The Weather Prophets were a British

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

band formed in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1986 after the break-up of The Loft. After two studio albums, the band split up, with singer Peter Astor going on to a solo career.

History

Following the breakup of The Loft, Peter Astor (vocals, guitar) and Dave Morgan (drums) formed The Weather Prophets (named after a line in the opening paragraph of

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

's ''

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted tow ...

'') in 1986.Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Weather Prophets", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, An early incarnation saw

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 ...

head-honcho

Alan McGee Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for ''The Guardian''. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, ...

playing bass, but he soon reverted to manager as new members David Greenwood Goulding (bass) and Oisin Little (guitar) were recruited to complete the line up.
The debut single, "Almost Prayed" (Creation, 1986), seemed to carry on where The Loft had left off; consequently both interest and critical approval were high for the record, and a second single was issued on Creation that same year. After a German mini-album, for the release of their debut album proper, McGee had successfully managed to sign the band to Elevation Records - the WEA subsidiary with which he was associated. Expectations were high when the

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper M ...

-produced ''Mayflower'' appeared in 1987, but the album was greeted with a mixed response by the critics and the band were eventually dropped from the label. All was not lost, however, as they eventually returned to Creation for a further album, ''Judges, Juries and Horsemen'' in 1988. By this time, Oisin Little had departed, and interest in the band had waned. A final single, "Always the Light", was issued before the band decided to split up.

After the split

Following the split, Peter Astor embarked upon a solo career, and later recorded as Wisdom of Harry and Ellis Island Sound, while the two remaining members joined

The Rockingbirds The Rockingbirds are a British country rock band, formed in London in 1990. They disbanded in 1995, but reformed in 2008 for the Heavenly Records 18th-anniversary shows. They began to tour again in spring 2009 and played the 2009 Glastonbury fe ...

. An odds 'n' ends compilation, ''Temperance Hotel'', was released by Creation in 1989, with 87 Live'' appearing in 1991. ''Blue Skies & Freerides – The Best of 1986-1989'' was issued by Cherry Red in 2004.

Discography

Studio albums

*''Diesel River'' (Creation/Rough Trade, 1986 - German Import) *''Mayflower'' (Elevation, 1987) (UK #67)The Weather Prophets
Chart Stats *''Judges, Juries and Horsemen'' (Creation, 1988)

Compilation albums

*''Temperance Hotel'' (Creation, 1989) *''Blue Skies & Freerides – The Best of 1986-1989'' (Cherry Red, 2004)

Live albums

*87 Live'' (Creation, 1991)

Singles

*"Almost Prayed" (Creation, 1986) *"Naked As the Day You Were Born" (Creation, 1986) *"She Comes from the Rain" (Elevation, 1987) (UK #62) *"Why Does the Rain" (Elevation, 1987) *"Hollow Heart" (Creation, 1988) *"Always the Light" (Creation, 1988)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weather Prophets British indie pop groups Jangle pop groups Musical groups from London Weather Prophets, The