The Bluetones

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Bluetones

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Img_capt = The Bluetones in Bangkok, Thailand in 1996
Img_size =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Hounslow, London, England
Genre = Alternative rock
Britpop
Indie rock
Years_active = 1994–present
Label = Fierce Panda Records
Superior Quality Recordings
Cooking Vinyl
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.bluetones.info www.bluetones.info]
Current_members = Mark Morriss Adam Devlin Scott Morriss Eds Chesters
Past_members = Richard Payne

The Bluetones are an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1994. The band's members are Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002. The band was originally named "The Bottlegarden". [ [http://www.bluetones.org.uk/faq/band_history.html with a little charm...: faq: band history ] ]

The band's biggest hit, "Slight Return", was released in 1995 (as a double-A side with "The Fountainhead") and re-released the following year. They have achieved thirteen Top 40 singles and three Top 10 albums in the UK chart placings so far and retain a loyal fanbase. The Bluetones' commercial success waned after the fall of the Britpop movement, yet they have continued to tour and release new records and are therefore often labelled as "Britpop survivors". The band have built a strong live following over the years, and remain upbeat about their music and their career. In a December 2006 interview with STV music, Mark Morriss said of the Cooking Vinyl deal that it felt like "the start of a new era" for the band, which was partly the reason behind self-titling their new album.

In September 2008, the band announced that they would be embarking on a five date tour in December, taking in Lincoln, Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham. The tour will see them playing their debut album, "Expecting to Fly" in full.

History

After the release of two singles on Fierce Panda Records, they released "Expecting to Fly" on their own label named Superior Quality Recordings. The album (one of only a few debut albums to enter the charts at number one) featured the singles "Bluetonic" and "Slight Return", with the latter being beaten to number one by one-hit-wonders Babylon Zoo's "Spaceman". Following the touring and promotional duties for "Expecting to Fly", the band released standalone single "Marblehead Johnson" to bridge the gap between albums.

The second album, "Return To The Last Chance Saloon", was released in 1998 and possessed a decidedly Mexican flavour. While failing to generate the commercial success of their debut, it did spawn hits in the form of "Solomon Bites the Worm" and "If...."

Whilst many of their mid-'90s peers had disbanded by 2000, The Bluetones released their third album, "Science & Nature", which again reached the Top 10 and featured the hit singles "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia". Due to lack of press (most notably from the "NME") the album failed to generate the commercial success of the previous efforts.

After releasing a best-of album in 2002, the band followed up with "Luxembourg", somewhat stylistically spikier and less jangly than previous efforts and highly influenced by the bands of the day, such as The Strokes. The album received little attention in the music press.

A three-album deal was signed in late 2005 with the Cooking Vinyl record label, promptly followed by the release of limited release E.P. "Serenity Now" and a full UK tour.

In early 2006, Universal issued a comprehensive boxset of all The Bluetones singles and B-sides released between 1995 and 2003, "".

A new single, entitled "My Neighbour's House", was released in the United Kingdom on September 18 2006. The single is taken from their self-titled album, which was released on October 9, 2006. Despite largely positive reviews for the album, it failed to chart in the Top 75 UK Albums Chart after its first week on sale. The album was also released in the United States, the first such occurrence since their debut. On October 1 2006, it was announced that a planned nine-date tour of North America and Australia had been scrapped. [http://www.bluetones.info/ :: The Bluetones :: ] ] No reason was given.

On November 1 2006, the band began a month-long tour of Europe in support of their new release, including two sold-out nights at Glasgow's King Tuts.

In February 2007, the band released "BBC Radio Sessions" containing tracks recorded for the BBC between 1994 and 2000. This was followed in June with their first full live album, entitled "Once Upon a Time in West Twelve", recorded at the Shepherds Bush Empire on 18 November, 2005, and was followed on 29 October, 2007, by a live DVD of the same concert under the title "Beat About the Bush". 2007 also saw the release of a compilation album of early demo recordings, entitled "The Early Garage Years". They also released a DVD under the title "Blue Movies".

In January 2008, the band began a mini-tour of Scotland playing five cities in as many nights: FuBar, in Stirling, on January 18; Kinema, in Dunfermline, on the 19th; Moshulu, in Aberdeen, on the 20th; Classic Grand, in Glasgow, on the 21st; and finally, the Liquid Room, in Edinburgh, on January 22 [http://www.bluetones.info :: The Bluetones :: ] ] .

May 2008 saw the band hit the road again, on a ten-date tour which covered Cambridge, Whitehaven, Sheffield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Birmingham, London, Bristol, Manchester and Darwen.

Discography

Studio albums

1. "Expecting to Fly" - 12 Feb 1996 - #1 (UK)
2. "Return to the Last Chance Saloon" - 9 March 1998 - #10 (UK)
3. "Science & Nature" - 12 April 2000 - #7 (UK)
4. "Luxembourg" - 12 May 2003 - #49 (UK)
5. "The Bluetones" - October 9 2006 - #100 (UK)

EPs

1. "A Bluetones Companion" - September 25 1995 (Japan Only)
2. "Mudslide" - October 30 2000
3. "Serenity Now" - November 14 2005 (limited release)

Compilations

1. "Are You Blind?" - May 2000 (limited edition promotional CD)
2. "The Singles" - 8 April 2002 - #14 (UK)
3. "" - 7 March 2006 - #156 (UK)
4. "The Early Garage Years" - 30 July 2007
5. "The Bluetones Collection" - 21 April 2008

Live

1. "BBC Radio Sessions" - 26 February 2007 - #164 (UK)
2. "Once Upon a Time in West Twelve" - 25 June 2007

Singles

All chart positions are for the UK:
* 1995 - "Slight Return/The Fountainhead" - limited edition 7"
* 1995 - "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" - #31
* 1995 - "Bluetonic" - #19
* 1996 - "Slight Return" (re-issue) - #2
* 1996 - "Cut Some Rug/Castle Rock" - #7
* 1996 - "Marblehead Johnson" - #7
* 1998 - "Solomon Bites the Worm" - #10
* 1998 - "If..." - #13
* 1998 - "Sleazy Bed Track" - #35
* 1998 - "4-Day Weekend" - did not chart (mail-order-only release)
* 2000 - "Keep the Home Fires Burning" - #13
* 2000 - "Autophilia (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Car)" - #18
* 2002 - "After Hours" - #26
* 2003 - "Fast Boy/Liquid Lips" - #25
* 2003 - "Never Going Nowhere" - #40
* 2006 - "My Neighbour's House" - #68
* 2006 - "Head on a Spike" - #135
* 2007 - "Surrendered" - did not chart

Video/DVD releases

* 1997 - "Mondo Concerto"
* 2007 - "Blue Movies"
* 2007 - "Beat About the Bush"

Television

Mark Morriss have made cameo appearances in the British comedy shows "Spaced", "Little Britain" and the "Adam and Joe Show".

References

External links

* [http://www.bluetones.info www.bluetones.info] The Bluetones' official website
* [http://www.myspace.com/thebluetones www.myspace.com/thebluetones] The Bluetones' official MySpace
* [http://www.bluetones.org.uk www.bluetones.org.uk] A Bluetones fan page
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