User:Michaelrepeat/Wonderswan
Wonderswan | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Leeds, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Indie Rock, Noise pop, Geek rock, Lo-fi |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Unsigned |
| Members | Michael Watts Russell Goodinson Gerard McGurn Robert Mann |
| Past members | Matthew Guy Ross Hall |
| Website | http://www.myspace.com/wonderswanband |
Wonderswan is an English band, formed in 2008, featuring Russell Goodinson (Guitar), Michael Watts (Guitar, Vocals), Gerard McGurn (Drums) and Robert Mann (Bass, Backing Vocals). The band cite their main influences as "90’s lo-fi slacker bands like Sebadoh, Yo La Tengo, Pavement and shoegazy stuff like My Bloody Valentine and Radio Dept."[1] and make music described by The Guardian as "a beautifully shambolic fuzz laden racket...the sound of beautiful chaos, Pavement meets Dinosaur Jr."[2]
Name
[edit]There are numerous rumours regarding the origin of the band's moniker, including a popular story that the idea to start the band came after Michael had a lengthy conversation with a talking swan surrounded by a halo of light who came to him in a dream and told him that he had the power to change the world through music. This is entirely untrue, the name Wonderswan is in fact a reference to the WonderSwan hand-held video game console made and marketed in Japan during the late 1990s by Bandai. The band name is typical of the group's use of traditionally geeky references to subjects such as video games, spaceflight and cryptozoology in their songs and artwork.
History
[edit]Formation
[edit]The band was formed originally by Michael Watts and Russell Goodinson, who had "talked about forming a band a lot"[3] and eventually got round to it early in 2008 after constant persuasion from fellow housemate and underwear salesperson Amylee Caden. Michael had recently split with Leeds "complicated pop" pioneers Grammatics after some differences in opinion and had started writing his own songs as some kind of act of defiance. The early demos were lo-fi recordings made with tape recorders and a laptop in his bedroom and a band was quickly assembled to start playing live. As well as Russell on guitar, the original line-up included Matthew Guy on bass and Ross "Bunse" Hall on drums. Matthew has since left the band to live above a chip shop in Camden where he is very very happy. In March 2008 Gerard McGurn replaced Ross on drums. Ross now drums for Joy Division enthusiasts Guilt Pursuit.
The early months
[edit]Shortly after Ged joined, Wonderswan began playing live, with their first ever show in April 2008 at the legendary Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. Within the next few months the band would play many more shows, supporting many of their own musical heroes, including Times New Viking, Copy Haho, No Age, Lovvers and Piskie Sits. In May 2008, Wonderswan played at the influential Nasty Fest one day festival in Leeds, this was just their fourth show and despite weird Israeli band Monotonix setting themselves on fire in the next room, quite a lot of people actually stayed and watched. The early shows were characterised by "constant technical difficulties", false starts and shambolic performances with "unpolished, half buried, slurred vocals"[4] with the band consciously rejecting over-rehearsed, theatrical performances in favour of raw spontaneity.
Fairly recent stuff
[edit]In January of 2009 The Guardian newspaper featured Wonderswan in a piece about the so-called grunge revival in Leeds, in which the band are quoted as fans of "unfeasibly tight trousers". In the same month they also made a long and arduous journey to record at Chime Studios in Glasgow with producer Ross McGowan who has previously worked with bands including Copy Haho and Dananananaykroyd.
Discography and Recordings
[edit]Early recordings and demos were made by the band themselves, some with help from friend Dan McEvoy. These were featured on the band's MySpace page and are still available to listen and download for free from their last.fm page.
The band's only release so far is a self released CDR entitled "Bear", which features the tracks "Cut It" and "Curve", both recorded by the band in drummer Ged's basement on 4-track tape recorders and laptops, with cheap microphones bought from eBay. Originally intended to be a limited edition of 150, only around 45 were ever made and were given away free at live shows. The artwork for the CD was created using photocopiers and features a collage of elements including the head of a stuffed and mounted bear, which gives the CDR its name.
In December 2008 the band recorded a new version of fan favourite "Hey Nature" in the studio with producer James Kenosha, drummer of Leeds band Duels. The track will be released on a forthcoming split 12" on Leeds independent label Dance To The Radio in 2009.
Brand new songs "Furrrpile" and "Space Echo" were recorded over a weekend in January 2009 at Chime Studios in Glasgow with producer Ross McGowan, along with a re-recording of "Cut It".
Other bands that members have been in or are in now
[edit]Michael was a member in the original line-up of Grammatics playing synthesizers and left the band during 2007 due to personal differences. Shortly afterwards he was recruited into the line-up of epic post-folk experimentalists Held By Hands and it was while playing in Held By Hands that Michael formed Wonderswan. Before playing in two bands presented any kind of difficulty, Held By Hands went through a line-up shake-up and continued on (briefly) without Michael in the band before sadly imploding after another UK tour.
Ged is also lead singer and guitarist for Leeds band Downdime and used to drum for indie band Boyracer, who released lots of music in the 1990s, including releases on Sarah Records.
Rob has played in nautical two-piece 123 Pirate who wrote and performed songs about being a pirate with acoustic guitars, penny whistles and a violin. In 2007 they almost won a competition on Channel 4's Popworld show to perform on TV after The Automatic championed their song to win. Unfortunately they came second. Rob also writes acoustic music prolifically under his own name.
Pointless Trivia
[edit]Robert Mann's picture was used in an article about fast food dispensary McDonald's in a local Bournemouth newspaper when he was a small child. Russell is the band's most charitable member and to date has adopted both a panda and a Vietnamese child. Michael is the only person ever to have played on three different songs by two different bands on two different Dance To The Radio compilations. He still hasn't received any kind of award or certificate.