Justin Steven Welch (born 4 December 1972) is an English musician, best known as the drummer in

Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave musi ...

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, Textile, fabrics, Handbag, purses, furniture, and other items. Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and m ...

, and later the drummer in Lush. Welch is currently the drummer of

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

Biography

Welch moved to London in his late teens and studied at London's Drumtech drum school. He played drums in a number of bands in the early 1990s, including an early line-up of

(where he would first meet Justine Frischmann) and

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

. In 1996, Welch also formed the

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

supergroup Me Me Me with Blur bassist Alex James and The Lilac Time frontman

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter of Irish ancestry. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist, and then drummer of Duran Duran. He we ...

, who released one single "Hanging Around". Elastica split in 2001 and Welch moved to

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

where he taught drums in secondary and primary schools. In 2012, he was in a duo with friend and former EMF frontman James Atkin called 'Asbo Kid'. He also played drums for Brighton-based band Das Fenster. In 2013, Welch briefly re-united with Suede for several gigs to replace drummer Simon Gilbert who was unable to play due to contracting

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. It was announced, in September 2015, that Welch would play drums in the newly reformed Lush. On 21 January 2017, three-quarters of the original line-up of Elastica – Matthews, Annie Holland and Justin Welch – worked together on the remastering of ''Elastica''. In December 2017, the Elastica Facebook page announced that Welch featured on the debut single of a new British rock band called The Rockerati, "16 Tons". A post on Welch's personal Facebook page noted that the release had been receiving substantial radio airplay in the US. In 2022, Welch joined

as their new drummer playing festivals throughout that year and shows performing their seminal sophomore album '' Darklands''. Welch continues to perform live with the band on all forthcoming dates.

Personal life

He lives in

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origin ...

and is married to keyboardist Sharon Mew (known for playing in Elastica on the band's second album, and Heave), who is currently working as an artist.

Discography

Albums

* ''Spitfire'' (1994, by Spitfire) * ''Elastica'' (1995, by Elastica) * ''The Menace'' (2000, by Elastica) * ''Brickbat'' (2019, by Piroshka) * ''Love Drips and Gathers'' (2021, by Piroshka) * ''St Leopards'' (2022, by Aircooled)

Singles and EPs

* ''17'' (1997) Stephen Duffy * ''2 Tone Techno'' (2012, by The Asbo Kid) * ''Blind Spot'' (2016, by Lush) * "16 Tons" (2017, by The Rockerati)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Justin 1972 births Living people Entertainers from Nuneaton English rock drummers English male songwriters Elastica members Suede (band) members Britpop musicians 21st-century English drummers Me Me Me (band) members Lush (band) members