McAlmont & Butler are an English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

duo, comprising singer

David McAlmont David Irving McAlmont (born 2 May 1967) is an English vocalist, essayist and art historian. He came to prominence in the 1990s as a singer, particularly through his collaboration with Bernard Butler. In the 2010s he returned to academia, workin ...

and guitarist

Bernard Butler Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation; BBC journalist Mark Savage called him "one of Britain's most origina ...

History

Formed in 1994,

and

had already experienced individual success: Butler as the guitarist in

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 McAlmont as a solo singer as well as part of the duo

Thieves Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...

. The duo was formed after Butler met McAlmont at the Jazz Café in Camden. He presented the singer with the beginnings of the song "

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

", which was then an instrumental. The single, released in May 1995, was described as "a conceptual masterpiece" and the

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

likened to that of

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

. In support of "Yes", the duo appeared at London's Hanover Grand in May 1995 (supported by

Edwyn Collins Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in 1985, Collins started a so ...

) and on '' Later... With Jools Holland'' the following month. "Yes" reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart, and its success encouraged the duo to write and record more material. The follow-up single, " You Do", was released in October 1995. The same month, McAlmont was interviewed by the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' – apparently intoxicated – in which he highlighted how his and Butler's working relationship had deteriorated and they had little communication, as well as accusing Butler of homophobia; he later retracted his comments and issued Butler an apology. In November, '' The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler'' was released as a compilation of the group's recording sessions. The duo split following the release of the album; the split has been attributed to either McAlmont's ''NME'' interview or that from the outset the duo planned to have a limited duration.

Reformations

After pursuing solo careers for several years, the duo reunited in 2002 and released '' Bring It Back'' and two singles – "Falling" and "Bring It Back". The group toured in promotion of the album. Preparations for a third album were made, although negotiations with

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

fell through and the label dropped the band. Despite this, the song "Speed" – taken from the album sessions – was released by

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 ...

in 2006. In 2014, Butler organised two special shows as McAlmont & Butler in aid of the Bobath Centre, a

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treatment organisation. The performances were held at the Union Chapel and the

Assembly Hall An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the s ...

, both in Islington. The duo were supported by

The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers are an English alternative rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled '' The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follo ...

, and the shows received positive reviews; both ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' and the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' rating them four stars. In November 2015, the group headlined a UK tour.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Official McAlmont & Butler websiteOfficial David McAlmont websiteOfficial Bernard Butler website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAlmont and Butler English rock music groups English pop music duos British soul musical groups English male musical duos Rock music groups from London Neo soul singers Virgin Records artists