Bivouac were an English

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band from

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, England, who were active in the 1990s. They released two albums on the independent label Elemental, before being signed by DGC/Geffen for the 1995 album ''Full Size Boy''.

History

The band was originally a trio of Paul Yeadon (vocals, guitar), Granville Marsden (bass guitar), and Antony Hodgkinson (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , pp. 627–8 They were signed by Workers Playtime sub-label Elemental, releasing their debut EP in May 1992. The band was influenced by American artists such as

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continuous members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardc ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

and

The Pixies The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pi ...

, developing a sound similar to the

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

bands then emerging from the U.S., and they had support slots on tours by

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...

and

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas by vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison and bassist David Wm. Sims. They relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in ...

. Debut album ''Tuber'' was released in 1993, and they went on to sign for DGC, with Keith York (formerly of Dr Phibes & the House of Wax Equations) joining the band to replace Hodgkinson. ''Full Size Boy'' was released in July 1995, and despite good reviews, the album did not sell well, and the band were dropped from their label and disbanded soon afterwards. Yeadon has since turned to music production group The Moot group, which has produced bands such as Send More Paramedics, as well as forming the UK band The Wireless Stores, releasing an EP and an album in 2003 and 2006. Along with second drummer Keith York, Yeadon has also played with other bands including Pitchshifter. Original drummer Antony Hodgkinson (Tony The Interpretative Dancer) danced on stage for

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

. Bassist Granville Marsden has since uploaded some of their unreleased demos from before they split to YouTube on his personal account. They are now back together for shows and a new EP in 2016.

Discography

Albums

*''Tuber'' (1993), Elemental *''Full Size Boy'' (1995), Geffen

Singles and EPs

*''ABC'' EP (1992), Elemental *"Slack" 12" (1992), Elemental *"Good Day Song" (1993), Elemental *"The Bell Foundry" (1993), Elemental *''Marked and Tagged'' EP (1994), Elemental *"Thinking" (1995), Geffen *"Monkey Sanctuary" (1995), Geffen *"Deep Blue Sea Surround" (2016), Reckless Yes

Compilations

*''Derby and Joan'' (1993), Elemental – tracks from the ''ABC'' EP and the "Slack" 12"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bivouac English alternative rock groups Musical groups from Derby Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 DGC Records artists