Echobelly (acoustic)

Event information

House of Cards are delighted to announce that legendary band, Echobelly, will be playing an acoustic set at Sound Control on Saturday 14th July 2013. After going out as Calm of Zero, the two original members have returned to the name Echobelly.

Support comes via an acoustic set from Screaming Maldini.

Echobelly

Sonya Aurora Madan & Glenn Johansson are taking a short break from their Calm Of Zero project to acoustically perform the songs of the classic Britpop band they formed: ECHOBELLY.

This special acoustic tour is the result of public demand. Echobelly always had a loyal fan base and those fans still love them to this day.
They want to hear the songs they love, sung by the voice that sung them.

The most prominent part of Echobelly's successful formula was vocalist Sonya Madan, who was also the group's primary lyricist. In 1990 she met Glenn Johansson, a guitarist from Sweden who was pursuing a career in music

In 1993 Madan and Johansson teamed up with bass guitarist Alex Keyser and drummer Andy Henderson, who had previously played with P J Harvey's band. Guitarist Debbie Smith, formerly of Curve, came on board in 1994. According to the Epic Records' website, the group came up with the name Echobelly from the notion of "being hungry for something". With Madan and Johansson serving as songwriters, they recorded their debut EP, Bellyache, on the independent Pandemonium label in late 1993.

The favorable response to Bellyache helped Echobelly secure a recording contract with Rhythm King, which was then part of Epic. Once on board the label, the group released the "I Can't Imagine the World Without Me" single in June 1994. Now featuring the services of bass guitarist James Harris after Keyser defected due to personal and artistic differences, the group recorded the Everyone's Got One. This release, which included the single "Insomniac", reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart.

As their music received more airplay, Echobelly won admiration from otherartists as well. Madonna expressed interest in putting them on her Maverick label, and R.E.M. requested the group as the opening act for their upcoming tour. The band returned to the studio in 1995 to create their next album, On, which proved even more popular than its predecessor. Produced by Shaun Slade and Paul Kolderie, who had also produced Hole and Radiohead, On was called "eminently listenable" by Tamara Palmer in Audio.

This album focused on more universal themes, instead of the more politically and ethically charged subjects of Everyone's Got One.
Madan's lyrics often ventured into the seamy side of life, such as the
milieu of prostitution and homelessness addressed in King of the Kerb.
"I wanted to challenge myself as a lyricist on a different level on this
album," Madan said in Rolling Stone. "I want people to tell me what they thought the lyrics are about. I'm not a politician. I'm not interested in changing everybody around me. I'm interested in myself."

While many of the songs lamented the state of things, others on the On album celebrated the endless possibilities of the human spirit. In "Great Things", Madan sang "I want to do great things/I don't want to compromise/I want to know what love is/I want to know everything." The album's mostly optimistic
feel provides an intriguing contrast with its serious subject matter. As
Pareles wrote, "Both music and lyrics examine the tension between order and liberty". Listeners in the UK responded favorably to the album, driving three singles from the release into the Top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. Sales of the album rose to over 150,000 in England, nearly double that of Everyone's Got One.

Health and legal problems interrupted the success of Echobelly in 1995 and 1996. Madan had a serious thyroid problem during her world tour that was potentially life-threatening, but was later cured. The group also had disagreements with Rhythm King after the label moved to Arista. The band chose to stay with Epic. In 1996 Madan also ventured away from the group when she sang on a recording of the club band, Lithium. Smith left the band before the release of Lustra, which was issued in November 1997. A single
from the album, "The World is Flat", was released in August of that year.

A four-year hiatus was brought to an end in 2001 when the band returned with the Digit EP and their fourth album, People Are Expensive, which were released on their own Fry Up label. Two further singles, "Tell Me Why" and "Kali Yuga" (a remixed version of the album track) followed.

In 2004 Echobelly released a fifth album - again through their own Fry Up label, Gravity Pulls.

www.echobelly.com

Screaming Maldini

They say it's the little things in life that count, and the same certainly goes for one of Sheffield’s fastest rising musical troupes. A genre-straddling, multi-instrumental six piece, their talent is clearly evident in the details of the work produced.

A cowbell, an unusual time signature, or a fluttered snare roll- needless to say, Screaming Maldini take precision very seriously indeed. And for good reason, with the results of their toil taking the form of innovative arrangements designed to make heads nod, feet move, and minds engage. At once accessible and yet wholly unique, theirs is a sound born of today, as oppose to memories of what has been before.

Not that the individual members haven’t got plenty of experience to call upon. Comprising Nick Cox on lead vocals and guitar, Gina Walters’ lyrical, synth and percussive prowess, bassist and backing singer Annie Rushworth, the keyboards of Jonathan Cornish, the brass of Ben Hoblyn (along with more synths), not to mention Tim Walker’s time keeping on drums, collectively they’ve all moved on from previous bands in search of genuine originality.

Over the last two years they have built a staggering reputation and seemingly ever-burgeoning following thanks to this penchant for pioneering noises. Whether listening to the epic build of LP track It’s Always Summer Somewhere, a soaring wall of sound alt-rock gem, or their much-loved acoustic YouTube cover of Outkast’s Hey Ya!, innovation and ingenuity are always evident. As such, their eponymous long player, Screaming Maldini, arriving on February 4th, has more than a few expectations hanging on its lovingly conceived disc.

Boasting no less than 12 individual offerings, this summation of some 24-months writing, fine-tuning, and recording represents a fitting showcase of their ethic. Inspired and influenced by artists as diverse as The Beatles, The Klaxons, and Radiohead, we’re given the joyful crescendos and engaging choruses of Life In Glorious Stereo, the dark staccato rhythms of Minor Alterations, a theatrical piece of guitar and piano led leftfield indie, and the closing fanfares of Four Hours From Now, to name just three. A welcome break from the norm, whilst stopping short of anything off-puttingly obtuse, it’s precisely the right accompaniment to the outfit’s forthcoming UK tour.

http://www.screamingmaldini.net/