alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band formed in
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar),
Raymond McGinley
Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (Scottish musician), Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), al ...
(vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared lead vocals and songwriting duties until Love's departure in 2018. As of 2023, the band's lineup consists of Blake, McGinley,
Francis Macdonald
Francis Macdonald (born 11 September 1970) is a Scottish drummer, composer, and manager. He is the drummer with Teenage Fanclub, and the manager of Camera Obscura and The Vaselines. He also composes music for film and television, and released an ...
(drums, vocals), Dave McGowan (bass, vocals) and
Euros Childs
Euros Childs (; Welsh: ; born 16 April 1975) is a Welsh musician and songwriter, perhaps best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and—as of January 2019—the keyboardist for Teenage Fanclub. His sister, violinist Megan C ...
(keyboards, vocals).
In concert the band usually alternate among its songwriters, giving equal playing time to each one's songs. Although often pegged as alternative rock, the group have incorporated a wide variety of elements from various music styles.
Teenage Fanclub have had a succession of drummers, namely Francis Macdonald,
Brendan O'Hare
Brendan O'Hare (born 16 January 1970) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, primarily known for being the drummer in the rock band Teenage Fanclub from 1989 until early 1994, and a member of and collaborator with Mogwai.
Career
O'Hare ...
and Paul Quinn. Keyboardist Finlay Macdonald (no relation) has also been a member. As of 2023, the band have released 12 studio albums and two
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
s.
History
Teenage Fanclub emerged from the Glasgow
C86
''C86'' is a Audio cassette, cassette compilation released by the British music magazine ''NME'' in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, ''C86'' quickly evolved into shorthand for a g ...
scene. They formed following the break-up of The Boy Hairdressers, a band featuring Raymond McGinley, Norman Blake and Francis Macdonald. Following a brief period in which Blake was a member of BMX Bandits, the three former bandmates joined with Gerard Love to form Teenage Fanclub.
Originally a noisy and chaotic band, their first album '' A Catholic Education'', released in 1990 on Paperhouse, is largely atypical of their later sound, with the possible exception of ''Everything Flows''. Mostly written by Blake and McGinley, the record included several songs originally intended for The Boy Hairdressers. After recording his drum parts, Macdonald left the band to resume his university studies. They re-recorded several songs with Macdonald's replacement,
Brendan O'Hare
Brendan O'Hare (born 16 January 1970) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, primarily known for being the drummer in the rock band Teenage Fanclub from 1989 until early 1994, and a member of and collaborator with Mogwai.
Career
O'Hare ...
, because they weren't satisfied with the results of the original recording sessions, and because they wanted to involve O'Hare in the album.
The band followed the album with the EP ''God Knows It's True'' before being signed by
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 ...
. '' The King'', their next album, was a semi-improvised collection recorded in a single day. Originally intended to be a very limited release, the record received critical reviews of its self-confessed shambolic guitar thrashes and a cover of
Madonna's
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
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 the UK and Geffen in the US, brought Teenage Fanclub a measure of commercial success. ''Bandwagonesque'' was more deliberately constructed, the hooks became stronger, the guitar riffs were brought under control, and the harmony vocals took shape. ''Bandwagonesque'' topped ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles
* Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' magazine's 1991 end-of-year poll for best album, beating
Nirvana
Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
's ''
Nevermind
''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana (band), Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a Record label#Major versus independent record labels, major label an ...
Loveless
Loveless may refer to:
Comics and literature
* Loveless (comics), ''Loveless'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin, Danijel Zezelj, and Werther Dell'Edera
* Loveless (manga), ''Loveless'' (manga), a manga series by Y ...
'', and
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...
Thirteen
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number)
* Any of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, or 2013
Music Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ''13'' (Blur album), 1999
* ''13'' (Borgeous album), 2016
* ''13'' (Brian Setzer album), 2006
* ...
'', received mixed reviews on release. Brendan O'Hare left Teenage Fanclub during this period because of "musical differences", to be replaced by Paul Quinn (formerly of the
Soup Dragons
The Soup Dragons are a Scottish alternative rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Named after a character in the 1970s children's television series ''Clangers'', the group is best known for its cover of the Rolling Stones' song " I'm Fre ...
).
''
Grand Prix
( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to:
* Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition
** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship
*** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
'', Teenage Fanclub's fifth album, was both a critical and commercial success in the UK, becoming their first top ten album. In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
however the band failed to regain the ground that ''Thirteen'' had lost them. Around this time
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...
of labelmates
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentSongs from Northern Britain'' followed ''Grand Prix'' and built on the former's success. It became their highest-charting release in the UK and contained their biggest hit single to date, "Ain't That Enough".
The follow-up album, '' Howdy!'', released on
in the UK after the demise of Creation, continued the sound of ''Songs from Northern Britain''. Francis Macdonald rejoined as the drummer in place of Quinn, who left the band after recording his parts for ''Howdy!'' and before its release due to personal difficulties within the band . Quinn went on to form
The Primary 5
The Primary 5 was a Scottish pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed in 2003 by former Teenage Fanclub and Soup Dragons drummer Paul Quinn. The name referred to the band being the fifth that Quinn has played in. The band's first album ''North Po ...
.
In 2002, they released ''
Words of Wisdom and Hope
''Words of Wisdom and Hope'' is an album produced in collaboration between Glasgow, Scotland's Teenage Fanclub and Half Japanese frontman Jad Fair. It was released on 4 March 2002 on Domino's subsidiary label Geographic in Europe and on Alterna ...
'' with
Jad Fair
Jadwin B. Fair (born June 9, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, graphic artist, and founding member of lo-fi alternative rock group Half Japanese.
Biography
Fair was born in Coldwater, Michigan. In 1974, he and his brother David formed the ...
of
Half Japanese
Half Japanese is an American art punk band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair in 1974, after their family's relocation to Uniontown, Maryland.
Half Japanese' original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playin ...
.
Their final release on a
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
label, ''
Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds – A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub
''Four Thousand Seven Hundred And Sixty-Six Seconds - A Short Cut To Teenage Fanclub'' is a greatest hits album by Scottish people, Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released on 27 January 2003. The title refers to the album's tot ...
'', collected the Fanclub's best songs along with three new songs (one from each member).
Their next album, ''
Man-Made
Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity.
Connotati ...
'', was released on 2 May 2005, on the band's own ''PeMa'' label. ''Man-Made'' was recorded in Chicago in 2004, and produced by
John McEntire
John McEntire (born April 9, 1970) is an American recording engineer, producer, drummer, and multi-instrumentalist, based in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of both Tortoise and the Sea and Cake.
Early life
McEntire was born on April 9, 1970 ...
of
Tortoise
Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...
.
In 2006, the band held two special concerts (in London and Glasgow) playing their 1991 album '' Bandwagonesque'' in its entirety.
The band began work on their ninth album in August 2008, booking an initial three weeks at Leeders Farm recording studio in Norfolk. The album was called ''
Shadows
A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensiona ...
'', the first to involve keyboardist Dave McGowan as a full-time member, and was released on the band's own ''PeMa'' label. It became available in Europe, Australasia and Japan on 31 May 2010, and was released by
Merge Records
Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expand ...
in North America on 8 June 2010.
In May 2015, Teenage Fanclub supported the
Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
at a concert at
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known ...
.
Their tenth album, ''
Here
Here may refer to:
Music
* ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994
* ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016
* ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979
* ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012
* ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004
* ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...
'', was released on 9 September 2016.
The story of Teenage Fanclub's early days features in the 2017 documentary ''
Teenage Superstars
''Teenage Superstars'' is a 2017 film about the Glasgow independent music scene between 1982 and 1992, focusing on the bands that emerged from in and around the city at this point including The Pastels, BMX Bandits (band), BMX Bandits, The Soup Dr ...
''.
In August 2018, the band issued new versions of their five
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 ...
era albums which had been remastered at
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
. To celebrate the reissues, the band also announced Songs from Teenage Fanclub: The Creation Records Years, a four-city UK tour during late October to mid-November in which they would play three nights each in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London, with each night's setlist covering different periods of the Creation-era discography, and featuring former drummers Brendan O'Hare and Paul Quinn participating, in which both drummers would respectively perform the albums and B-sides they had originally recorded. These gigs would be Gerard Love's last with the group, as he separated from the band due to differences in opinion on their future touring plans, later revealed to be a reluctance to fly frequently around the world for live performances.
After Love's departure,
Euros Childs
Euros Childs (; Welsh: ; born 16 April 1975) is a Welsh musician and songwriter, perhaps best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and—as of January 2019—the keyboardist for Teenage Fanclub. His sister, violinist Megan C ...
joined the band on keyboards and vocals, with Dave McGowan switching over to bass and vocals. A new album with this line-up, titled '' Endless Arcade'', was recorded in early and late 2019. It was originally planned for release in October 2020 to coincide with a UK and Europe tour the following November and December. However, the tour was rescheduled for April and May 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, and the album's release date would eventually be set for 5 March 2021. The album release date and tour would end up being rescheduled once again, with ''Endless Arcade'' coming out on 30 April 2021 and the tour dates postponed to September 2021 and April and May 2022.
On 23 May 2023, Teenage Fanclub announced the September release of their twelfth album '' Nothing Lasts Forever''.
Jonny
Jonny is a masculine given name, and pet name, in the English language. A pet form of Jon, the natural diminutive of given name Jonathan, in some cases it can also mean a condom. A variant form of ''Jonny'' is ''Jonnie''.
People with the name
* ...
with
Euros Childs
Euros Childs (; Welsh: ; born 16 April 1975) is a Welsh musician and songwriter, perhaps best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and—as of January 2019—the keyboardist for Teenage Fanclub. His sister, violinist Megan C ...
. In 2012, Blake also formed a Canadian-based supergroup with
Joe Pernice
Joseph T. Pernice (born July 17, 1967) is an American indie rock musician and writer, who has fronted several bands, including the Scud Mountain Boys, Chappaquiddick Skyline, The New Mendicants and the Pernice Brothers.
Early life
Pernice wa ...
Snowgoose
Snowgoose is a Scottish, Glasgow-based folk rock band. The band was formed as a three-piece with Jim McCulloch (formerly of The Soup Dragons and BMX Bandits) on guitar, Dave McGowan on bass and Anna Sheard on vocals. Raymond McGinley (guitar, ...
, whose debut album ''Harmony Springs'' was released in 2012.
After playing bass on Jonny's 2011 eponymous debut album, Dave McGowan became
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 ...
's touring bassist in 2011, and appeared on their 2015 album '' Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance''. On 3 November 2018, he became an official member of the band.
Gerard Love released his solo album ''Electric Cables'' in 2012 using the alias Lightships. The album also featured instrumental contributions from Dave McGowan and former Teenage Fanclub drummer Brendan O'Hare.
Francis Macdonald released an album of minimalist classical music, ''Music for String Quartet, Piano & Celeste'', in 2015. Macdonald played piano and celeste, with strings by members of the Scottish Ensemble.
Paul Quinn released 3 self composed albums. North Pole on his own Bellbeat Music label. Go! Released on Re-Action Recordings and High 5. Quinn released a digital only release of Demos before deciding to call time on The Primary 5
Musical style and legacy
Their sound is reminiscent of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
n bands like
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
and
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
, and their seventies counterparts Big Star. Teenage Fanclub are influenced by
Big Star
Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ...
and
Orange Juice
Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange (fruit), orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As ...
. They performed a cover of Orange Juice's " Rip It Up" with
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 ...
. In December 2010, at the ATP Bowlie 2 music festival, they performed as the backing band for Edwyn Collins.
Their musical style has been described as
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...
,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
,
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
,
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 ...
,
noise pop
Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegaz ...
,
pop-punk
Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
, and
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
(early).
Teenage Fanclub were regularly name-checked in interviews by
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
, who described them as "the best band in the world". The band would support Nirvana on tour in the summer of 1992.
Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area. She was formerly a member of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. Hatfield also fronted her own band, The Ju ...
Thirteen
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number)
* Any of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, or 2013
Music Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ''13'' (Blur album), 1999
* ''13'' (Borgeous album), 2016
* ''13'' (Brian Setzer album), 2006
* ...
'' (1993)
*''
Grand Prix
( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to:
* Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition
** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship
*** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
Words of Wisdom and Hope
''Words of Wisdom and Hope'' is an album produced in collaboration between Glasgow, Scotland's Teenage Fanclub and Half Japanese frontman Jad Fair. It was released on 4 March 2002 on Domino's subsidiary label Geographic in Europe and on Alterna ...
'' with Jad Fair (2002)
*''
Man-Made
Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity.
Connotati ...
'' (2005)
*''
Shadows
A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensiona ...
'' (2010)
*''
Here
Here may refer to:
Music
* ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994
* ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016
* ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979
* ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012
* ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004
* ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...