Cannon were a five-piece, instrumental

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

band, based in Glasgow, Scotland.

History

Cannon was formed in early 1999 by guitarists David Philp, Stuart Henderson, and Jonny Williamson. The band lineup was completed by the addition of Andrew Gifford of Fiddlers' Bid on bass and drummer Tom Pettigrew. Gigging throughout Scotland, Cannon played alongside bands such as

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

, Bis,

The Cooper Temple Clause The Cooper Temple Clause were an English alternative rock band, formed in Wokingham, Berkshire in 1998. The band released three albums before announcing their split on 24 April 2007, following the departure of Daniel Fisher. After signing a r ...

and

Medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

, as well as appearances at music festivals such as

Truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

in 2001 and

T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...

in 2002. The band were championed by DJ

Vic Galloway Michael "Vic" Galloway (born 4 August 1972) is a Scottish radio and television presenter, writer and DJ. He hosts a self-titled show on BBC Radio Scotland every Monday from 8pm to 10pm and previously broadcast the BBC Introducing Scotland sh ...

, their records getting regular play on his

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish national radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 N ...

show, "Air", and they were invited to record a live session for the show. Pettigrew left the band in late 2001 and was replaced by former Juliet Turner and

Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is an Irish songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his di ...

sideman Tim Harbinson. Gifford left several months later, and was replaced by Craig Sinclair. Cannon disbanded in 2003. Philp went on to play in Glasgow 'horror blues' band,

Uncle John & Whitelock Uncle John & Whitelock were a Scottish horror punk band from Glasgow. They were active from 2001 to 2006 and were noted for their live shows which incorporated elements of performance art. History Uncle John & Whitelock was formed in 2001 by ...

, and was guitarist on

Isobel Campbell Isobel Campbell (born 27 April 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and cellist. She rose to prominence at age nineteen as a member of the indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, but left the group to pursue a solo career, first as the Gentle Waves ...

and

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

's 2008 European tour. Harbinson went on to join

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

band

Laki Mera Laki Mera are a three-piece electronic band, based in Glasgow, Scotland. History Formed in 2004 as a recording project by Andrea Gobbi and Laura Donnelly, Laki Mera took their name from the Chimaera of Greek mythology. The lineup was complete ...

along with Trevor Helliwell, Cannon's sound engineer. Philp, Gifford and Pettigrew later formed Adopted as Holograph, playing gypsy influenced folk music.

Music

Cannon's music, by virtue of its instrumental nature and the relative complexity of its arrangements has been described as

math rock Math rock is a style of Alternative rock, alternative and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush (band), Rush. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (including irregular stopping and starting), cou ...

. Comparisons have been made with bands such as

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...

and

Slint Slint was an American Rock music, rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986 after the dissolution of two local bands, Squirrel Bait and Maurice. It initially consisted of guitarist-vocalist Brian McMahan, guitaris ...

but also with 1980s alternative rock band the

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

Discography

Studio albums

*''Cannon'' (2008)

EPs

*''Soothsayer'' (2001)

Compilations

*''T Break 2002'' (2002) *''Gdansk'' (2003)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cannon on Myspace
Scottish post-rock groups Scottish indie rock groups Rock music groups from Glasgow Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 1999 establishments in Scotland