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The Candyskins | |
|---|---|
 The Candyskins atTruck Festival in 2009. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Oxford, England |
| Genres | Britpop,power pop |
| Years active | 1989–1998, 2009 |
| Labels | Stuff,Geffen, Ultimate |
| Past members | Nick Cope Mark Cope Nick Burton Brett Gordon John Halliday Karl Shale |
| Website | thecandyskins |
The Candyskins were an English rock band formed in 1989 inOxford, England. Though early members of the "Oxford Scene", they enjoyed limited commercial success compared to their contemporariesRadiohead andSupergrass. They were considered by the Britishmusic press as one of the seminal early bands of theBritpop era.[1] The bandrecorded four studio albums over a period of eight years before breaking up in 1998 and reuniting in 2009.
The band owes its origins to Mark andNick Cope, Nick Burton and John Halliday all living in the same village,Islip, Oxfordshire, and attending the same local secondary school (Gosford Hill School) between around 1974 and 1980. The four Islip members of the band had begun working together by the time they left school and various line-ups and name-changes followed during the 1980s, until "The Candyskins" were formed in 1989, with Richard (mini) Brown on bass andbanjo. After the successful release of the single "Submarine Song" in 1990, the band went into the studio to produce their first full-length albumSpace I'm In. The album included threesingles: "Submarine Song", "She Blew Me Away" and "You Are Here". Brown left the band before the album was released.
After a year of touring and the replacement of a stand-in bass player with Karl Shale, the band released their second albumFun? onGeffen Records in 1993. Characteristically, the band attempted to build upon the US success ofSpace I'm In with an ironic album featuring songs about football and gardening. The poor sellingrecord began an elongated legal dispute between the record company and the band, reportedly due to disagreements over songwritingroyalties.[1]
The albumSunday Morning Fever was released on Ultimate in the UK in 1997, and saw the band enjoy their biggest chart success with the single "Monday Morning" making it into theTop 40 of theUK Singles Chart. The record company went bankrupt and the band were left in limbo during the recording of their last albumDeath of a Minor TV Celebrity. The album did not do as well as their previous efforts, despite featuring the single "Feed It" which was one of the central songs on the soundtrack to the movieThe Waterboy starringAdam Sandler.
The band broke up in 1998 and members now primarily pursue other projects in themusic industry. Mark Cope has a new bandNine Stone Cowboy, and has released several singles including "Jesus Doesn't Like Me". Nick Cope writes and records music for children and his own CBeebies show Nick Cope’s Popcast. John Halliday has produced many bands in his studio in Oxford, Shonk Studios.
The band have reunited on several occasions since their break-up. Performances included:
A farewell gig on New Year's Eve, 2001 atThe Zodiac.
The last night party of The Zodiac in Oxford on 17 May 2007. The event was filmed for a documentary about the history of the Oxford music scene,Anyone Can Play Guitar (in which The Candyskins featured).
They performed at the Truck Festival on 26 July 2009, on a bill that included old Oxford friendsSupergrass, amongst others.[2]
| Release date | Title | UK chart position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Space I'm In | - |
| 1993 | Fun? | - |
| 1997 | Sunday Morning Fever | - |
| 1998 | Death of a Minor TV Celebrity | - |
| 2000 | Live at the Zodiac | - |
| Release date | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
| US Modern Rock | UK[3] | |||
| 1991 | "Submarine Song" | 9 | – | Space I'm In |
| 1993 | "Wembley" | 12 | – | Fun? |
| 1996 | "Mrs Hoover" | – | 65 | Sunday Morning Fever |
| 1997 | "Monday Morning" | – | 34 | Sunday Morning Fever |
| 1997 | "Hang Myself on You" | – | 65 | Sunday Morning Fever |
| 1997 | "Feed It" | – | 82 | Death of a Minor TV Celebrity |
| 1998 | "You Better... Stop" | – | 78 | Death of a Minor TV Celebrity |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
