Feeder

Feeder are Grant Nicholas (guitar, vocals), Taka Hirose (bass) Jon Lee was their drummer until 2002, when he was found dead at his home (as mentioned above).

Feeder first formed in Wales in 1992 when Grant and Jon came together and started jamming. Moving to London in 1995 and finding bassist Taka Hirose in musicians wanted ads. Shortly after being signed to the Echo label the band started touring and haven't really stopped during their career.

The band started to gain a following with their release of Swim in 1996 and some of the music press started to take notice of the latest welsh band to hit the scene.

A set of singles previewed the band's full debut album, 'Polythene', released in May 1997. Polythene was awarded the 'Best Album of the Year' award by Metal Hammer magazine. This album captured the bands electric atmosphere which they were becoming known for in their live performances. During the touring they started introducing a new song - 'High' in their sets and it was quickly adopted as the bands anthem. The crowds love for the song quickly caused massive sing alongs. Polythene was reissued in October 97 with 'High' on it, and it was also released as a single. They continued their touring, gaining fans and respect as they went - Grant cracked a cheek bone half way through the tour but continued on regardless.

Feeder returned to the studio (RAK in London) at the end of 1998 to record their second full album - 'Yesterday Went Too Soon'. The album was mixed in the early part of 1999 by Grant and Andy Wallace, who'd previously worked with Nirvana and Slayer on 'Reign in Blood'.

'Yesterday Went Too Soon' produced a number of singles - 'Insomnia', 'Day in Day Out' and 'Waiting for Changes' with the first two gaining top forty chart places in the UK. Feeder continued touring through out 1999 and 2000, finishing with a headlining show at Brixton Academy.

The third album was recorded throughout 2000 and was recorded in Great Linford Mannor in Buckinghamshire with Gil Norton (Pixies and Foo Fighters). The album 'Echo Park' has been their most successful by a long way with the catchy 'Buck Rogers' and 'Just a Day' (released as a bonus track on the reissue of the album), along with 'Seven Days in the Sun' gaining further chart success.

Feeder are planning to continue after the tragic death of Jon, and a new release is planned for the end of 2002.

Discography: Swim(06/96)

1. Sweet 16
2. Stereo World
3. W.I.T
4. Descend
5. Shade
6. Swim

Polythene (05/97)

1. Polythene Girl
2. My Perfect Day
3. Cement
4. Crash
5. Radiation
6. Suffocate
7. Descend
8. Stereo World
9. Change
10. Tangerine
11. Waterfall
12. Forgive
13. 20th Century Trip

Yesterday went too soon(08/99)

1. Insomnia
2. Picture of Perfect Youth
3. Yesterday Went Too Soon
4. Waiting For Changes
5. Radioman
6. Day In Day Out
7. Tinsel Town
8. You're My Evergreen
9. Dry
10. Hole In My Head
11. So Well
12. Paperfaces

1. Standing On The Edge
2. Buck Rogers
3. Piece By Piece
4. Seven days in the Sun
5. We Can't Rewind
6. Turn
7. Choke
8. Oxygen
9. Tell your Friends
10. Under the Weather
11. Satellite News
12. Bug

After the death of Jon Lee, the remaining members of the band, Grant Nicholas and Taka Hirose, took a long abscence from the music industry. Upon their return, they recorded the album Comfort In Sound, teaming up with former Skunk Anansie drummer Mark Richardson to do so. They also begun touring again after Reading Music Festival 2002, where they showcased the new material.

Comfort In Sound: Released October 21st, 2002.

1. Just The Way I'm Feeling
2. Come Back Around
3. Helium
4. Child In You
5. Comfort In Sound
6. Forget About Tomorrow
7. Summer's Gone
8. Godzilla
9. Quick Fade
10. Find The Colour
11. Love Pollution
12. Moonshine

As with every Feeder album, Grant chose to take it in a new direction, in this case removing a lot of the vocal distortion he preferred in previous albums (due to disliking how his voice sounds), as well as introducing the use of stringed instruments into some of the songs. It became one of their biggest selling albums in the UK, and singles such as "Come Back Around" and "Just The Way I'm Feeling" made it into the top 20. Although the album proved popular, some fans felt that the album wasn't as strong musically, wanting more of the old style Feeder, much rockier, even considered to be verging on grunge back in the mid 90's.

To fill in the gap left by not having any more singles to release, and no new album forthcoming for a while, Feeder released a b-side album, "Picture of Perfect Youth", which comprised of 36 of their b-sides, spread all the way from 1996 to 2003. Some of their strongest songs have been b-sides, as they allow the room for experimentation and innovation that album tracks aren't able to get away with, so to many fans, this was a chance to experience a whole new facet of Feeder's music. It was released as a double CD album as well as 3 12" vinyls.

Picture of Perfect Youth: Released August, 2004.

Disc 1:

1. Emily
2. Living In Polaroid
3. Opaque
4. The Power Of Love
5. Broken
6. Lose The Fear
7. Remember The Silence
8. Tomorrow Shine
9. Purple
10. Space Age Hero
11. Can't Stand Losing You
12. Just A Day
13. Slowburn
14. Elegy
15. 21st Century Meltdown
16. Home For Summer
17. Here In The Bubble
18. Forgiven

1. Feel It Again
2. Getting To Know You Well
3. Whooey
4. Bullet
5. World Asleep
6. Rain
7. Eclipse
8. Oxidize
9. Bad Hair Day
10. Come Back Around
11. Circles
12. Spill
13. Rubberband
14. Slider
15. Can't Dance To Disco
16. TV Me
17. Wishing For The Sun
18. Undivided

Definitely an album worth checking out, just to see how Feeder have come along over 7 years of music.

Feeder had been touring on and off around the UK, as well as visiting the US during 2003, but now in 2004 they have only performed one gig, where they played two new songs: "Bitter Glass" and "Victoria". Since then they've been locked away recording their new album, now confirmed to be called "Pushing The Senses", and likely to be released towards the end of January 2005. The title of the first single has also been confirmed, "Tumble and Fall", and is likely to be released not long before the album itself.

Fans and critics alike await the new album with bated breath, and everyone hopes Feeder will enjoy success, and produce superb music for years to come.

Feed"er (?), n.

1.

One who, or that which, gives food or supplies nourishment; steward.

A couple of friends, his chaplain and feeder. Goldsmith.

2.

One who furnishes incentives; an encourager.

Shak.

3.

One who eats or feeds; specifically, an animal to be fed or fattened.

With eager feeding, food doth choke the feeder. Shak.

4.

One who fattens cattle for slaughter.

5.

A stream that flows into another body of water; a tributary; specifically Hydraulic Engin., a water course which supplies a canal or reservoir by gravitation or natural flow.

6.

A branch railroad, stage line, or the like; a side line which increases the business of the main line.

7. Mining (a)

A small lateral lode falling into the main lode or mineral vein.

A strong discharge of gas from a fissure; a blower

8. Mach.

An auxiliary part of a machine which supplies or leads along the material operated upon.

9. Steam Engine

A device for supplying steam boilers with water as needed.

© Webster 1913.