The Bluetones
The Bluetones | |
|---|---|
 The Bluetones in Bangkok, Thailand in 1996 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Hounslow, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1993–2011, 2015–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members | Mark Morriss Adam Devlin Scott Morriss Eds Chesters |
| Past members | Richard Payne |
| Website | bluetones |
The Bluetones are an English indie rock band formed in Hounslow, Greater London in 1993. The band's members are Mark Morriss (vocals), Adam Devlin (guitar), Mark's younger brother Scott Morriss (bass guitar), and Eds Chesters (drums). A fifth member, Richard Payne (keys) came on board between 1998 and 2002 although still regularly tours with the band. Before their official formation, all members excluding Chesters were originally in a group called the Bottlegarden.[1]
The band has scored thirteen Top 40 singles and three top 10 albums on the UK charts.[2] Although their commercial success waned in the post-Britpop era,[3] they continued to tour and release new records. Their most recent album, Atlas was released in May 2026,[4] almost sixteen years after their previous album, A New Athens released in May 2010.
Formation
[edit]In 1989, after going to see a Stone Roses concert at the ICA with a friend and an acquaintance, Mark Morriss was asked if he wanted to join the Bottlegarden, since he played rhythm guitar and they were looking for a guitarist.[5] After a couple of rehearsals, he decided to bring his brother along as a bassist and placeholder at first but later officially joined since he was improving fast, making them a five-piece. They started playing venues in 1990, mainly around Hounslow, and the other guitarist, Luke, left to go to university around this time.[6]
Around this time, Morriss moved from home into a shared house with members from Dodgy,[7] also meeting Devlin who was in a local band called A Perfect Mess,[5] which he later left to join the Bottlegarden. The founding member Robin, who was the singer, left soon after he joined. Since it was not their band, the four disbanded and reformed as the Bluetones. Morriss in this time experimented with singing, and the drummer, Greg, also left just as they started, not thinking they were making any progress with it. The three then settled, writing and demoing songs together without the drums.[6][8]
They were introduced to Chesters, who was working with Soho at the time, by Dodgy's drummer, Matthew Priest at The Dodgy Club since they needed a replacement drummer. One weekend, he came round to the garage they had been rehearsing in and listened to the first song they had demoed, "A Parting Gesture", and decided to join them after this, having doubts about the age gap and music style between him and Soho.[6][9] Devlin said in 2015 that Chesters "just clicked seamlessly."[10]
History
[edit]After the release of two singles on Fierce Panda Records, the band signed to A&M Records and released Expecting to Fly in 1996 on their own sublabel Superior Quality Recordings.[11] It was named after a Buffalo Springfield single,[12] one of their biggest influences.[13] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, and featured the singles "Bluetonic", "Slight Return" and "Cut Some Rug". with the latter reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.[14] "Cut Some Rug" was released as a double A-side single, partnered with "Castle Rock". It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in March 1998 for sales of 300,000, as well as 82,000 on first-week sales.[15] Following the touring and promotional duties for the album, the band released stand-alone single "Marblehead Johnson" in September 1996 to bridge the gap between albums.[11]
Their second album, Return to the Last Chance Saloon, was released in 1998. While failing to repeat the commercial success of their debut,[16] it reached the top 10 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned the hit singles "Solomon Bites the Worm" and "If...".[17]
In 2000, the Bluetones signed to Mercury Records owned by Universal Music Group, although did not receive the treatment they expected,[18][19] after A&M were sold to a new company,[20][21] and released their third album, Science & Nature, which again reached the top 10 and featured the hit singles "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Car)".[22]
After a relatively praised greatest hits compilation in 2002,[23] the band released their fourth studio album Luxembourg, primarily under Superior Quality after leaving Mercury,[18] to mixed reviews in 2003.[24] It featured the double A-side single "Fast Boy/Liquid Lips" and "Never Going Nowhere" which both charted in the Top 40.
A three-album deal was signed in late 2005 with the Cooking Vinyl record label, promptly followed by the limited release of EP Serenity Now and a full UK tour.[25][26]
In early 2006, Universal issued a comprehensive box set of all Bluetones singles, B-sides and additional bonus tracks released between 1995 and 2003, entitled A Rough Outline: The Singles & B-sides 95 - 03.[26][27]
The single "My Neighbour's House" was released in the UK on 18 September 2006, and was taken from their self-titled album, which was released in October that year. It failed to chart on the UK Albums Chart after its first week on sale. The album was also released in the US, the first such occurrence since their debut. Although no reason was cited at first, on 1 October 2006, it was announced that a planned nine-date tour of North America, Japan and Australia had been scrapped.[28] However, on 1 November 2006, the band began a month-long tour of Europe in support of their new release, including two sold-out nights at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.
It was later revealed that in September 2006, the band's former tour manager they had since 1994 robbed them of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Since he declared himself bankrupt, he faced no issues. The band found out after receiving an email the day before they were set to do their nine-date tour. It was cancelled since no money for the flights or hotels had been funded.[29]
In February 2007, the band released the compilation BBC Radio Sessions containing tracks recorded for BBC sessions between 1994 and 2000.[30] This was followed in June with their first full live album, Once Upon a Time in West Twelve, recorded at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in West London on 18 November 2005,[31] and was followed on 29 October 2007, by a live DVD of the same concert under the title Beat about the Bush. 2007 also saw the release of a compilation album of early demo recordings, entitled The Early Garage Years. They also released a DVD under the title Blue Movies, which included their first fifteen promotional music videos with exclusive band commentary and additional commentary from Edgar Wright for the videos he directed, and various Top of the Pops performance archives.
In January 2008, the band began a mini-tour of Scotland, playing five cities (Stirling, Dunfermline, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh) in as many nights.[28] In May 2008, a ten-date tour covered Cambridge, Whitehaven, Sheffield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Birmingham, London, Bristol, Manchester and Darwen, including one of the last few concerts at the Astoria. They also played a gig with Dodgy on 17 May 2009, at a secret London venue, to benefit the homelessness charity Crisis, as part of the charity's 'Hidden Gigs' campaign against hidden homelessness.[32]
In December 2008, the band embarked on a five-date tour, taking place in Lincoln, Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham. The tour saw them playing their debut album, Expecting to Fly, in full. Some further dates were subsequently announced for February and March 2009.[33] This followed another DVD release by CIA Recordings in May, Expecting to Fly Live, produced and directed by Alan Miles. It featured a recording of them playing the album in full at the Astoria on 18 May as one of the last acts to perform before the venue shut down.[34]
On 31 May 2010, the band released a new album through CIA entitled A New Athens. Despite moderate praise,[35] the album failed to appear on the UK Albums Chart.
On 28 March 2011, the band announced they would split after a farewell tour in the following autumn.[36]
On 17 January 2013, Morriss, Devlin and Chesters played a one-off solo show at the Queen of Hoxton as part of Morriss' Pledge campaign which helped fund the production of his second solo studio album, A Flash of Darkness.[37][38]
On 13 April 2015, the band announced that they would reform for a new UK tour, which coincided with the forthcoming twentieth anniversary of Expecting to Fly's release.[39]
In summer 2017, they co-headlined the Star Shaped Festival tour run by the popular Britpop club of the same name alongside the newly reformed Sleeper. This took place in Birmingham, London, Manchester and Glasgow in July and August 2017.
On 6 August 2021, the band released a six-CD box set compilation of all of their releases on Superior Quality from 1994 to 2002 on Edsel Records as well as featuring three previously unreleased demo recordings. Its exclusive release included signed copies and five badges.[40] A year after, on 12 August 2022, they released a follow-up four-cd box set compilation of their releases from 2003 to 2010, featuring two unreleased tracks.[41]
On 1 May 2026, the band realeased their first album in almost sixteen years entitled Atlas.[7] It was released on their independent label,[42] Brainhole Records and featured all nine tracks from three previous EP releases from 2024-2025 along with a bonus track.[43] Although it failed to chart the UK Albums Chart, it reached number 20 on the Scottish Albums Chart.[44]
Discography
[edit]| The Bluetones discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 7 |
| EPs | 6 |
| Live albums | 2 |
| Compilation albums | 8 |
| Singles | 26 |
| B-sides | 38 |
| Video albums | 4 |
| Music videos | 19 |
The discography of the Bluetones, an English indie rock band, consists of seven studio albums, eight compilation albums, two live album, six extended plays, twenty singles and four video releases.
Studio albums
[edit]| Year | Album details | Chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [45][46] |
SCO | AUS [48] | |||
| 1996 | Expecting to Fly
|
1 | 1 | 44 | |
| 1998 | Return to the Last Chance Saloon
|
10 | 8 | – | |
| 2000 | Science & Nature
|
7 | 8 | – | |
| 2003 | Luxembourg
|
49 | 51 | – | |
| 2006 | The Bluetones
|
100 | 91 | – | |
| 2010 | A New Athens
|
– | – | – | |
| 2026 | Atlas
|
– | 20 | – | |
Live albums
[edit]- Once Upon a Time in West Twelve (2007)[50]
- Bluetonic (2017) (reissue of Once Upon a Time in West Twelve)
Compilation albums
[edit]| Year | Album details | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [45] | ||
| 2000 | Are You Blind?
|
– |
| 2002 | The Singles
|
14[46] |
| 2006 | A Rough Outline: The Singles & B-sides 95 - 03
|
156[51] |
| 2007 | BBC Radio Sessions
|
164[51] |
The Early Garage Years
|
– | |
| 2008 | Collection
|
– |
| 2021 | Superior Quality Recordings 1994-2002
|
– |
| 2022 | Superior Quality Recordings 2003-2010
|
– |
Extended plays
[edit]- A Bluetones Companion (1995, Japan only)
- Mudslide EP (2000)
- Serenity Now (2005, mail-order-only release)
- Drive Thru EP (2024)
- In The Cut EP (2025)
- London Weekend Television EP (2025)
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [45][46][51] |
AUS [48] |
IRL [52] | |||
| 1995 | "Slight Return" (limited edition 7") | – | – | – | Expecting to Fly |
| "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" | 31 | – | – | — | |
| "Bluetonic" | 19 | – | – | Expecting to Fly | |
| 1996 | "Slight Return" (reissue) | 2 | 60 | 15 | |
| "Cut Some Rug" | 7 | – | – | ||
| "Castle Rock" | — | ||||
| "Marblehead Johnson" | 7 | ||||
| 1998 | "Solomon Bites the Worm" | 10 | – | – | Return to the Last Chance Saloon |
| "If..." | 13 | – | – | ||
| "Sleazy Bed Track" | 35 | – | – | ||
| "4-Day Weekend" (mail-order-only release) | – | – | – | ||
| 2000 | "Keep the Home Fires Burning" | 13 | – | – | Science & Nature |
| "Autophilia (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Car)" | 18 | – | – | ||
| 2002 | "After Hours" | 26 | – | – | The Singles |
| 2003 | "Fast Boy/Liquid Lips" | 25 | – | – | Luxembourg |
| "Never Going Nowhere" | 40 | – | – | ||
| 2006 | "My Neighbour's House" | 68 | – | – | The Bluetones |
| "Head on a Spike" | 135 | – | – | ||
| 2007 | "Surrendered" | – | – | – | |
| 2010 | "Carry Me Home" | – | – | – | A New Athens |
| "Golden Soul" | – | – | – | ||
| 2022 | "Move Closer" | – | – | – | — |
| "I Like to Lie" | – | – | – | A New Athens | |
| 2024 | "Drive Thru" | – | – | – | Drive Thru EP |
| 2025 | "In The Cut" | – | – | – | In The Cut EP |
| "London Weekend Television" | – | – | – | London Weekend Television EP | |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" | Thomas Napper |
| "Bluetonic" | Dom & Nic | |
| 1996 | "Slight Return" | Lindy Heymann |
| "Cut Some Rug" | Unknown | |
| "Marblehead Johnson" | Dom & Nic | |
| 1998 | "Solomon Bites the Worm" | John Hardwick |
| "If..." | Tony Hill | |
| "Sleazy Bed Track" | Unknown | |
| "4 Day Weekend" | Koji Morimoto | |
| 2000 | "Keep the Home Fires Burning" | Edgar Wright |
| "Mudslide" | Unknown | |
| "Autophilia" | Jake & Jim | |
| 2002 | "After Hours" | Edgar Wright |
| 2003 | "Fast Boy" | Gareth, Maggie Kelly |
| "Never Going Nowhere" | ||
| 2006 | "Head on a Spike" | Mark Morriss |
| 2010 | "Carry Me Home" | Scott Morriss |
| "Golden Soul" | ||
| 2025 | "London Weekend Television" | William Sash & Jack Stephenson |
Video/DVD releases
[edit]- Mondo Concerto (1997)
- Blue Movies (2007)
- Beat About the Bush (2007)
- Expecting to Fly Live (2009)
References
[edit]- ^ "with a little charm...: faq: band history". bluetones.org.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "BLUETONES songs and albums | full Official Chart history". Official Charts. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones | Culture". The Guardian. 9 March 2002. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones on X: "Our 7th album 'Atlas', a collection of the 3 EPs we ..." X. 26 February 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ a b "'People get confused, think it's called Where Did You Go?' How the Bluetones made Slight Return". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ a b c "Live Wyre Music Podcast Episode 7 The Bluetones". YouTube. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ a b "facebook.com/thebluetones/posts/". Facebook. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "Mark Morriss Interview". YouTube. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "SWYW Episode 28: Don't ponder, just pass ft Eds Chesters". YouTube. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ Payne, Chris (23 May 2024). ""an itch we needed to scratch" - The Bluetones are back". Northern Soul. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 96. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ^ "Britpop casualties: 'It felt like we crashed someone else's part'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "with a little charm...: influences: buffalo springfield". bluetones.org.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart on 28/1/1996 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "Newsfile: Robbie Goes Twice Platinum". Music Week. 14 March 1998. p. 5.
- ^ King, Ian (18 December 2015). "The Bluetones: Return to the Last Chance Saloon". Pop Matters. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 15/3/1998 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ a b "Mark Morriss talks new beginings [sic], Britpop and The Bluetones". musicradar.com. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "Live music review – The Bluetones, Rescue Rooms, 14th November 2019". cinemaetc.co.uk. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones Blue Movies DVD Audio Commentary". Internet Archive. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ Radelic, Rudy (29 July 2022). "The A&M Records Story, Part Six: The 1980s into the 1990s". psaudio.com. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 21/5/2000 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ Weston, Colin (4 April 2002). "Album Review: The Bluetones - The Singles / Releases / / ..." Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ Future, Andrew (28 April 2003). "Album Review: The Bluetones - Luxembourg / Releases / Releases / / ..." Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "with a little charm...: news: 2005: 31st October". bluetones.org.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ^ a b "with a little charm...: news: 2005: 12th December". bluetones.org.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones: A Rough Outlin... Tracks & Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ a b "Bluetones Info". Bluetones.info. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Indie stalwarts The Bluetones are back". Southern Daily Echo. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ "Microsoft Word - The Bluetones BBC Sessions press release.doc" (PDF). bluetones.org.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ^ Staunton, Terry (10 September 2007). "The Early Garage Years / Once Upon A Time In West 12". Record Collector. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "Crisis Hidden Gigs". Crisis.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Bluetones to perform debut album live again due to fan demand". NME. 10 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ "Historic Astoria closes its doors". BBC News. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones - A New Athens | Record Rewind Play". recordrewindplay.co.uk. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones to split up after September UK tour – ticket details". NME. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ Brown, David (25 January 2013). "One Off Bluetones Reunion Gig". Louder Than War. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "Pledgers Only Concert - THIS THURSDAY!!". PledgeMusic. 14 January 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones announce 20th anniversary reunion tour". NME. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones: Superior Quality Recordings - Proper Music". propermusic.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones: Superior Quality Recordings 2003 – 2010 (4CD) SIGNED EDITION". Demon Music Group. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ "The Bluetones Return After a 14-Year Hiatus With New EP". xsnoize.com. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ^ Jones, Dion (28 April 2026). "Bluetones lead singer set to return to the Isle of Man for two performances". Isle of Man Today. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 8/5/2026 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 67. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c "Artist Chart History - The Bluetones". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ Scottish albums:
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 18/2/1996 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 15/3/1998 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 21/5/2000 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 18/5/2003 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 15/10/2006 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 8/5/2026 | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ^ a b Australian (ARIA) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "Australian-charts.com". Australian-charts.com > The Bluetones in Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 35.
- "Slight Return": "Australian ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 30 Jun 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 12 April 2018. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
- ^ a b "British certificates: searchable database". Bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ^ "Chart Log UK". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ^ a b c "UK Chartlog - 1994–2010 Darren B – David Byrne". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ^ "The Irish Charts (search by artist: 'The Bluetones'". IRMA. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
External links
[edit]- http://bluetones.band/ The Bluetones' official website
- www.myspace.com/thebluetones The Bluetones' official MySpace
- www.youtube.com/@TheBluetonesOfficial2024/ The Bluetones' official YouTube
- www.bluetones.org.uk A Bluetones fan page
- The Bluetones at AllMusic
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