Luke Michael Haines (born 7 October 1967) is an English musician, songwriter and author. He has recorded music under various names and with various bands, including

The Auteurs The Auteurs were a British alternative rock band of the 1990s, and a vehicle for songwriter Luke Haines (guitar, piano and vocals). History Formerly a member of the Servants, Haines created the Auteurs with his then-girlfriend Alice Readman ...

, Baader Meinhof and

Black Box Recorder Black Box Recorder were an English indie rock band. They debuted in 1998 with '' England Made Me'' and followed this up with '' The Facts of Life'', which gave them their first hit with the single of the same name in April 2000. Their thir ...

Career

''New Wave''

Haines formed numerous bands when he was at school. At college he joined

The Servants The Servants were an indie band formed in 1985 in Hayes, Middlesex, England by singer-songwriter David Westlake. The band was the original home of Luke Haines. The band’s '' Small Time'' album was well received on its 2012 release, more th ...

who recorded two commercially unsuccessful albums. It was only when Haines formed

with Glenn Collins and girlfriend Alice Readman, who had also been drafted into The Servants on occasion, in 1991, that he began to achieve some success. Regular gigging in London and an ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''-sponsored gig brought them to the attention of

Hut Records VC Recordings trading as Hut Records was a British record label brand which was started in 1990 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Records. Despite being wholly owned by a major label, it was classed as an independent label for the purposes ...

. They released their first single, "Showgirl" in 1993, and their debut album '' New Wave'' a month later. Haines claimed the album started

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

, though he later showed disdain towards the movement. The album sold only 12,000 copies but was nominated for a

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

, although the eventual winners were

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, Textile, fabrics, Handbag, purses, furniture, and other items. Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and m ...

Brush with fame

Their second album, ''Now I'm a Cowboy'', (1994) featured "Lenny Valentino", which became one of their best-known songs. Soon after, Haines broke both of his ankles, resulting in the cancellation of much of their 1994 European tour. At the time he claimed "I jumped off a fifteen-foot wall ..o finish the tour and get the insurance" but later, in the sleeve notes to greatest hits collection '' Das Capital'', he denied that it was deliberate, writing "I merely drank too much wine and fell over." Confined to a wheelchair for most of 1995, Haines began writing the Auteurs' third album, ''After Murder Park''. Bleaker and more introspective than previous albums, it was produced by

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

and recorded at

Abbey Road studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

in North London.

New projects

The Auteurs recorded a session for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

on 20 February 1996. Soon after, Haines formed solo side project called

Baader-Meinhof The Red Army Faction (, ; RAF ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...

named after the German far-left terrorist group. The Auteurs briefly disbanded, only to reunite once more for their fourth album ''How I Learned to Love the Bootboys''.

Black Box Recorder

Following the release of what turned out to be the final Auteurs record, Haines formed

with John Moore (formerly of

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

) and

Sarah Nixey Sarah Anne Nixey (born 21 December 1973 in Dorset, England) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the vocalist in Black Box Recorder (band), Black Box Recorder. Her debut solo album, ''Sing, Memory'', was released on 19 February 2007, f ...

. The band produced three commercially successful albums, ''England Made Me'', ''The Facts of Life'', and ''Passionoia''. There is also a B-sides collection, ''The Worst of Black Box Recorder''. ''The Facts of Life'' produced the eponymous single, which has been the biggest hit of Haines' career so far. Although no official split announcement was made, the band have been on hiatus since the mid-2000s.

Going solo

In 2000 Haines wrote the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

for '' Christie Malry's Own Double Entry'', a film adaptation of the B. S. Johnson

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

. Director Paul Tickell had originally expressed a wish to license ''How I Learned to Love the Bootboys'' as the soundtrack for the film but couldn't afford the rights. In the same year Haines released ''The Oliver Twist Manifesto'', a solo album released under his own name. Soon after the sale of Virgin Records to French company

Fnac Fnac () is a French multinational retail chain specializing in the sale of entertainment Media (communication), media and consumer electronics. Fnac was founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its headquarters is located in ''Le Flavia' ...

, David Boyd of

(owned by Virgin) enlisted Haines to release an Auteurs

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

collection, giving the band the opportunity to re-record the songs as they saw fit. ''Das Capital: The Song Writing Genius of Luke Haines'' therefore consisted mostly of new versions of Auteurs songs with the inclusion of a string quartet, with some new tracks. A box set covering his career to date, ''Luke Haines is Dead,'' was issued in 2005, and two new albums were expected in 2006, including the soundtrack to the abandoned musical ''Property'', which also features Sarah Nixey. It remains unreleased.

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

released a ''Best of The Servants'' compilation, with sleeve notes by Haines, the same year. '' Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop'' was released in October 2006. Haines worked with pop producer

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for art ...

on some tracks. The album was preceded by a double A-sided single "Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop (

version)", backed with "I Am The Best Artist/Skinny White Girls." Haines toured the UK and Ireland in support of the album during November 2006, with John Moore guesting on bowed saw and backing vocals at some dates. Haines also played at book signings for

David Peace David Peace (born 1967) is an English writer. Best known for his UK-set novels Red Riding Quartet (1999–2002), '' GB84'' (2004), '' The Damned Utd'' (2006), and '' Red or Dead'' (2013), Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Nove ...

during the promotional tour for his novel ''

The Damned United ''The Damned United'' is a 2009 sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling 2006 novel '' The Damned Utd'' – a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Cl ...

''. Haines and

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

, formerly of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, collaborated on an album, '' Beat Poetry for Survivalists'', which was released in 2020.

Black Box Recorder reformation

In December 2007,

teamed up with

Art Brut Art Brut is an English indie rock band. Their debut album, '' Bang Bang Rock & Roll'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, ''It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Jean Dubuffet's definition ...

to create the single ''Christmas Number One'' under the collaborative title of The Black Arts. In October 2008

appeared at a Nick Sanderson tribute concert. It was subsequently announced on Luke Haines' web site that the band would play their first headlining gig for five years at

The Luminaire The Luminaire was a live music venue on Kilburn High Road in north west London, UK. It opened on 1 March 2005 in what was a nightclub called Late, above McGovern's Pub and The Kilburn Bar. Its last public show was 9 March 2011. Student apartment ...

, Kilburn, London in February 2009.

Writing

Haines' memoir ''Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall'' was published on 1 January 2009 by William Heinemann Ltd. The book covers Haines' experiences during the

era 1991 to 1997. ''Post Everything: Outsider Rock and Roll'', his second volume of memoirs, was published in July 2011. Haines' first

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

, ''Outsider Food and Righteous Rock 'N' Roll'', was published in 2015. In May 2009 a novel about Haines by Tim Mitchell ''Truth and Lies in Murder Park'' was published by benben press. The book includes material based on interviews with Luke, and explores the themes of his music. In issue four of the comic book ''

Phonogram Phonogram may refer to: * A sound recording – see Geneva Phonograms Convention * ''Phonogram'' (comics), a comic book by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie * Phonogram (linguistics), a grapheme which represents a phoneme or a combination of phon ...

'', Haines appears as a spirit guide leading the main character through a metaphorical land representing

Documentary

A documentary on Haines by Irish director Niall McCann, called ''Art Will Save the World'', premiered at the East End film festival in Dalston on 6 July 2012. It was also shown at the Barcelona, Copenhagen and Cork film festivals. It featured interviews with

Jarvis Cocker Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...

John Niven John Niven (born 1966) is a Scottish author and screenwriter. His books include ''Kill Your Friends'', ''The Amateurs'', and ''The Second Coming''. Career Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Niven read English literature at the University of Glasgow, g ...

and

Stewart Home Kevin Llewellyn Callan (born 24 March 1962), better known as Stewart Home, is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. His novels include the non-narrative '' 69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess'' (2002 ...

along with extensive interviews with Haines.

Discography

Solo albums

* '' The Oliver Twist Manifesto'', 2001 * '' Das Capital'', 2003 * '' Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop'', 2006 * ''21st Century Man/Achtung Mutha'', 2009 * ''Outsider Music (Vols 1-50)'', 2010 * '' 9 1/2 Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s & Early '80s'', 2011 * '' Rock and Roll Animals'', 2013 * '' New York in the '70s'', 2014 * ''Raving (Vols 1-75)'', 2015 *''Adventures in Dementia'' 2015 *''British Nuclear Bunkers'' 2015 *''Smash the System'' 2016 *''Freqs'' 2016 *''I Sometimes Dream of Glue'' 2018 * ''Setting the Dogs on the Post Punk Postman'', 2021

Soundtracks

* ''

Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry ''Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry'' (1973) is the penultimate novel by the late British avant-garde novelist B. S. Johnson. It is the metafictional account of a disaffected young man, Christie Malry, who applies the principles of double-entry ...

'', 2001

Singles and EPs

* "Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop", 2006 * ''Leeds United'' EP, 2007 * "Love Letter To London", 2010 * "Rock N Roll Animals", 2013 * "Gene Vincent (Rock n Roll Mums and Rock n Roll Dads)", 2013 * "Lou Reed, Lou Reed", 2014 * "Caravan Man", 2015 * ''Glue E.P'' EP, 2018

Compilation

* '' Luke Haines Is Dead'', 2005 * ''Outsider/In: The Collection'', 2012 * ''Luke Haines is Alive and Well and Living in Buenos Aires (Heavy, Frenz - The Solo Anthology 2001-2017)'', 2017

Others

The Auteurs

*'' New Wave'', 1993 *'' Now I'm a Cowboy'', 1994 *''

After Murder Park ''After Murder Park'' is the third album by British rock band the Auteurs, released in March 1996. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by Steve Albini. In 2014, British independent record label 3 Loop Music re-released the al ...

'', 1996 *''

How I Learned to Love the Bootboys ''How I Learned to Love the Bootboys'' is the fourth and final album by British rock band the Auteurs. It was released on 5 July 1999 through Hut and Virgin Records. Following their third studio album '' After Murder Park'' (1996), Haines started ...

'', 1999

Black Box Recorder

*'' England Made Me'', 1999 *'' The Facts of Life'', 2000 *''

The Worst of Black Box Recorder ''The Worst of Black Box Recorder'' is a 2001 album by Black Box Recorder, whose members include Luke Haines, Sarah Nixey and John Moore. It is a compilation of B-sides from the singles of '' England Made Me'' and '' The Facts Of Life''. It al ...

'', 2001 *''

Passionoia ''Passionoia'' is the third and final studio album by British rock band Black Box Recorder. It was released on 3 March 2003 through One Little Indian. Following the promotional cycles for the band's '' The Facts of Life'' (2000) and musician Luke ...

'', 2003 *''Life is Unfair'', 2018, compilation

Baader Meinhof

*''

Baader Meinhof The Red Army Faction (, ; RAF ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...

'', 1996

Collaborations

*"Christmas Number One", 2007 (The Black Arts – collaboration between Black Box Recorder and

) *'' The North Sea Scrolls'', 2012 (Luke Haines, Cathal Coughlan, Andrew Muelle) *'' Test Driving The New Prius'', 2020 ( Jim Fry and Luke Haines) *'' Beat Poetry for Survivalists'', 2020 (Luke Haines and

) *'' All the Kids Are Super Bummed Out'', 2022 (Luke Haines and Peter Buck) *'' Going Down To The River… To Blow My Mind'', 2025 (Luke Haines and Peter Buck)

Bibliography

*''Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall'', 2009 (Published by William Heinemann Ltd) *''Post Everything: Outsider Rock and Roll'', 2011 (Published by William Heinemann Ltd) *''Outsider Food And Righteous Rock And Roll'', 2015 *''Freaks Out! Weirdos, Misfits and Deviants – The Rise and Fall of Righteous Rock ’n’ Roll'', 2024 (Published by Nine Eight Books)

References

External links

Luke Haines's MySpace profileLuke Haines Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haines, Luke 1967 births Living people English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English male singers English rock singers People from Walton-on-Thames