Indie Band Heads To Crewe After Working with Johnny Depp (From Crewe Guardian)

Indie Band Heads To Crewe After Working with Johnny Depp

10:50am Wednesday 13th January 2010 in

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THE national treasure that is Babybird comes to The Box in Crewe on Friday March 19.

With ardent fans including Johnny Depp, who appears on the band's new album, the band are being rediscovered for the darkly talented creation they always were before Gorgeous topped the charts.

Some 13 years after writing one of the catchiest songs of the 90's, the Sheffielders are finally being revered not for simplistic indie chanting but for Jones's lyrical craftsmanship and densely-textured songs.

The new album Ex-Maniac is out at the start of March and features guitar by Depp, who is also going to be joining the band on some of their shows.

In addition to appearing on the Sheffield group's forthcoming album, the actor has directed their new music video.

The Hollywood A-lister is a long-time fan of the band, and introduced frontman Stephen Jones to the new album's producers, Bruce Witkin and Ryan Dorn.

Witkin played with Depp in their high-school band, Kids, and has since worked with Adam Ant and Depp's partner, Vanessa Paradis.

Depp insists Ex-Maniac will be the album of the year, adding: “He's a national treasure, if you're British. For everyone else, he's a diamond waiting to be found.

“Lyrically, he's black as night, brilliant and sharp as a razor."

Babybird was formed in 1995 and fronted by Stephen Jones, who has also released records as a solo artist.

Jones had begun writing songs and recording home demos as part of an experimental theatre group in Sheffield.

A collection of these demos (I Was Born a Man) was released in the summer of 1995, under the name Baby Bird.

Following a warm critical reception for this record, he recruited a band made up of Huw Chadbourne (keyboards), Robert Gregory (drums), John Pedder (bass) and Luke Scott (guitar), in order to tour and promote his work.

During 1995, two further albums of demo recordings were released under the name Baby Bird (Bad Shave and Fatherhood) and two in 1996 (The Happiest Man Alive and Dying Happy).

By the end of the year, a decent public following had been built up, as well as quite considerable excitment within the press and music industry.

Babybird were signed to Echo Records (a division of the Chrysalis Group), and the first ‘proper’ single, a full-band recording of Goodnight, which had appeared in demo form on Fatherhood, was eventually released in the summer of 1996, becoming a minor chart hit in the UK.

The second single, You’re Gorgeous, reached number 3 in the UK in October 1996, and was also one of the biggest selling singles of the year, going on to chart around the world.

Ironically the commercial success of the record became what the band were known for, rather than the critically acclaimed darker material that won them industry approval.

The have remained a much over-looked talent in the UK indie scene.

Tickets are £9 and available from www.theboxcrewe.co.uk