Astrid is a guitar-pop foursome formed in
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 ...
in the mid-1990s, but with strong ties to
Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...
in the
Hebrides
The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...
, Scotland. The group released three studio albums, as well as several singles and EPs, before breaking up in 2004.
History
Willie Campbell, Charles Clark and
Gareth Russell were childhood friends who moved from the
Isle of Lewis
The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...
, off the West coast of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, to
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 ...
in the mid-1990s. There, the three began writing songs together; Campbell on vocals, Clark on acoustic guitar and Russell on bass guitar. They then met up with drummer Gareth Thom and began rehearsing in 1997. The group called themselves "Astrid" and quickly caught the attention of
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The band took their name from ...
who asked them to be their opening act, initially at a local gig and then on a small tour of the UK.
Astrid signed up with
Fantastic Plastic Records
Fantastic Plastic Records is an independent record label based in London and Brighton.
Fantastic Plastic was formed by lifelong music fan Darrin Robson in a County Down attic. Originally specialising in mail-order only rare and collectible reco ...
, on which they released their first EP in 1998, ''No Reason''.
The group then teamed with former
Orange Juice
Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange (fruit), orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As ...
singer,
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in 1985, Collins started a so ...
, who produced their second EP, ''Hi-Fi Lo-Fi'', which was also released in 1998. A single "It's True" was released the same year.
Collins went to produce the group's debut album the following year, ''
Strange Weather Lately
Strange Weather Lately is the title of a series of comics created and released between 1996 and 1999 by the Glasgow-based Franco-Scottish duo ''Metaphrog''.
The very first issue was entitled Strange Weather Lately - Martin Nitram #1 and compris ...
''. The album received positive reviews and sold well in the UK and in Europe, although no American distributor could be found.
The band's sound was compared to that of fellow Scottish
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
*Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests
*Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...
bands
The Pastels
The Pastels are an indie rock group from Glasgow formed in 1981. They were a key act of the Scottish and British independent music scenes of the 1980s, and are specifically credited for the development of an independent and confident music scen ...
and
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (Scottish musician), Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), al ...
.
A further EP called ''Modes of Transport'' was released in September 2000. The main single from the EP was made Single of the Week by
Radio 1 DJ
Simon Mayo
Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo (born 21 September 1958) is an English radio presenter and author who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 until 2022.
Mayo has presented across three BBC stations for extended periods. From 1986 to 2001 he worked for Radio ...
, gaining further publicity and airplay for the group.
As the band began recording their second full album, Thom left and was replaced by Neil Payne. ''
Play Dead'', the group's second album, was released in March 2001.
In 2004, Astrid released their third album - ''One In Four'' (named for the statistic that "one in four of us will suffer mental health problems at some time in our lives").
Whilst maintaining the pop sound of their earlier material, the new album featured darker lyrical content.
Campbell left the band shortly afterwards, and the band broke up by the end of the year.
Neil Payne has since played drums for fellow Scottish band,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, Gareth Russell has played bass for
Idlewild, Charlie Clark joined
The Zephyrs
The Zephyrs are an Edinburgh, Scotland-based indie band. They have released six albums and two EPs containing their shoegazing folk-rock style.
Band history
Brothers Stuart (vocals, guitar) and David Nicol (bass) had been playing music to ...
, for their fourth studio album and went on to form now defunct bands Cold Night Song and Our Lunar Activities, and was involved with Broken Arrow and MJ12 (The Majestic 12). William Campbell formed Our Small Capital and The Open Day Rotation. Both Campbell and Clark continue to work on their solo careers.
Astrid reformed in the summer of 2016 for a series of gigs throughout Scotland, and began recording material for a planned new album.
In 2021, Charlie Clark released a solo album called ''Late Night Drinking'' which was the first album release on Alan McGee's relaunched 'It’s Creation, Baby' record label and released a single called "Don't Have a Cow, Man!"
Discography
Albums
* ''
Strange Weather Lately
Strange Weather Lately is the title of a series of comics created and released between 1996 and 1999 by the Glasgow-based Franco-Scottish duo ''Metaphrog''.
The very first issue was entitled Strange Weather Lately - Martin Nitram #1 and compris ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Play Dead'' (2001)
* ''One in Four'' (2004)
* ''Fall, Stand, Dance'' (2019)
Singles and EPs
* ''Hi-Fi Lo-Fi'' EP
* "It's True" No. 153
* "No Reason"
* "What to Say"
* "Boy or Girl" / "Sleigh Ride" (2000)
* "Cherry Cherry" (2000)
* "High in the Morning" (2000) No. 156
* "Redground" (2000) No. 167
* ''Modes of Transport'' EP (2001)
* "Tick Tock" (2001) No. 103
* "It Never Happened" (2001) No. 112
Side projects
*
The Reindeer Section - ''
Y'All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!'' (2001)
*
The Reindeer Section - ''
Son of Evil Reindeer'' (2002)
References
External links
Our Small Capital & William Campbell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Astrid
Scottish indie rock groups
Musical groups established in 1997