Baby Strange
| Baby Strange | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Glasgow |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Ignition |
| Associated acts | Slaves, Palma Violets |
| Website | http://www.keekaboo.co.uk/webstore/babystrange/ |
| Members | Johnny Madden (vocals/guitar) Connaire McCann (drums) |
Baby Strange are an indie/rock band formed in 2012 in Glasgow, Scotland. The band consists of Johnny Madden (vocalist/guitarist), Connaire McCann (drummer) and Aidan McCann (bass) who share their name with a T. Rex track from the 1972 album The Slider.[2] However, there are conflicting reports as front man Johnny Madden states in an interview with Guestlist says, " unlike people think we actually made the name up and it really stuck, and then we realised it was a T-Rex song." [3]
The three-piece from north Glasgow were friends for years. "Creating Baby Strange was a great way to show off our creative side which we didn’t have the opportunity to do beforehand" says frontman Johnny Madden, as this band seems committed on bringing their contemporary punk to the nation. A unique feature of Baby Strange is that the recording, videoing and artwork of all work is done by the band members themselves.
Some of the songs of the band include:
| Song Title[4] | Year of Release |
|---|---|
| Pleasure City | 2015 |
| Trouble | 2015 |
| California Sun | 2015 |
| VVV | 2015 |
| Pure Evil | 2013 |
| Luver | 2013 |
| Distance Yourself | 2014 |
| Friend | 2013 |
| Never Enough | 2013 |
The band was formed in the summer of 2012, says frontman Johnny Madden. “We had no jobs, we were living for nothing. We were going out all the time, seeing the same faces, doing the same things. When we sing, "I’m tired of my generation", we mean that we’re part of this generation, and we were bored by ourselves." With the help of Connaire’s 17-year-old brother at the time, Aidan on bass, the trio began writing “fast, snappy, in-and-out punk-rock songs” in their bedrooms.[5]
The band all met at a community music group in Glasgow, and formed after a mad summer.
The band portrayed their different side in their clip on YouTube where they emerge blinking, done simply but memorably, to mark the release of 'Pure Evil' on May 27, 2014. '‘California Sun’' sees Baby Strange at their most confident in a pleas for sunshine by Jonny Madden's relentless, dark vocals.
Success
The Glasgow band as of late 2015 have been increasing their national reputation in the music industry, with the release of their 2015 single “Pleasure City”. The song itself has featured on the newly formed internet radio station Beats 1, on Apple Music, had strong BBC Radio 1 support from DJs such as Annie Mac & Huw Stephens, and was also played at Scotland’s national football stadium before the UEFA EURO Qualifiers Group stage match involving Scotland and Germany.
The band themselves have accompanied many other bands as a support, most notably however would be, Kent based punk rock duo, Slaves. The band also went on tour with NME’s ‘best new band’ of 2013, Palma Violets.[6] They have also toured with the likes of Swim Deep and Iceage.
In August 2013, they performed a short but very sharp session for BBC Radio Scotland's Vic Galloway. They performed two songs, Friend and Pure Evil.[7]
The band had a midnight residency in Glasgow bar “Broadcast” for around 1 month. The price of entry for these concerts was to simply buy a Baby Strange badge which cost £3.[8] The trio recently however have started their own club night at The Priory
Bar in Glasgow called “Club Sabbath”. Baby Strange themselves feature on the night, usually providing a DJ set.
Baby Strange will be played their biggest headline show to date on Friday 9 October at Saint Luke’s, fresh from festival performances at Wickerman and Aviemore Stopover Festival.
Baby Strange has also played at many British Festivals:
| Festival[9] | Year |
|---|---|
| Gentlemen of the Road | 2015 |
| Underground Festival | 2015 |
| Wickerman Festival | 2015 |
| Stag & Dagger | 2014 |
| Reading and Leeds Festival | 2014 |
| Beacons Metro | 2014 |
| T in the Park | 2014 |
| BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend | 2014 |
Musical Style
On record, they’re punk, but as a live band, Baby Strange seem to nail feeling both pop and punk without being anything that comes remotely close to pop punk. That is, they play grungy rebel rock with some fun choruses that are reminiscent of those of the indie pop world.[10] Baby Strange additionally have a darker indie rock sound, prominently heard on their 2015 singles "VVV" and "California Sun". At their live sets they are said to have, a 60s garage influence but distinctly Scottish indie guitar riffs.[11]
Song Usage
- The song "Friend" is played during series 7 episode 9 titled "You're Like A Fat Tom Daley" from Made in Chelsea.[12]
References
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