Bradford (band)
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Bradford is an English
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 ...
band originally from
Blackburn, Lancashire Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...
, England. Current members of the group include vocalist-lyricist Ian Hodgson and musicians Ewan Butler and
Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English record producer best known for his work with the Smiths, the Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album '' Viva Hate'' following the ...
.


History

The original line-up from 1987 to 1991 was Ian Hodgson (vocals), Ewan Butler (guitar), John Baulcombe (Keyboards), Jos Murphy (bass guitar), and Mark McVittie (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 243 The band's debut single, "Skin Storm", was released in 1988 on the Village Records label, and had the distinction of being the first independently financed recording to be released on
compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...
. Midnight Music released a self-titled
mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...
for the French market, which was later withdrawn due to copyright issues. The band signed to Smiths producer
Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English record producer best known for his work with the Smiths, the Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album '' Viva Hate'' following the ...
's Foundation label. Street produced the major share of Bradford's material during their two-year association before the band signed with
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh ...
/
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
. The band opened for
Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
at his first post-Smiths concert at
Wolverhampton Civic Hall Wolverhampton Civic Hall is a music venue in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It has been one of the most notable live music venues in the county for several decades. It is part of a complex branded as University of Wolverhampton at The ...
. 1989 saw two further singles, both hits on the
UK Independent Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the re ...
, and an album, ''Shouting Quietly'', produced by Stephen Street and released in 1989 on his Foundation Records label in the UK, the
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh ...
label in the United States and the
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
throughout Europe. The band would part ways with Sire the following year before disbanding in 1991. That same year
Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
recorded a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "Skin Storm", released as a B-side on his "
Pregnant for the Last Time "Pregnant for the Last Time" is a song by Morrissey, released as a non-album single in July 1991. This was the first time Morrissey worked with guitarist Boz Boorer, who consistently worked with him until 2020. The single reached number 25 on t ...
" single and featured on the "
My Love Life "My Love Life" is a song by Morrissey released in September 1991. It was a stand-alone single rather than taken from any studio album, although it was included on the compilation albums ''World of Morrissey'' (1995) and '' Suedehead: The Best o ...
" US single and '' The CD Singles '88-91''' album. In 2018 A Turn Table Friend records reissued the majority of Bradford's back catalogue along with many previously unheard demo recordings on the album entitled ''Thirty Years of Shouting Quietly''. 2019 saw Butler and Hodson re-unite with former label boss, producer and friend
Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English record producer best known for his work with the Smiths, the Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album '' Viva Hate'' following the ...
with the latter becoming a permanent member of Bradford. The now three piece went on to release the 2021 album ''Bright Hours'' on the Foundation II label. The band toured extensively during their early years and supported artists including
Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...
,
Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...
,
The Sugarcubes The Sugarcubes () were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Benediktsson (vocals, trumpe ...
and
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
. In the interim years Hodgson formed the band Acoustic Uprising, and played guitar for On Parole, a tribute to
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
. Guitarist Ewan Butler wrote and performed with Californian
alternative hip-hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...
artist Ithaka. Bass-player Jos Murphy is currently playing with Morrissey tribute act Viva Morrissey, John Baulcombe was recently the keyboardist with Bolton indie pop band Merchandise, who released their third album, ''For The Masses'', in June 2010. Since August 2011 he has been playing keyboards, guitar and mandolin for Northern-folk-rooted rock band Dave Rowley's Black Country. On 19 February 2021, the band released new album ''Bright Hours''.


Discography

Chart placings shown are from the
UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...
.


Singles

*"Skin Storm" b/w "Gatling Gun" (1988), Village *"Tattered, Tangled & Torn" (1988), Village *"In Liverpool" b/w Boys Will Be Boys (July 1989) Foundation (#12) *"Adrift Again" (1989) Foundation (#20) *"Gang of One" (1990) Foundation


Albums

*''Bradford'' (1988) Midnight Music (withdrawn) *''Shouting Quietly'' (August 1989) Foundation/Sire/Rough Trade *''Bright Hours'' (2021)


References

{{Reflist


External links


Stephen Street websiteMerchandise band websiteIan HEwan ButlerJos MurphyJohn BaulcombeMark McVittie
English rock music groups English indie rock groups Sire Records artists