Felt were an English

jangle pop Jangle pop is a Music subgenre, subgenre of pop rock and college rock that emphasizes jangle, jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop music, pop melodies. The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering and Arpeggio, arpeggiated ...

band, formed in 1979 in Water Orton,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, and led by the mononymous Lawrence. They were active for ten years through the 1980s, releasing ten singles and ten albums, although none reached the UK singles chart or albums chart. The band's name was inspired by

Tom Verlaine Thomas Joseph Miller (December 13, 1949 – January 28, 2023), known professionally as Tom Verlaine, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was ...

's emphasis of the word "felt" in the

Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

song "

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

History

Formation

Lawrence founded the band in 1979 with the release of the single "Index", a self-published solo recording. A noisy effort unlike Felt's subsequent records, it was later awarded single of the week by Dave McCullough in music newspaper '' Sounds''. With Lawrence initially on vocals and guitar, they formed properly in 1980 with the addition of schoolfriend Nick Gilbert on drums and local guitarist Maurice Deebank. Becoming co-writer with Lawrence, Deebank's jangly, classical-influenced style of playing would provide the band's signature sound in its early years. The band performed as a trio before deciding that bass guitar was needed. Gilbert switched to bass and drummer Tony Race was added. He was replaced soon after by Gary Ainge who would remain the only constant member besides Lawrence throughout the rest of Felt's existence, as well as the only member to play on all ten of their albums.

Signing

Felt signed to

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

and their first single as a band, "Something Sends Me to Sleep", was released in 1981. Their first album, '' Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty'', followed the next year. Exhausted by Lawrence's domineering nature during the album's sessions, Gilbert left and was replaced on bass by Mick Lloyd. Deebank would also take a sabbatical, recording a solo instrumental record ''Inner Thought Zone'', before being coaxed by Lawrence to return to work on the band's second album, '' The Splendour of Fear''. This lineup would then remain unchanged through their third album '' The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories'', which took a more pop-orientated direction than the lengthy, ambient guitar workouts of its' predecessors. In 1982, the Felt song "My Face Is on Fire" appeared on the best-selling ''

Pillows & Prayers ''Pillows & Prayers'' (subtitled ''Cherry Red 1982-1983'') is a compilation album released at Christmas 1982, featuring artists on the Cherry Red record label. The record was originally sold at 99 pence (in fact, "pay no more than 99p" was print ...

'' compilation. In 1985, for the recording of their fourth album, keyboard player Martin Duffy was added and Marco Thomas became bassist. '' Ignite the Seven Cannons'' was produced by Robin Guthrie of 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 ...

and featured

Elizabeth Fraser Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963) is a Scottish singer. She was the vocalist for the band Cocteau Twins, who achieved success in the UK from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Their studio albums '' Victorialand'' (1986) and '' H ...

on the single "Primitive Painters". The song reached the top of the UK independent singles chart. Deebank departed for good soon after, prompting a shift in Felt's sound with Duffy's keyboards becoming more central. The lead guitar position would subsequently be filled by an ever-changing succession of players. The band moved to

Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...

in 1986 and released '' Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death'', the first of two instrumental albums they would record. Their next album, '' Forever Breathes the Lonely Word'', was a conventional collection of songs that gained the band praise and would become regarded by many as their best, though a full breakthrough continued to elude them. '' Poem of the River'' followed in 1987, which took a much more low-key, intimate approach, at times recalling the sound of Felt's first two albums. In 1988, Felt released '' The Pictorial Jackson Review'', which saw the band become more experimental, with one side devoted to tight, melodic pop songs and the other consisting of two solo piano pieces from Duffy. The second release of that year was the polarising '' Train Above the City'', which saw Lawrence take on more of a directing role in the studio, guiding Duffy and Ainge full through a collection of

cool jazz Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music inspired by bebop and big band that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and a lighter tone than that used in the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz of ...

-influenced instrumentals.

Break up and later

In 1989, Lawrence declared it had been his intention all along to release ten singles and ten albums in ten years and, having done so, announced the end of Felt. After releasing their last album, '' Me and a Monkey on the Moon'', which embraced a lusher, more multi-layered sound alongside a more personal lyrical bent from Lawrence, and undertaking a short tour, the band split up. Lawrence went on to form

Denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...

and later, Go Kart Mozart and Mozart Estate. Duffy joined

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 ...

. Ainge would later play with

Vic Godard Vic Godard (born Victor John Napper) is an English singer-songwriter formerly of the punk group Subway Sect. He is now also a solo performer, while continuing to appear with various incarnations of Subway Sect. Biography Born Victor John Nappe ...

. Mick Lloyd died in 2016. Subsequent bass player Mick Bund died in 2017. Martin Duffy died in 2022. In 2018, Cherry Red reissued all ten Felt albums on CD and vinyl, with new mixes of songs plus revised tracklistings and packaging.

Legacy

Lawrence has said that he believes the band could have been more successful. According to Lawrence, "The reason Felt didn't make it is because

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

didn't like us." Felt have been cited as an influence by Stuart Murdoch of

Belle and 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 ...

, Tim Burgess of the Charlatans,

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...

, Girls, and

the Tyde The Tyde are an American indie rock group. Tracing their roots to early 1990s LA indie band Further, formed by Darren Rademaker and brother Brent. The Tyde cite Felt, the Beach Boys and the Byrds as major influences. They are not to be confused ...

Members

* Lawrence – vocals, guitars (1979–1989) * Maurice Deebank – guitars (1980–1981, 1983-1985) *Nick Gilbert – bass, drums (1980–1981) *Tony Race – drums (1980–1981) *Gary Ainge – drums, percussion (1981–1989) * Martin Duffy – keyboards (1985–1989; died 2022) *Mick Lloyd – bass (1982–1984; died 2016) *Marco Thomas – bass, guitars (1985–1987) * Phil King – bass (1986–1987) *Mick Bund – bass (1988; died 2017) ;Timeline

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Discography

*'' Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty'' (1982) *'' The Splendour of Fear'' (1984) *'' The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories'' (1984) *'' Ignite the Seven Cannons'' (1985) *'' Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death'' (1986) *'' Forever Breathes the Lonely Word'' (1986) *'' Poem of the River'' (1987) *'' The Pictorial Jackson Review'' (1988) *'' Train Above the City'' (1988) *'' Me and a Monkey on the Moon'' (1989)