Stapleton is an independent rock band who come from

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. They formed in April 1997 and have released four albums and two EPs. They have to date played over 300 shows. They have released records on a number of independent record labels and are currently signed to

Xtra Mile Recordings Xtra Mile Recordings are a British independent record label based in London, England. The label was founded in 2003 by Charlie Caplowe and they release an eclectic mix of genres with a focus on rock and folk. History The label first signed the ...

in the UK and This Time Records in Japan. The band consist of Andrew Cook (Guitar & Vocals), Gordon Farquhar (Drums & Percussion), Alistair Paxton (Vocals & Guitar) and Nico Weststeijn (Bass).

History

Stapleton first came to prominence in the Glasgow DIY music scene of the late nineties, playing early shows alongside bands such as

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

Bluetip Bluetip was an American rock band from Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Poto ...

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and

Les Savy Fav Les Savy Fav ( ) is an American indie rock band based in New York City. Their style is influenced by art punk and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington. The band is signed to Frenchkiss Record ...

. They were an integral and ubiquitous part of a supportive and diverse independent Scottish music scene that also included bands such as Laeto, Sawyer, Idlewild,

Aereogramme Aereogramme was a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, formed in 1998, consisting of Craig B. (vocals, guitar), Iain Cook (guitar, programming), Campbell McNeil (bass) and Martin Scott (drums). Prior to their split in 2007, the band ...

and

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...

. The turn of the millennium brought an increase in touring for Stapleton, as well as a first full release; 'Rebuild The Pier' on the English label Year 3 Thousand Records. Recorded at the Brill Building, Glasgow over two days by Richie Dempsey, Rebuild The Pier was critically acclaimed by national press and has retrospectively been regarded as a pioneering, landmark record by many bands and individuals. The 2001 follow up, 'On The Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places', achieved a similar status on its release through the legendary English label Subjugation Records. Initial pressings of the record sold very quickly and, indeed, it remained out of print until a repackaged version (including the Icy You EP) was released in 2004. 2002 saw the release of two EPs by Stapleton; firstly, the 'Icy You' EP, made up of songs from the 'On The Enjoyment' sessions, and secondly, the 'Chez Chef' EP, recorded in London by Pat Collier and Larry Hibbitt. Stapleton toured prolifically around this time, supporting high-profile peers such as Idlewild,

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...

and

Hundred Reasons Hundred Reasons are an English alternative rock band formed in London, England, in 1999. It consists of Colin Doran (vocals), Larry Hibbitt (guitar, vocals), Andy Gilmour (bass), and Andy Bews (drums). After releasing ''EpOne'', '' EpTwo'', a ...

, as well as highly regarded independent touring bands like

Lungfish Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the class Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, inc ...

, Weakerthans, Q and not U, Pedro The Lion, Tristeza and

Burning Airlines Burning Airlines was an American rock band from Washington, D.C. J. Robbins and Bill Barbot of Jawbox formed the band with Peter Moffett (formerly of Government Issue) in 1997. The band released two full-length albums, a self-titled 7", and sp ...

. It was through a Glasgow show with Burning Airlines that Stapleton became involved with the esteemed musician and engineer

J. Robbins James Robbins, better known as J. Robbins, is an American rock musician. Career Robbins began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led five of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, Channels (band) ...

. May 2005 saw Stapleton record their third album, 'Hug The Coast', in Robbins' Baltimore studio, The Magpie Cage. Hug The Coast was released in late 2005 on Gravity Records and contained artwork by Grammy nominated artist Jesse LeDoux. Following considerable touring, Stapleton chose to go on hiatus in Summer of 2006, though only after recording a fourth album 'Rest and be Thankful' with their friend and live engineer Robin Sutherland. Rest and be Thankful was released in May 2008 on

, and was supported by a short UK tour. Though they are presently on hiatus, members of Stapleton are active with other bands. These include Metronomes, Happy Particles, Avast! and Elements of the Seventies.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Rebuild the Pier'' (2000) Year 3 Thousand *''On The Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places'' (2001) Subjugation Records *''On The Enjoyment of Unpleasant Places + Icy You'' (2004) Gravity DIP Records *''Hug The Coast'' (2005) Gravity DIP Records *''Rest and be Thankful'' (2008)

EPs and split singles

*''Acres & Yards'' ('Mosh & Go' 7") released in October 2001 on

Fierce Panda Records Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-s ...

. *''The Boredom of Bread, The Fun of Cake'' (split CD with Beezewax) released in October 2001 on Biscay Records *''Icy You'' (EP) released in April 2002 on Gravity DIP Records *''Chez Chef'' (EP) released in December 2002 on Gravity DIP Records *''Happy Homes and the Hearts That Make Them / Northwest Corners'' (split 10" with Dartz!) released in April 2006 on Gravity DIP Records *''Sports Cars And Devil Worship'' on 'Souvenir', Cable tribute album released October 2006 on Signature Tune Records.

References

External links

Stapleton
on

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

Banquet RecordsStapleton Interview on Rockmidgets.comStapleton article archive at Drowned In SoundHappy ParticlesMetronomesAvast!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton (Band) Scottish rock music groups Musical groups established in 1997