyEverybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" is a song written by John Lennon and performed by The Beatles on their 1968 album The Beatles, also known as "The White Album".-Origins:...
" - featuring nervous_testpilot