Medal (band)
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Medal were an English alternative rock band from Oxford.
History
The band grew out of earlier band The Daisies, who had been active since the early 1990s and released the single "If I Was Barry White" in 1996. The Daisies line-up of Jamie Hyatt (vocals, guitar), Mark Willis (guitar), Daniel Kemp (bass), and Simon Wickson (drums) were joined by keyboard player Richard Brincklow and the band became Medal and signed to Polydor Records.[1] Early singles "Ordinary", "Possibility", and "Up Here For Hours" received a lot of airplay on BBC Radio 1, and saw the band compared to The Verve.[1] The band's debut album, Drop Your Weapon, was released in June 1999 (on A&M in the United States), and support slots with label mates Cast, The Bluetones and The Dandy Warhols followed.[1] The album prompted the description "Indescribably complicated and bewilderingly pretentious and that's only the cover" from the NME, who compared the album to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.[2] After the Porno Song EP on Polydor, Kemp left the band (replaced eventually by former Fuzzgun bassist Ollie) and they were also dropped by Polydor, prompting them to set up their own El Producto label.[3][4] After two singles, the band issued their second album, Stuntman, in 2001.[1]
Hyatt now fronts Oxford band "The Family Machine", who released their debut album "You Are The Family Machine" in April 2008.
Discography
Singles
- "Ordinary" (1998) Polydor
- "Possibility" (1999) Polydor
- "Up Here For Hours" (1999) Polydor
- Porno Song EP (1999) Polydor
- "Fingerprints" (2000) El Producto
- "Stuntman" (2001) El Producto
Albums
- Drop Your Weapon (1999) Polydor
- Stuntman (2001) El Producto
References
- ^ a b c d Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Medal", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1 84195 335 0
- ^ "NME Reviews: Drop Your Weapon", NME, May 14, 1999
- ^ Lawrence, Jon (2001) "Review: Medal: Stuntman", Drowned in Sound
- ^ "Profile: Medal (Reading Festival, Aug 25-27)", Oxford Times, 10 August 2000