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Friends of the Stars,[1] originally known as Buick 6, formed in Birmingham in the late 1990s and quickly became a popular live band [2] associated with the burgeoning alternative country movement and known for catchy, classic songwriting and soaring three-part vocal harmonies. The original line-up, consisting of Craig Hamilton,[3] Anna Russell,[4] Jez Ince, James Summerfield and Nick Wilkinson released two singles on Winnebago Records. After replacing Wilkinson with former Novak[5] drummer Phil Robinson, the band recorded a John Peel session before being forced to change their name following legal threats from an Irish band of the same name.[citation needed]
The band, now known as "The Tocques", went on to record another Peel Session[6] and had several close shaves with major labels through a development deal with Sanctuary Records Group which ultimately didn't work out for either party.[citation needed]
Ayrshire-born singer-songwriter Cam Docherty,[7] who had played with the band on their second Peel Session and at numerous gigs, joined permanently on lead guitar to replace Summerfield who left to pursue a solo career[8] in 2004. The band changed their name to "Friends of the Stars"[9] to draw a line under their underwhelming brush with the corporate music business.
With a new do-it-yourself ethic and renewed sense of purpose, the band began producing their own recordings and released debut album Lighting and Electrical on Commercially Inviable Records in 2007.[10] Follow-up album Faith's Meat Kiosk is due for release on the same label on 23 April 2012. Both albums were mixed by Beth McGowan.[citation needed]
Jez Ince stopped working with the band due to family commitments in 2005 and was replaced on bass by Rachael Dobbie in 2008.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "the indie dancefloor: So this is the n°2 post I promised you a hundred years ago". Indiedancefloor.blogspot.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Counteract | Birmingham's online music magazine". Counteract-magazine.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Happy Shopper #18 - Friends Of The Stars - Outsideleft". Outsideleft.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Rootsmusic.co.uk - for the Best Roots and Acoustic Music". Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ "Novak". Rbrwr.org. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "BBC - BBC Music Blog: My Top 10 Maida Vale Sessions". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "All I want for Christmas is a smash hit song (From Herald Scotland)". Heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "HOME - jamessummerfieldmusic". Jamessummerfieldmusic.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Band to Watch: Friends of the Stars by HYPEFUL". www.hypeful.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Sue Cavendish; Bob Paterson; Steve Fairhead. "NetRhythms: A to Z Album Reviews". Netrhythms.com. Retrieved 18 August 2016.