SUPERGRASS - ROAD TO ROUEN (20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

Supergrass are an English rock band formed in Oxford in 1993. For most of the band's history, the line-up has consisted of Gaz Coombes (lead vocals, guitar), Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey (drums, backing vocals). The band originally performed as a three-piece, with Rob Coombes officially joining in 2002. Supergrass signed to Parlophone Records in 1994 and released their debut album, "I Should Coco", in 1995. It became the label's best-selling debut album since the Beatles' "Please Please Me". The album's fourth single, "Alright", became an international hit. Supergrass subsequently released five further studio albums: "In It for the Money" (1997), "Supergrass" (1999), "Life on Other Planets" (2002), "Road to Rouen" (2005) and "Diamond Hoo Ha" (2008). A compilation album, "Supergrass Is 10", was released in 2004. In August 2009, the band signed to Cooking Vinyl and began work on a seventh studio album, "Release the Drones", which remained unfinished and unreleased. In April 2010, Supergrass announced that they would split up, citing musical and creative differences. The band concluded their initial period of activity with four farewell shows, the final one taking place at La Cigale in Paris on 11 June 2010. Supergrass reunited in 2019, initially to perform at Pilton Party and subsequently at a "secret" show at Oslo in Hackney, London. In 2022, the band performed at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert. Hawkins had previously expressed his admiration for Supergrass and had made a guest drum appearance at one of their concerts. In late 2024, the band announced a UK tour for 2025 to mark the 30th anniversary of "I Should Coco", performing the album in its entirety alongside other songs. The Jennifers were a band formed in Oxford in 1990 by Gaz Coombes, Danny Goffey, Nic Goffey and Andy Davies. The group performed in the Oxfordshire indie music scene and drew influence from bands including Ride, the Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, the Kinks and the Who, as well as from shoegaze. They performed at venues including the Jericho Tavern in Oxford. The Jennifers recorded a demo produced by Nick Langston at Stargoat Studios near Banbury. It contained the songs "Flying", "Inside of Me" and "(Slow Song)". In 1992, the band released the single "Just Got Back Today" on Nude Records. A second single, "Tightrope", was not released following disagreements with the label, although it later appeared on the compilation "Days Spent Dreaming". The Jennifers subsequently disbanded. Andy Davies went to university, while Nic Goffey later formed a directing partnership with Dom Hawley. After leaving school, Gaz Coombes worked at a local Harvester restaurant, where he met Mick Quinn. Coombes subsequently invited Quinn to play with him and Danny Goffey. In February 1993, the three formed a band initially known as Theodore Supergrass. According to Quinn, the name was shortened to Supergrass after approximately two months. Goffey later said that the original name had been his idea and that the group had considered using a fictional character named Theodore Supergrass to conduct interviews on their behalf. Gaz Coombes' brother Rob played flute at the band's debut performance at the Co-Op Hall in Oxford in 1993. In January 1995, he first performed as the band's keyboardist during a live session for BBC Radio 1's John Peel programme. His contributions subsequently became more extensive. Recordings made before his official membership were sometimes credited to "Supergrass and Rob Coombes". In mid-1994, Supergrass released their debut single, "Caught by the Fuzz", on the independent local label Backbeat Records. The song described Gaz Coombes' arrest by police for cannabis possession. The limited vinyl release sold out, aided by support from John Peel. Parlophone subsequently signed the band and reissued the single in autumn 1994. "Mansize Rooster", released in February 1995, reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, while "Lenny" became the band's first UK top 10 single. Their debut album, "I Should Coco", was released in May 1995 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. It sold more than 500,000 copies in the UK and more than one million worldwide. The album's fourth single, the double A-side "Alright"/"Time", reached number two in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the UK top three for a month. Supergrass subsequently undertook approximately 18 months of touring, including appearances at festivals such as T in the Park and the Glastonbury Festival. In April 1996, after performing at the Hollywood Rock Festival in Rio de Janeiro, the band met Ronnie Biggs. A photograph of Biggs with Gaz Coombes was later included in the music video for "Going Out". Recorded at Great Linford Manor, the single reached number five in the UK and was the last Supergrass song produced by Sam Williams. Supergrass returned to Sawmills Studio to record their second album, "In It for the Money", with producer John Cornfield. Released in April 1997, the album achieved platinum status in the UK. Its lead single, "Richard III", reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, while "Sun Hits the Sky" and "Late in the Day" reached numbers 10 and 18 respectively. In 1999, Supergrass returned with the single "Pumping on Your Stereo". Its promotional video, produced with Jim Henson's Creature Shop, depicted the band with puppet-like bodies. The single was followed by the album "Supergrass", recorded at Sawmills Studio and produced by Cornfield. Released in 1999, the album received generally positive reviews and subsequently achieved platinum status in the UK. "Moving" reached the UK top 10, while "Mary" reached the top 40. After an extended period of inactivity, Supergrass returned in 2002 with "Life on Other Planets". The album was recorded at Heliocentric, Rockfield and Mayfair Studios and produced by Tony Hoffer. It was released in the UK by Parlophone and in the United States by Island Def Jam. It did not achieve the same commercial success as the band's earlier albums, but received generally positive critical reviews and was certified gold in the UK. "Life on Other Planets" was the first Supergrass album to credit Rob Coombes as an official member. The band subsequently undertook another extended period of touring and other activities. In 2004, Parlophone proposed the release of a singles compilation. "Supergrass Is 10" included two new tracks, "Kiss of Life" and "Bullet", both produced by the band. An accompanying DVD included "Home Movie", a documentary covering the band's first ten years, made with Simon Hilton. The compilation reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and was subsequently certified gold in the UK. Recording of the band's fifth studio album, "Road to Rouen", began in France in a studio built by the band in Normandy. The sessions were conducted with French engineer Pierre-Olivier Marger. The album represented a change in musical direction and was described at the time as a more mature work. The first single, "St. Petersburg", was released on 8 August 2005, followed by "Road to Rouen" later that month in the UK. The album reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was certified silver in the UK. The second single, "Low C", featured a video directed by Garth Jennings, while the third single, "Fin", also received critical attention. Supergrass toured the album in acoustic and electric formats, with percussionist Satin Singh joining the live line-up. Between August 2005 and September 2006, the band performed in Japan, South America, the United States and Europe, concluding the tour with an appearance at the Beijing Pop Festival. Supergrass recorded their sixth studio album, "Diamond Hoo Ha", at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin with producer Nick Launay. The album was mixed at Seedy Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles. The band performed at festivals during 2007, including Guilfest, and introduced new material with Charly Coombes, the youngest of the Coombes brothers, joining them on second guitar, percussion and backing vocals. On 27 September 2007, Mick Quinn sustained a broken heel bone and two spinal fractures after falling from a first-floor window while sleepwalking during a holiday in France. During his recovery, Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey performed promotional shows as the Diamond Hoo Ha Men. Quinn subsequently returned to touring duties, while Charly Coombes temporarily played bass during some full-band performances and later continued as a second guitarist and percussionist. The second single from "Diamond Hoo Ha", "Bad Blood", was released in March 2008 after its video had been made available on the band's website. The video won Best Rock Video at the UK Music Video Awards. "Rebel in You" was the album's final single and was released on the band's own Supergrass Records imprint under licence from Parlophone. In 2008, Parlophone was acquired by Terra Firma. Supergrass subsequently ended their contract with the label. In 2009, the band performed at a number of festivals in the United Kingdom and Europe, including Wychwood Festival, Sellindge Music Festival, Provinssirock, BBK Live, Bikini Festival, Festival Les Ardentes and Paredes de Coura Festival. They also co-headlined the 2009 Truck Festival with Ash. On 12 April 2010, Supergrass announced that they would split up following four farewell shows. Their final performance of the period took place at La Cigale in Paris on 11 June 2010. At the time of the split, Supergrass were working on their seventh studio album, provisionally titled "Release the Drones". The band said that the album had been influenced by krautrock groups such as Can and by drone music, and that the members had exchanged instruments during the recording sessions. Gaz Coombes described the recording process as collaborative and experimental. Although the album was reported to be close to completion and had been scheduled for release in May 2010, it remained unfinished and unreleased. In the same year, American rapper Travie McCoy sampled "Alright" for his debut solo single, "We'll Be Alright". Supergrass reunited in 2019. The band initially performed at Pilton Party on 6 September 2019, followed by a secret show at Oslo in Hackney, London. In interviews, the members stated that the reunion was primarily intended for live performances rather than the recording of new material. After two warm-up shows in Coventry and Frome, Supergrass undertook a short European tour before completing a UK tour with two sold-out performances at Alexandra Palace in London in March 2020. The band had planned performances in the United States and Australia in April and May 2020, as well as festival appearances in several European countries and at Glastonbury Festival. These dates were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 21 August 2020, Supergrass performed a live-streamed concert at The Bullingdon in Oxford. The event was organised in association with Goose Island Brewery and promoted a Supergrass-inspired beer named "Man Sized Brew Sir", after the song "Mansize Rooster". Proceeds from ticket sales were donated to Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy and the Campaign Against Living Miserably. The following day, the band performed a socially distanced concert at the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle. On 27 November 2020, Supergrass released the live album "Live on Other Planets", comprising recordings from their reunion tour. The album was released in connection with the band's 25th anniversary and supported the #SaveOurVenues campaign, which raised funds for grassroots music venues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On 3 September 2022, Supergrass performed three songs at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. Gaz Coombes also performed lead vocals on David Bowie's "Modern Love" with Nile Rodgers and on the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" with Foo Fighters and Stewart Copeland on drums. Following the performance, Coombes described it as the band's final reunion show. He subsequently resumed his solo career, while Goffey also pursued other projects. On 16 September 2024, Supergrass announced a reunion for a 30th anniversary tour of "I Should Coco", scheduled for May 2025. The tour was planned to feature the album performed in its entirety alongside other songs from the band's catalogue. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergrass Studio albums I Should Coco (1995) In It for the Money (1997) Supergrass (1999) Life on Other Planets (2002) Road to Rouen (2005) Diamond Hoo Ha (2008) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.