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>TheRealSpartacus: Added two additional people to ‘band members.’

2021-05-27T11:41:30Z

Added two additional people to ‘band members.’

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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Echobelly
| image = Echobelly.jpg
| caption = Echobelly performing in January 2017.
| image_size =
| alias =
| origin = London, England
| genre = [[Indie rock]], [[alternative rock]], [[Britpop]]
| years_active = 1992–2004, 2009–present
| label = Fauve, [[Epic Records|Epic]], Fry Up
| associated_acts = [[Curve (band)|Curve]], [[Sleeper (band)|Sleeper]], Calm of Zero
| website = {{URL|www.echobelly.com/}}
| current_members = Glenn Johansson Sonya Madan
| past_members = James Harris Andy Henderson Alex Keyser [[Debbie Smith (musician)|Debbie Smith]] Ruth Owen Oliver McKiernan Ash Hall
}}

'''Echobelly''' are a [[British rock]] band, debuting in 1994 with their album ''[[Everyone's Got One]]''. They were often compared to [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] and were influenced by [[Morrissey]], who himself was a fan of the group.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book|first= Martin C.|last= Strong|year= 2000|title= The Great Rock Discography|edition= 5th|publisher= Mojo Books |location= Edinburgh|page= 307|isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL_zC0VTfxc|title=echobelly sonya interview Glastonbury 1994|date=19 March 2011|via=YouTube}}</ref>

The most prominent part of Echobelly's success formula was vocalist Sonya Madan, who was also the group's primary lyricist.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Born in Delhi, [[India]], before moving to England at the age of two, Madan had an unusual background for a pop [[celebrity|star]]. Her rigid upbringing made rock music taboo for her as a youngster and she did not attend her first rock concert until she was in college. In 1990 she met Glenn Johansson, a guitarist from Sweden. In a radio interview with [[Janice Long]], on [[BBC Radio Wales]], in December 2017, she admitted that her parents had initially found it hard to accept her choice of career.

==Career==
In 1992, Madan and Johansson first met in a pub, with Sonya expressing her desire to sing in a band "I used to sing a lot as a child. I suppose I had a secret desire to sing",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-11-27/features/9411270373_1_asian-community-sonya-aurora-madan-hundreds |title=Daring To Be Different|work=Chicago Tribune |date=27 November 1994 |access-date=17 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=133267644256898&set=gm.234433120514709&type=3&theater&ifg=1|title=Log in or Sign Up to View|website=facebook.com}}{{Primary source inline|date=December 2019}}</ref> They soon teamed up with bass guitarist Alex Keyser and drummer Andy Henderson, who had previously played with [[PJ Harvey]]'s band. Guitarist [[Debbie Smith (musician)|Debbie Smith]], formerly of [[Curve (band)|Curve]], came on board in 1994.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> According to the [[Epic Records]]' website, the group came up with the name Echobelly from the notion of "being hungry for something". With Madan and Johansson serving as songwriters, they [[sound recording and reproduction|recorded]] their debut [[Extended play|EP]], ''Bellyache'', on the independent Pandemonium label in late 1993.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

The favourable response to ''Bellyache'' helped Echobelly secure a recording contract with [[Rhythm King]], which was then part of [[Epic Records|Epic]].<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=414}}</ref> Once on board the label, the group released the "I Can't Imagine the World Without Me" single in June 1994.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> The group then recorded the album ''[[Everyone's Got One]]'', which included the single ''[[Insomniac (song)|Insomniac]]'' and reached number eight on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> The single was featured in the movie and soundtrack of ''[[Dumb and Dumber]]''.

As their music received more airplay, Echobelly won admiration from other artists as well. [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] expressed interest in putting them on her Maverick label (existing contractual arrangements prevented that), and [[R.E.M.]] requested the group as the opening act for their upcoming [[concert tour|tour]]. The band returned to the studio in 1995 to create their next album, ''[[On (Echobelly album)|On]]'', produced by Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie, who had also produced [[Hole (band)|Hole]] and [[Radiohead]].

Madan's [[lyrics]] often ventured into the seamy side of life, such as the milieu of prostitution and homelessness addressed in the song ''[[King of the Kerb]]''. "I wanted to challenge myself as a lyricist on a different level on this album," Madan said in ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. "I want people to tell me what they thought the lyrics are about. I'm not a politician. I'm not interested in changing everybody around me. I'm interested in myself."

While many of the songs lamented the state of things, others on the ''On'' album celebrated the endless possibilities of the human spirit. In "Great Things", Madan sang "I want to do great things / I don't want to compromise / I want to know what love is / I want to know everything."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/great-things-lyrics-echobelly.html |title=Echobelly – Great Things Lyrics |publisher=MetroLyrics |date=23 October 2013 |access-date=17 April 2014}}</ref> The album's mostly optimistic feel provides an intriguing contrast with its serious subject matter. As Pareles wrote, "Both music and lyrics examine the tension between order and liberty". Listeners in the UK responded favourably to the album, driving three singles from the release into the [[Top 40|Top 30]] of the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Sales of the album rose to over 150,000 in the UK, nearly double that of ''Everyone's Got One''.

Health and legal problems interrupted the success of Echobelly in 1995 and 1996. Madan had a serious [[thyroid]] problem during her world tour that was potentially life-threatening, but was later cured. Bass guitarist James Harris joined after Keyser defected because of personal and artistic differences. The group also had disagreements with Rhythm King after the label moved to Arista. The band chose to stay with Epic. In 1996, Madan also ventured away from the group when she sang on a recording of the club band, Lithium. Smith left the band before the release of ''Lustra'', which was issued in November 1997. A single from the album, "The World is Flat", was released in August of that year.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

A four-year hiatus was brought to an end in 2001 when the band returned with the ''Digit'' EP and their fourth album, ''[[People Are Expensive]]'', which were released on their own Fry Up label. Two further singles, "[[Tell Me Why (Echobelly song)|Tell Me Why]]" and "Kali Yuga" (a [[remix]]ed version of the album track) followed.

In 2004, Echobelly released a fifth album – again through their own Fry Up label, ''[[Gravity Pulls]]''.

==2009 acoustic show and future==
Madan and Johansson performed an acoustic show featuring brand new songs and older Echobelly songs in [[Manchester]] on 9 July 2009 at MoHo Live, supported by Spyglass.<ref>{{cite web|title= Moho Live Listings|url= http://www.moholive.com/listings.php?m=7&gigID=214#9|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180645/http://www.moholive.com/listings.php?m=7&gigID=214|url-status= dead|archive-date = 3 March 2016|access-date = 9 July 2009}}</ref> New material was demoed during this show which turned out to be part of an upcoming album that had already commenced recording which was to be co-produced and mixed by Jono Buchanan. "Silence on the Radio" and "Mind over Matter" were two songs previewed on the producer's website. The album was given the name ''I Seek Identity'' and was initially recorded under a new band name of "Calm of Zero".<ref>{{cite web|title= Jono Buchanan|url= http://www.northstarmusic.co.uk/musicpublishing/writers/jonobuchanan.shtml|access-date= 12 January 2010}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Alex Reeves was brought in to record the drumming and percussion for the album.<ref>{{cite web|title= Alex Reeves|url= http://www.alexreeves.co.uk/news.txt|access-date= 12 January 2010}}</ref> Jono Buchanan later reported on 1 December 2009 via his Twitter account that he had spoken to "Glenn of Calm of Zero fame", who revealed that the new album was to be released under the band name Echobelly after all, to save potential confusion amongst fans. On 23 January however, Jono Buchanan advised – again, via his Twitter account – that the name "Calm of Zero" was to remain after all, making ''I Seek Identity'' the new venture's debut album.<ref>{{cite web|title= Jono Buchanan twitter|url= https://twitter.com/jonobuchanan|access-date= 12 January 2010}}</ref> Although this album was yet to be released, Sonya and Glen released two [[Extended play|EP]]s entitled ''Acoustic Sessions 1'' in January 2011 and ''Acoustic Sessions 2'' in October 2012. Another song, "Molotov", became available for playback on Echobelly's official Myspace page during January.

In an interview with [[Phoenix FM]] in May 2013 the band stated that they were looking to record a new full-band under the Calm Of Zero name.<ref>{{cite web|title= In session: Echobelly on Phoenix FM|url= http://www.phoenixfm.com/2013/05/23/in-session-on-phoenix-fm-echobelly/|access-date= 25 May 2013}}</ref>

On 21 July 2014, British independent record label 3 Loop Music released two CD expanded editions of Echobelly's ''Everyone's Got One'' and ''On'' albums. The re-releases included [[b-sides]], live recordings, radio session tracks and unreleased material. A limited number of signed copies were also made available on the label's official online store.

In October 2015, Echobelly made a successful return to stage, playing a sell-out gig at the 1,500 capacity Scala venue in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scala.co.uk/events/echobelly/|title=Echobelly|date=21 April 2015}}</ref>

On 31 May 2016, it was announced that Echobelly were entering the studio to record a new album entitled ''[[Anarchy and Alchemy]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.echobelly.com/uncategorised/anarchyandalchemy/|title=Echobelly – the official website – Anarchy and Alchemy|last=Moonage|website=Echobelly.com}}</ref> The album was released on 26 May 2017.

In December 2018, a compilation album entitled ‘’Black heart Lullabies’’ was released.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/echobelly-black-heart-lullabies |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307054305/https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/echobelly-black-heart-lullabies |archive-date=7 March 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Band members==
* Sonya Aurora Madan
* Glenn Johansson
* Andy Henderson
* Alex Keyser
* Debbie Smith
* James Harris
* Ruth Owen
* Julian Cooper
*Oliver McKiernan
*Ash Hall

==Discography==
===Albums===
* ''[[Everyone's Got One]]'' (1994) [[UK Albums Chart|UK]] No. 8
* ''[[On (Echobelly album)|On]]'' (1995) UK No. 4
* ''[[Lustra (album)|Lustra]]'' (1997) UK No. 47
* ''[[People Are Expensive]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Gravity Pulls]]'' (2004)<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 178}}</ref>
* ''[[Anarchy and Alchemy]]'' (2017)

===Compilation albums===
*''[[I Can't Imagine the World Without Me]]'' (2001)
*''[[The Best of Echobelly]]'' (2008)
*''[[Black Heart Lullabies]]'' (2018)

===Singles===
* "[[Bellyache (Echobelly song)|Bellyache]]" (November 1993)
* "[[Insomniac (song)|Insomniac]]" (March 1994) [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] No. 47
* "[[I Can't Imagine the World Without Me (Single)|I Can't Imagine the World Without Me]]" (June 1994) UK No. 39
* "[[Close… But]]" (October 1994) UK No. 59
* "[[Great Things (Echobelly song)|Great Things]]" (August 1995) UK No. 13
* "[[King of the Kerb]]" (October 1995) UK No. 25
* "[[Dark Therapy (song)|Dark Therapy]]" (February 1996) UK No. 20
* "[[The World Is Flat (song)|The World Is Flat]]" (August 1997) UK No. 31
* "[[Here Comes the Big Rush]]" (October 1997) UK No. 56
* "[[Digit (single)|Digit]]" (January 2001)
* "[[Tell Me Why (Echobelly song)|Tell Me Why]]" (May 2001) UK No. 111
* "[[Kali Yuga (song)|Kali Yuga]]" (October 2001) UK No. 175<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.echobelly.com/ Echobelly official page]

{{Echobelly}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Britpop groups]]
[[Category:English rock music groups]]
[[Category:English pop music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1992]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2004]]
[[Category:Epic Records artists]]
[[Category:Rhythm King artists]]

Echobelly - Revision history

UpdateBot: robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)

>TheRealSpartacus: Added two additional people to ‘band members.’