Gay Dad

Gay Dad were an English rock band that formed in London in 1994 and broke up in 2002. The line-up of the band has included Cliff Jones (guitarist/vocalist), Nick "Baz" Crowe (drummer), James Riseboro (keyboardist), Nigel Hoyle (bassist) and Charley Stone.

Musical career

Early history

Gay Dad were formed in 1994 by former ''Mojo'' and '' The Face'' journalist Cliff Jones and art magazine publisher Nick Crowe (drums), along with friends they had known in Berkshire as teenagers, Dominic S (vocals), Tim Forster (keyboards), and bassist Nigel Hoyle, who had originally played in a band called Brutus with S a year or two earlier. Jones, S, Forster and Crowe had played together in various incarnations of what was to become Gay Dad ten years previously, such as The Timothy and the Astral Projection Society. Known recordings include the track 'Freaking out in Sunninghill Sky St' (sic) which was made available as a limited edition cassette in the late 1980s.

The first Gay Dad demo was produced by Jim Irvin, (the writer and former frontman of Furniture) and funded by the Rolling Stones' former record producer and manager, Andrew Loog Oldham along with his original business partner in the Immediate label, Tony Calder. Jones had met with Calder and Oldham who were convinced by a performance at the band's rehearsal room to sign the band.

Gay Dad went on to make their live debut in 1995 at the Orange Club in West Kensington.

Following a band reshuffle, Crowe invited fellow Liverpool University graduate, James Riseboro, to play keyboards, and the band recorded three new tracks at Raezor Studio, Wandsworth, during the autumn of 1996 including a song called " To Earth with Love". Although it was only intended to win them some live dates, the demo attracted keen record label interest from Island, Chrysalis, Mercury, EMI and others. These included London, to whom they signed in December 1997.

"To Earth with Love" (1998)

With Charley Stone (formerly of Salad) joining as a live guitarist to add some of the overdubbed guitar parts from their multi-layered sound, they toured the UK in early 1998, before starting recording sessions at RAK Studios in Regents Park with the record producer Tony Visconti and engineer Mark Frith who had co-produced the demos that got the band signed. Visconti co-produced (with the band and Frith) the track " To Earth with Love," before he was sacked. The album sessions relocated to The Dairy studio in Brixton with producers/sound engineers Gary Langan (ex-Art of Noise) and Chris Hughes. Meanwhile, test pressings of the first single, made for the label bosses and marketing team at London, found their way to DJ Mark Radcliffe, then presenting on BBC Radio 1. They began to play the test pressings and London had to plan a rush release.

The band were the first act ever to play ''Top of the Pops'' without having a record out. They also performed on ''TFI Friday'' and '' CD:UK.''

The band generated a huge amount of interest from the media, and Gay Dad were hailed as the "saviours" of British rock by magazines such as '' Select'' and ''Melody Maker.'' Some critics claimed that the over-the-top hype was an example of nepotism in the industry at the time, as band leader Cliff Jones had only recently stopped working in the music press himself. The band appeared on the covers of both ''Melody Maker'' and the ''NME,'' as well as that of ''Select''.

"To Earth with Love" was finally released as the band's debut single in January 1999. It entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 10. In an interview in March 2001 with Channel Fly, Jones stated that despite the critical success of their album and commercial success of their debut single, he would never want to re-live 1999 ever again claiming he would "rather live in a cave in Spain."

''Leisure Noise'' period (1999–2000)

Gay Dad's debut album '' Leisure Noise'', co-produced by Chris Hughes and Mark Frith, was released in June 1999. Despite initial good reviews it only made No. 14, although American sales topped 25,000. The band performed in June at the Glastonbury Festival. and in July they supported the Stereophonics in Morfa Stadium, Swansea.

The second single "Joy!" reached No. 22 in the UK, but the third single from the album, "Oh Jim", only made No. 47. Disappointing reviews for some of their live shows started a general media backlash. Jones was criticized for his pretentious statements, and the band's whole authenticity was questioned due to his connections with the music press. After a U.S. tour Stone left the band and was on the verge of being replaced by Andy Bell (who had previously been guitarist with Ride and had seen the band play a sell out show in Stockholm. Liam Gallagher heard of Bell's plan and asked him to join Oasis

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