Therapy?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.

Country Northern Ireland
Years active 1989–-present
Genres Heavy Metal/Rock
Labels Spitfire
Members Andy Cairns
Michael McKeegan
Neil Cooper
Past members Fyfe Ewing
Martin McCarrick
Graham Hopkins

Therapy? are an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist/vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Andy filling in on bass duties. To complete the line up, the band recruited bassist Michael McKeegan.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The early years

The band, highly influenced by artists of the indie rock movement, released its first single, called Meat Abstract, in 1990, on its own independent label, Multifuckingnational Records. Only 1000 copies have been pressed. At the summer of that year, the band made its first tour through the United Kingdom, catching the attention of influential DJ John Peel along the way. The band's early years followed the familiar pattern of hard graft on the local alternative music scene, with Cairns often putting in a full day at the Michelin tyre factory (where he worked as a quality controller), then speeding across Northern Ireland in order to make it to gigs. Therapy? quickly came to the attention of local music fans with their distinctively uncompromising style. Their use of guitar feedback as a "fourth instrument" and unconventional song structures, combined with a darkly original approach to lyrics led them to being spotted in 1991 by the hip London-based independent label Wiiija. A move helped by Leslie Rankine of Silverfish, who passed the band's first single on to Wiiija Records. The band returned the favour on their fourth album Troublegum by the guest appearance of Leslie as a backing vocalist.

The band's first album, 1991's Babyteeth, and its 1992 follow up, Pleasure Death, were successful enough to earn the band a major label deal with A&M Records, home of popular artist like Sting, among others. The two albums, although poorly engineered in places, brimmed with originality and potential, exciting the music press and winning the band a formidable "underground" fanbase. Babyteeth and Pleasure Death both went to number 1 in the UK Indie Charts. A compilation of the two albums entitled Caucasian Psychosis was prepared for the American market.

Their debut A&M record, Nurse, confirmed the band as one of the most exciting finds in British music for several years, making its way in to UK's Top 40 Album Chart. The grunge revolution was in full swing, with US outfit Nirvana leading the way. Predictably, the media began to draw comparisons with the two bands, predominantly on the grounds that they both contained three members. Fans of both groups have dismissed such comparisons out of hand, citing various differences in style and background. Nevertheless, the heavy guitars and inventive drumming that was swiftly becoming Therapy?'s trademark led them more towards the grunge camp then away from it.

[edit] The Success

If there was one true "breakthrough" year in the band's history, it would almost certainly be 1993. The release of the Shortsharpshock EP stunned many by catapulting Therapy? into the Top 40, peaking at 9, and rooting the anthemic single Screamager deep into the fabric of contemporary rock music. The single swelled the already burgeoning fanbase even further, augmented by the first of several appearances on the venerable UK music show Top Of The Pops. However, it was clear that the band's music was changing, evolving from experimental noise trips into something far more accessible.

1994 saw the release of the Troublegum album, a record that delighted Therapy? fans both new and old. A seething but sleek slice of angry rock music, interwoven by feedback breaks and more of Fyfe Ewing's extraordinary drumming, Troublegum earned the band appearances at a string of rock and indie festivals over the next couple of years, as well as a clutch of Top 40 singles. It remains for many people, the band's high point, achieving a string of nominations in end-of-year polls and success at the Kerrang! awards.

With impatience mounting for a new album, Infernal Love was released in early 1995. This time, the press reaction was lukewarm. As ambitious as ever, the band had attempted to create a "cinematic" record with trance guru David Holmes employed to link each tracks with "insanity", but in the eyes of many, had produced a disjointed piece over-subscribed with ballads. It was clear that Therapy? had changed direction, and despite the singles Stories and Loose charting, much of the early momentum had gone.

[edit] Fyfe leaving the band

Fyfe Ewing left the band in early 1996, citing the pressures of a constant touring schedule. It was widely assumed that with such a key component now missing, the band would inevitably break up. Cairns, now a respected songwriter in his own right, had other ideas. The band quickly recruited Graham Hopkins to replace Ewing as well as the permanent addition of guest cellist Martin McCarrick, and work began on the Semi-Detached album. The band toured the remainder of the year to allow the new guys to settle in, and spent most of 1997 writing and rehearsing the follow-up to Infernal Love.

While the Church Of Noise single failed to succeed commercially, it clawed back some of the kudos that had been lost with Infernal Love. The Semi-Detached album transcended the trajectory of Troublegum and Infernal Love with their dark, broody atmosphere. However, promotion for the album was scant at best, due to problems at the A&M label, which culminated in the loss of their record deal with the company.

[edit] The Turn of the Millennium

The Semi-Detached album is in retrospect the band at its most radio-friendly, but despite this the bands' commercial success has waned considerably. During the late nineties, indie-rock and metal music experienced a renaissance which led younger, less experienced 'fad-type' bands to become quickly popular (take for example the stylised "nu-metal" genre) yet fade just as quickly as they rose. The bands' sentiment towards these young pretenders was expressed in the song Ten Year Plan from the bands uncompromising Suicide Pact - You First, an album which was packed full of vitriol, discontent and barely-repressed musical aggression. This album revealed a fuller-sound, yet was noticeably lacking in songs suitable of mainstream-radio airplay. The following year saw the release of the So Much For The Ten Year Plan-A Retrospective 1990-2000 album which (in title at least) was a self-deprecating poke at the bands' difficulties with corporate rock in recent years. After the problems resulting from the late release and touring of the follow-up record Shameless (produced by the legendary Jack Endino), Graham Hopkins quit the band to pursue a career as the frontman in his own band, Halite, and was eventually replaced by ex- The Beyond/Cable drummer Neil Cooper. This line-up lasted one album, the commercially inclined High Anxiety (the most successful album sales-wise since Semi-Detached) until Martin McCarrick left in March 2004.

Fan favourite Never Apologise Never Explain was released in late 2004 to an audience who had just become re-acquainted with the three-piece Therapy? who had unleashed an album which is reminiscient of the sound of their earlier material.

Although now all but vanished from the charts and wider media attention, Therapy? continue releasing material, gaining enough attention to enable them to tour. The band continues to entertain a smaller but intensely loyal following, and although now even though he has reached the age of 40, Cairns has been quoted as having no plans to quit.

[edit] Today

Therapy? are currently touring in promotion of their new album One Cure Fits All.

In September 2006, Therapy? will be performing an exclusive show in a studio that fans choose the setlist for. On the bands official website, fans can choose their three favourite tracks. These votes will be counted and the twelve tracks with the most votes will then be recorded. Once this is done, fans can then buy the audio and video tracks.

[edit] Trivia

Much has been made over the years of the unusual question mark suffix to the band's name. Various theories have been ventured by fans, many of them bizarre. The truth is somewhat mundane. When designing the band's first home produced single, Andy Cairns misaligned the Letraset adhesive label on the sleeve, and used the "?" icon to fill the space.

Some of the rumoured working titles for the Semi-Detached album include: Church of Noise, Armageddon Checklist, and Ice-Cream Headache.

Therapy?'s album titles are often derived from the lyrics of their songs. The songs Epilepsy, Little Tongues First and new track Dopamine, Serotonin, Adrenaline have all been previously referred to as Infernal Love, Suicide Pact-You First and One Cure Fits All respectively. All these songs feature the album title among their lyrics. The song Teethgrinder features the word 'babyteeth,' but it is unknown whether 'babyteeth' was an earlier title (and of course it features on a different album).

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • "Meat Abstract" (1990)
  • "Teethgrinder" (1992)
  • "Shortsharpshock EP" (1993)
  • "Face The Strange EP" (1993)
  • "Opal Mantra" (1993)
  • "Nowhere" (1994)
  • "Trigger Inside" (1994)
  • "Die Laughing" (1994)
  • "Isolation" (1994)
  • "Femtex" (1994)
  • "Stories" (1995)
  • "Loose" (1995)
  • "Diane" (1995)
  • "Bad Mother" (1996)
  • "Church Of Noise" (1998)
  • "Lonely, Cryin’, Only" (1998)
  • "Hate Kill Destroy" (2000)
  • "Gimme Back My Brain" (2001)
  • "I Am The Money" (2001)
  • "If It Kills Me" (2003)
  • "Polar Bear/Rock You Monkeys" (2005)
  • "Rain Hits Concrete EP" (2006)

[edit] Other Releases

  • Caucasian Psychosis - compilation of the first two mini-albums (1992)
  • Have a Merry Fucking Christmas (1992)
  • Born In a Crash (1993)
  • Hats Off to the Insane EP (1993)
  • Live In Japan (Fan Club Edition) (1994)
  • Official Fan Club (1996)
  • Scopophobia DVD - a recorded gig in Belfast's Mandela Hall (2003)

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/h/e/Therapy__5e32.html"