Audience (band)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2016) |
Audience | |
---|---|
Origin | |
Members | Howard Werth Trevor Williams Simon Jeffrey |
Past members | Tony Connor Keith Gemmell Nick Judd Pat Charles Neuberg John Fisher |
Website | audienceareback |
Audience was a cult British art rock band which existed from 1969 until 1972 and then from 2004 until 2013.
The original band consisted of
Formation
Audience had its roots in a semi-professional soul band named 'Lloyd Alexander Real Estate', which had included all the Audience members except Connor, who had unsuccessfully auditioned for the earlier band when John Richardson left to form The Rubettes. However, when Werth, Williams, and Gemmell decided to form their new band, they thought of Connor. The 'Lloyd Alexander Real Estate' issued one 45rpm single on President PT157 in 1967 "Gonna Live Again"/"Watcha' Gonna Do (When Your Baby Leaves You)", a Mod R&B record.
Within weeks of starting rehearsals, Audience had acquired management, a publishing contract, a residency at
By the end of the year, the band was drawing public and journalistic acclaim for their songs, arrangements, and stage act. They had also been commissioned to write the score for Bronco Bullfrog, an East End skinhead film directed by Barney Platts-Mills, which established a genre subsequently taken up by Mike Leigh.
Recordings
After the debut album issued on Polydor,
Their first two albums were not issued in the U.S. Elektra signed them up and their final two albums were issued in the U.S.
Dudgeon's first 45 rpm production for the band, "Indian Summer", took them into the lower reaches of the U.S. charts, but by this time they were exhausted and fractious, having worked virtually non-stop for three years. A U.S. tour with
The unfinished Lunch album was completed with the help of The Rolling Stones brass section, Jim Price and Bobby Keys, following which they went straight back on the road with new members Nick Judd on keyboards and Pat Charles Neuberg on alto and soprano saxophone.
Break-up
The band never recovered from Gemmell's departure; and Williams, the band's main lyricist, resigned eight months later. When Judd received an offer to join Juicy Lucy shortly thereafter, the band folded. Judd later went on to join Alan Bown, The Andy Fraser Band, Brian Eno, Frankie Miller and Sharks, most recently emerging in a Madness spin-off band.
By this time, Keith Gemmell had joined
Howard Werth was working on his first solo album at this time, still with Charisma and produced by Dudgeon. Called King Brilliant, his band, containing members of
Trevor Williams joined 1960s hitmakers
Tony Connor also ended up with Mickie Most. After a stint with
Reunions
Despite a few minor projects together, the original Audience band members were not to re-emerge as a working entity until 32 years after their dissolution. In 2004, Howard Werth, Keith Gemmell and Trevor Williams performed in Germany, Italy, Canada and the UK, replacing Tony Connor (who remained committed to Hot Chocolate) with drummer/vocalist John Fisher (born 8 December 1960, Buxton, Derbyshire - died 27 September 2008) and recording a live album alive&kickin'&screamin'&shoutin' for Eclectic Records. During this period, Gemmell released two solo albums, The Windhover, inspired by a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Unsafe Sax, a tribute to his early '60s soul roots.
Following the death of John Fisher from
Keith Gemmell died from tongue cancer on 24 July 2016.[1]
Personnel
- Howard Werth - guitars, vocals (1969-1972, 2004-2013)
- Trevor Williams - bass guitar, vocals, accordion (1969-1972, 2004-2013)
- Tony Connor - drums, piano, vocals (1969-1972)
- Keith Gemmell - saxophones, flute, clarinet (1969-1972, 2004-2013; died 2016)
- Nick Judd - keyboards (1972)
- Pat Charles Neuberg - saxophones (1972)
- John Fisher - drums, vocals (2004-2008; his death)
- Simon Jeffrey - drums, vocals (2008-2013)
Discography
Studio albums
- 1969 Audience
- 1970 Friend's Friend's Friend
- 1971 The House on the Hill
- 1972 Lunch
Compilations
- You Can't Beat 'Em (Charisma), 1973) (The LP cover spine suggests this title, but it appears nowhere else)
- Unchained (Charisma/Virgin, 1992)
Live album
- Alive & Kickin' & Screamin' & Shoutin' (Eclectic Discs, 2005)
Singles
- 1970 : "Belladonna Moonshine"/"The Big Spell"
- 1971 : "Indian Summer"/"It Brings a Tear"/"Priestess" (#74 on the Billboard Hot 100)[2]
- 1971 : "You're Not Smiling"/"Eye to Eye"
- 1972 : "Stand by the Door"/"Thunder and Lightnin'"
References
- ^ Beany. "Farewell Keith Gemmell". Theafterword.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- AllMusic
Bibliography
- The New Musical Express Book of Rock, 1975, Star Books, ISBN 0-352-30074-4
External links
- Audience at AllMusic
- Official website
- Audience fansite
- Audience discography at Discogs