Feeder

Feeder biography

Feeder are an alternative rock band, formed in Newport, Wales in 1991. Feeder's original line-up consisted of vocalist and guitarist Grant Nicholas, drummer Jon Lee and bass player Taka Hirose. By 1995 they released their debut EP Two Colours and a second EP titled Swim, which was followed by their 1997 debut album Polythene, after being met with critical acclaim and made the UK Top 75. Their second album, Yesterday Went Too Soon (1999), again found favour with critics and reached number eight in the UK. The band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in 2001, as they scored a UK Top 5 and South Africa airplay number one hit with the single "Buck Rogers", and the attendant album Echo Park (2001), which reached number five in the UK. Their next release, Comfort in Sound (2002) was released nine months after Jon Lee committed suicide in his Miami home in January 2002, it spawned the hit singles "Come Back Around", their second top 10 single "Just the Way I'm Feeling", "Forget About Tomorrow" and "Find the Colour". The album was recorded with then former Skunk Anansie drummer Mark Richardson, before charting at number six. Two more studio albums were released being Pushing the Senses (2005), which reached number two and spawned four hit singles including their third UK top 10 "Tumble and Fall", before Silent Cry (2008) charted at number eight, later becoming their last album recorded with Mark Richardson as he would return to a reformed Skunk Anansie in 2009. After the release of Pushing the Senses, The Singles reached number two in 2006, which was also their first album that gained major mainstream chart success outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland, when it charted at #37 in the Japanese album chart.

After The Echo Label ceased trading, Feeder later started up Big Teeth Music. Karl Brazil formed part of their side-project Renegades after joining Feeder as a session musician in 2009. Feeder are officially now a duo using session drummers live and in the studio, with former Mexicolas drummer Tim Trotter and Australian Damon Wilson also lending their duties to the band. Their seventh studio album Renegades (2010), peaked at number 16 on the albums chart. This will be followed up in 2012 with their eighth studio album Generation Freakshow.

Although not as commercially successful as many of their contemporaries, albeit with a greater number of chart entries, Feeder are one of the most charted singles chart acts in the United Kingdom, appearing in the top 40 with twenty different singles. In terms of public response, the band have also been praised for their live performances, which landed them a headlining slot at the first day of the Download Festival in 2005, one of the United Kingdom's most high-profile music festivals.

History

Formation (1991-1994)

At the age of 14, singer and guitarist Grant Nicholas joined a band called 'Sweet Leaf', named after a Black Sabbath song, who were the first band he had seen play live. At this time Japanese bassist Taka Hirose and drummer Jon Lee were playing in different covers bands, but did not know each other at the time. Both of these bands failed to win a recording contract, with the sound of the latter once being compared by Grant with that of The Waterboys.

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