Cornershop are an Englishindie rock band formed inLeicester, in 1991. The group are best known for their single "Brimful of Asha" from their third albumWhen I Was Born for the 7th Time, whose remixed version topped the UK singles chart in 1998. They were formed by Tjinder Singh (singer, songwriter, and guitar), his brother Avtar Singh (bass guitar, vocals), David Chambers (drums), and Ben Ayres (guitar, keyboards, andtamboura), the first three having previously been members of General Havoc, who released one single (theFast Jaspal EP) in 1991.^[2][3] The band name originated from a stereotype referring toBritish Asians often owningcorner shops. Their music is afusion ofIndian music,indie rock, alternative andelectronic dance music.

Cornershop
Cornershopc. 1993
Background information
Origin	Leicester, England
Genres	Alternative rock,indie rock,alternative dance,Britpop[1]
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Wiiija,Rough Trade, Ample Play,Luaka Bop,Warner Bros.
Members	Tjinder Singh Ben Ayres Nick Simms Peter Bengry Adam Blake Pete Downing James Milne
Past members	Avtar Singh David Chambers Anthony Saffery Wallis Healey Pete Hall
Website	www.cornershop.com

Tjinder Singh formed General Havoc whilst a student atLancashire Polytechnic in Preston in 1987.^[2] He relocated to Leicester, where his brother and sister lived. He formed Cornershop in 1991 along with his brother Avtar and Chambers and Ayres while working as a barman at Leicester's Magazine pub, a popular local music venue near O'Jays, where the band played their first gigs.^[4] Named after the stereotype of South Asians owningcorner shops,^[5] Cornershop drew inspiration from Singh's experiences as a British-bornSikh, mixing traditionalPunjabi music with British indie rock.^[6] In the early 1990s, when the UK music press criticised singerMorrissey after accusations of racism, the band were invited to comment and theMelody Maker ran a story featuring the band burning a picture of the singer outside the offices ofEMI.^[7]

Their debut release, theIn The Days of Ford Cortina EP, produced byJohn Robb was pressed on "curry-coloured vinyl"^[3][8] and contained a blend of Indian-tinged noise pop. The sound mellowed somewhat with the release of debut albumHold On It Hurts in 1994, described byTrouser Press as "a politically charged popfest, ten tracks of noisy delights that meld incisive social commentary with a firm hold on British post-punk."^[9] The album impressedDavid Byrne, who signed the band to his labelLuaka Bop.^[3] Although David Chambers left the band in 1994 and was replaced by Nick Simms, the band re-emerged in 1995 with the "6 a.m. Jullandar Shere" single and the albumWoman's Gotta Have It, also touring the United States including some dates on theLollapalooza tour.^[3] The band also toured Europe withBeck,Stereolab andOasis.^[3]

The band released their critically acclaimed album,When I Was Born for the 7th Time, in September 1997. The album incorporates a variety of genres, combiningindie rock,Britpop,electronic music, andhip-hop. The track "When the Light Appears Boy" featuresAllen Ginsberg, while "Candyman" includesJustin Warfield, and "Good to Be on the Road Back Home" featuresPaula Frazer. The band also coversThe Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" inPunjabi.

Recorded in multiple studios across London, San Francisco, and Preston, Lancashire, the album was produced by Tjinder Singh in collaboration withDan the Automator and Daddy Rappaport.Rolling Stone named it one of the essential recordings of the 1990s, and it was ranked No. 1 onSpin's list of "Top 20 Albums of the Year" for 1997. The album reached No. 17 on theUK Albums Chart and was certified Gold.^[10]

The album's lead single, "Brimful of Asha," toppedJohn Peel'sFestive 50 list in 1997 and became an international hit following a popular remix byFatboy Slim. The song is a tribute to the Indianplayback singerAsha Bhosle and reflects Singh's love forTrojan Records and vinyl culture.^[11]

Cornershop took a break from touring in 1998, during which frontman Tjinder Singh and guitarist Ben Ayres worked as DJs and formed the side project Clinton. In 2000, they released adisco inspired album,Disco and the Halfway to Discontent, as part of their side-project. This inspired the launch of the London-based club night calledButtoned Down Disco, which took its name from the third track on the album.^[12]

Cornershop's next official release was the 2002 albumHandcream for a Generation. The album was recorded between 2000 and 2001 at West Orange Studios in Preston, Lancashire, and Eastcote Studios in London, with Singh producing most of the album andRob Swift co-producing two tracks. Drawing onsoul,funk,disco,house,reggae, andpsychedelic rock, featuring instruments like sitar and tabla, the album also featured a collaboration withNoel Gallagher on guitar.^[3] Two singles, "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III" and "Staging," peaked at 37 and 80 on the UK Singles Chart. Cornershop promoted the album with UK and US tours, festival appearances, and performances with Oasis.

Despite initial success, Cornershop parted ways with Wiiija in October 2002 due to low album sales. Since 2003, they have reportedly been working on a film about London's independent music scene. In 2004, they releasedTopknot with Bubbley Kaur onRough Trade Records, followed by the 2006 single Wop the Groove, featuringRowetta fromHappy Mondays. Their song "Candyman" was later used inNike's LeBron James VI shoe commercial, The Six "Chalk," in 2008. In July 2009, they released the albumJudy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast, led by the single "The Roll-Off Characteristics (Of History in the Making)," on their label, Ample Play.^[13]

In 2011, Cornershop were awarded a prize for Commitment to Scene in theUK Asian Music Awards.^[14] and releasedCornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of, a collaborative album with Punjabi folk singer Bubbley Kaur, which was critically acclaimed.^[15] They also launched the "Singhles Club," a subscription service featuring musical collaborations and digital artwork. Their eighth album,Urban Turban, came out in May 2012, followed by their ninth album,Hold On It's Easy, in February 2015.^[16] In July 2015, they released the single "Pinpoint" with Welsh singer Angharad Van Rijswijk, aka Accü.^[17]

In 2017, they gave an instrumental track called 'Demon is a Monster' to the anti-Brexit podcast 'Remainiacs' as a theme tune.^[18] The track was then released digitally.^[19] Cornershop are fiercely anti-Brexit.^[20] In March 2020, they released a new album,England Is a Garden to generally positive reviews. The first official video from the album accompanying the track 'St Marie Under Canon' was released in February 2020.^[21]

Current members

• Tjinder Singh – vocals, guitars, bass, dholki(1991–present)
• Ben Ayres – guitars, tamboura, keyboards, tambourine, vocals(1991–present)
• Nick Simms – drums, vocals(1995–present)
• Peter Bengry – percussion(1995–present)
• Adam Blake – sitar, guitars(2009–present)
• Pete Downing – guitars(2009–present)
• James Milne – bass

Former members

• Avtar Singh – bass, guitars, vocals(1991–1995)
• David Chambers – drums(1991–1995)
• Anthony "Saffs" Saffery – sitar, guitars, keyboards(1994–2002)
• Wallis Healey – guitars(1994–1995)
• Pete Hall – percussion(1995)

• Cornershop's Tjinder Singh: 'My dad said, 'They’ll not always want you here.' That stuck' by Jude Rogers.The Guardian. 1 March 2020

• Official website