Serafin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Italian opera conductor, see Tullio Serafin.
- For other meanings of Serafin, see Seraph (disambiguation).
| Serafin | |
|---|---|
 Serafin playing live in 2005 |
|
| Years active | September 2000 - present |
| Genres | Noise Rock Alternative rock |
| Labels | Taste Media |
| Members | Ben Fox Smith - Vocals and Guitar Christian Smith - Drums Darryn Harkness - Guitar, Keyboard and Vocals Ben Ellis - Bass and Vocals |
| Past members | Ronny Growler (until 2004) Mike Clark (until 2002) Stuart Quinnel Richie Mills |
| Website(s) | Official Website |
Serafin is a rock band from London who formed and began playing in September 2000. Often compared to almost anything in the rock industry, Serafin's sound is sometimes compared to bands like Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo, Radiohead, Blur and Oasis (band).
Contents |
[edit] Band History
The original band lineup never played together but the two members who have stayed throughout are Ben (Fox) Smith, and Darryn Harkness. The band itself was formed after the demise of Stony Sleep when Ben met Darryn at a party in New Zealand. They added Stuart Quinnell (bass) and Richie Mills (drums) from Cable. This was short lived (a few months) and their first gig had Ronny Growler on drums and Mike Clark on bass.
Stuart Quinnell appears to be the bass tech for Frankie Poullain from The Darkness and plays in the road crew band Onion Trump
Mike Clark left to go back to Canada in 2002 to be replaced by Ben Ellis who had been playing for Catherine Wheel who had decided to call it a day. It was this line-up that was to storm the world with their debut album 'No Push Collide' and is considered by some to be the ultimate arrangement.
On the 26 August 2004 Serafin posted this note on their website: "We have replaced our drummer Ronny Growler with a guy called Lonely Blue boy. We love Ronny who is a fantastic drummer in his own right, but have had to realise our musical differences and preferences which, while considering the chemistry of the band and its future, became too great to continue with." Not too soon later did they announce that they had returned to the studio for their second album.
The new drummer was Ben's brother Christian Smith who had left Razorlight in March 2004.
[edit] Releases
Although the band has been around for a few years only one full album has been released, No Push Collide (2003) on Taste Media with minimal promotion. It was produced by Dave Sardy in Los Angeles.
Two singles were released before the album: Things Fall Apart and Day by Day
Their second album, To The Teeth, has been recorded but yet to be mixed and released.
Serafin have released two Extended 4 track EPs also on Taste Media before No Push Collide. The first was in April 2002, the second in August 2002
Taste Media was bought by Warner Music Group in 2004 which forced the band into legal limbo with no way to get out of their contract and no funding to promote To The Teeth. The management left and they all spent more time on side projects.
At the start of May 2005 the band began releasing acoustic mp3s on their site culminating in 21 songs free for download. The recording quality varies and many songs lack most of the band. This gives a feel wholly different then the prior Serafin sound. They now have non-acoustic tracks on their Myspace though the mixing is of questionable quality.
[edit] Appearances
Despite the lack of success of their releases, they have toured extensively with no real promotion and limited recognition. They have played in the Reading and Leeds Festivals twice, once on the Carling Stage (2002) and once on the Radio 1 stage (2003). Played many festivals in other European countries and supported Frank Black, Muse and Feeder.
One of the most notable things about the band, which can be evident in the songs themseves, is that they are vegan. It is believed, however, that the more typically 'laid back' members do not adhere to this diet.
