Supergrass Wiki Information
Supergrass
are an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consists of brothers Gaz (guitar and lead vocals) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Danny Goffey (drums and backing vocals), and Mick Quinn (bass and backing vocals).
The main trio formed in 1993 in Oxford with Gaz's brother Rob Coombes occasionally brought in as keyboard player on recordings (but never live, initially). The band released their first single "Caught by the Fuzz" in October 1994 on the Parlophone label. The single reached number 43 in the UK Singles Chart, but failed to chart in the US. Supergrass followed up with their debut full-length album I Should Coco
in May 1995. The album reached number one in the UK where it stayed for three weeks. [1] The band's second album In It for the Money
(1997) was the first album to be produced entirely by Supergrass and it peaked at number two. Their third self-titled album Supergrass
(1999) (often referred to as "the X-ray" album due to the picture on the sleeve) peaked at number three in the UK albums chart. Their fourth album, Life On Other Planets
(2002) was the first to include Rob Coombes as an official member of the band, who until then was employed on session and touring basis. The album peaked at number nine in the UK album charts.
In 2004 the band released a singles compilation entitled Supergrass Is 10
to celebrate ten years since the band formed. This was available on CD and DVD format. The DVD version featured a documentary film in which the band members recall moments during their career in the group. This also shows behind the scenes footage of recording sessions and live performances.
Road to Rouen
(2005) the fifth studio from the band was difficult for the band due to personal reasons including Danny Goffey's tabloid ordeal and the death of the Coombes' mother. This album also peaked at number nine in the UK album charts.
Diamond Hoo Ha
(2008) is the sixth album from the band and only peaked at number 19 in the UK album charts which makes the release their lowest charting album to date. In 2008, Supergrass ended their contract with EMI, instead resorting to releasing new material through their newly formed independent label 'Supergrass Records'.
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SUPERGRASS TICKETS
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History
The Jennifers and formation: 1990–1993
Supergrass' origins lay in the band
The Jennifers, which featured a then 16-year-old
Gaz Coombes on vocals and
Danny Goffey on drums, who was at the time 18 years old. The band played
gigs at various venues around Oxfordshire, often
public houses and clubs. One pub the band played at was the
Jericho Tavern in
Oxford. The band enjoyed enough success to release one single in 1992, "
Just Got Back Today", on
Nude Records before they disbanded. Gaz referred to this point in time as follows; "There was a feeling that something was going to happen. All the early gigs were packed and people were getting very excited. Our families and friends kept badgering us for autographs saying, we want them now because they'll be worth something when you're famous. There was a lot of interest from majors, a lot of big money offers flying around."
[2]
When Coombes began working at the local
Harvester he befriended aforementioned co-worker Mick Quinn, another
alumnus of
Wheatley Park School (though significantly older than Goffey and Coombes) and local would-be musician who had been playing with small-time local bands and recording tapes at home but with little success. The two realised they had a common interest in music and Coombes invited Quinn to come and
jam with himself and Goffey. In February 1993 Quinn officially joined the band on bass guitar, while Goffey continued on drums and Coombes took both vocals and lead guitar, thus forming
Theodore Supergrass
. "We had about five different names before that, but then we played this one show in Oxford and it got a write-up in the local magazine, a really good write-up, and we thought if we changed the name again people weren’t going to turn up because they wouldn’t know it was the same band so we ended up being stuck with Theodore Supergrass. And then we realized that Theodore was a bit rubbish so we took that off." Said Mick Quinn.
[3]
Danny claims that the name was his idea and says; "Although the others will dispute it, it was me. We were Theodore Supergrass and the idea was the band would be a little black character, and we wouldn't ever have to do interviews. We'd get the questions in advance, script the answers and then animate Theodore Supergrass answering them. But it cost too much money."
[4]
The brother of Gaz,
Rob Coombes, a
keyboard player, expressed interest and also started working with the band and was featured on most of the band's first three albums. However, he wasn't introduced as a band member until almost a decade later. The band's early material is credited to "Supergrass and Rob Coombes". Their first gig was at the
Jericho Tavern,
Oxford in front of record company
A&R people who attended, following publicity generated by recording an acclaimed demo at
Sawmills Studio in
Cornwall.
[5]
Britpop years and stardom: 1994–1998
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In mid-1994, Supergrass issued their debut single "
Caught by the Fuzz" on the small independent local label Backbeat Records. The song recounts lead singer and guitarist
Gaz Coombes' experience of being arrested and cautioned by police in possession of
cannabis.
[6] The limited release of vinyl copies sold out quickly, thanks in part to support from
John Peel on his
Radio One show.
[7] [8] The
Parlophone label signed the band and re-released the single in the autumn of the same year. It achieved the rare feat of both
NME and
Melody Maker "Single Of The Week" status in the same week.
"
Mansize Rooster", released in February 1995, peaked at number 20 in the
UK Single Charts and "
Lenny" just made it into the top 10. "Lenny" was followed soon afterwards by the band's debut album,
I Should Coco
(May 1995), which entered the
UK Album Charts at number one. It achieved a half-a-million sales in the UK and 990,000 worldwide.
[9] NME
reviewer Steve Sutherland gave the album a nine out of ten rating, writing, "These freaks shall inherit the earth."
[10] The album's fourth single, the double A-side release
"Alright"/"Time", stayed in British Top Three for a month, peaking at number two.
Supergrass followed
I Should Coco
with 18 months of heavy touring, appearing at festivals such as Scotland's
T In The Park
and the
Glastonbury Festival
.
[11] [12] After Performing in
Rio's
Hollywood Rock Festival
in April 1996, Supergrass met the infamous train robber
Ronnie Biggs, and apparently said to him, "I was frightened for my life when I heard there was a
supergrass in the area."
[13] A photograph of Ronnie Biggs and Gaz together was subsequently included in the music video for their single release of the same year, "
Going Out". "Going Out" was a success peaking at number five in the UK charts and sold more than 100,000 units. Having taken a short break in 1996, Supergrass returned to Sawmills Studio to work on
In It For The Money
(released April 1997), produced by the band themselves with
John Cornfield. The album was a critical and commercial success, it also has since gone platinum in the UK. But some were confused by the darker sound.
[14] The single, "
Richard III" reached number two. Subsequent releases, "
Sun Hits the Sky" and "
Late In The Day" reached numbers 10 and 18 respectively.
Around this time Supergrass also appeared on the front cover of
The Big Issue
, interviewed for the magazine at
Heathrow Airport by infamous ex-
drug smuggler Howard Marks.
[15]
Further musical growth: 1999–2004
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The band again took a short break before returning in 1999 with the single "
Pumping on Your Stereo". The promo video, produced in conjunction with the
Jim Henson's Creature Shop, featured the band with comical "
muppet" bodies. The single generated welcome publicity following their time out of the limelight, as did a small sold-out tour scheduled around the single release, the final night of which was at
Shepherds Bush Empire as part of
MTV's "Five Night Stand" festival. The single and the tour were followed by their third LP
Supergrass
(1999). The following spring the record was released in the
U.S Once more, the album was recorded at Sawmills Studio with longtime associate Cornfield producing.
Supergrass
was well received critically and commercially and it has since gone platinum in the
UK, but did not reap the same level of success as its predecessors. Critics claimed the album was "hit and miss" which showed up particularly as the "also-rans are surrounded by songs that are as great as anything Supergrass has ever recorded"
[16]. Their next single, "
Moving", proved popular and reached the Top Ten in the UK. And their third single, "
Mary" entered the
Top 40. There followed a long hiatus.
After three years out of the limelight, the band returned with
Life on Other Planets
(September 2002). Though the record was not as commercially successful as Supergrass' first three albums - failing to make the Top Three in the UK album chart - given their extended absence, the album's highest placing at number nine was respectable. However, the critical response to the album was generally very positive, with
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from
allmusic claiming "The world is a better place for having Supergrass in it."
[17]. It has since gone gold in the UK.
Life on Other Planets
was also notable as it was the first Supergrass album to recognise Rob Coombes as an official member. For the band's first three albums, Supergrass officially consisted of Gaz Coombes, Goffey and Quinn although Rob Coombes contributed to many of the band's songs and videos, and toured with them. Tracks recorded before this were often credited to "Supergrass and Rob Coombes". The band followed
Life on Other Planets
with another extended three-year hiatus, devoting to touring and personal engagements.
In June 2004 they issued the "greatest hits" compilation
Supergrass Is 10
to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the band's formation. The record entered the UK album chart at number four and has since gone gold in the UK.
Development in recent years: 2005–2008
The band couldn't celebrate the decade with a new album, as the recording of their fifth studio album was subject to much turbulence. Deciding to depart from Sawmills Studio, they built a new studio for the sessions in the French countryside.
[18] Setbacks continued when the Coombes brothers lost their mother. As a result, the band's fifth album,
Road to Rouen
, was delayed and was not released in Europe until August 2005, and the following month in North America. It reached #9 on the UK charts and has since gone silver in the UK. "St. Petersburg", the first single supporting the album, made a disappointing debut at #22 in the UK singles chart. The second single, "Low C", also underperformed, entering outside the top 40, and third single, "Fin" failed to make the top 75 altogether (charting at number 111), though it was only released as a 7" vinyl and digital download. The band toured the world in an extensive schedule for about a year from August 2005 to September 2006, visiting
Japan,
South America,
USA and
Europe.
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The band recorded their sixth studio album