Ultrasound (band)

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Ultrasound

Country	London, England
Years active	1997–1999
Genres	Britpop, Indie, Rock, Pop
Labels	Nude Records
Members	Andy Peace Tiny Wood Richard Green Vanessa Best Matt Jones

Ultrasound were a British indie band who were active in the late 1990s. Although fronted by tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, who took Wood and drummer Andy Peace with him on leaving Sleepy People. The line-up was completed by keyboardist Matt Jones and bassist/singer Vanessa Best.

Combining a bizarre mix of 1970s Glam Rock and Prog Rock with an independent outlook, the band released their first single "Same Band" on Fierce Panda in 1997. This bought them some favourable press in NME and led them to a deal with Nude Records following a bidding war. Further singles "Best Wishes" and "Stay Young" (which mentioned Gary Glitter just when he returned to the news) followed in 1998.

The band received some very favourable reviews (most notably for their 1998 Glastonbury Festival performance) and began to build a growing fanbase. The band were sometimes described as a band of outsiders with an image unusual for successful pop stars, and often compared with Pulp, Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers, and managed to attract some of the typically devoted fans of each of these bands.

The band released their triple-length debut LP Everything Picture after a gap of nearly a year in 1999. The LP received poor reviews for its great length and alleged lack of focus. A string of planned live dates were cancelled following growing tensions within the band, including an important show at T In the Park festival in Scotland. The band officially split on October 12th 1999.

Richard Green formed the Somatics, Matt Jones formed Minuteman, while Tiny Wood tried to reform Ultrasound with a new line up, even playing a few live dates in 2000.

Wood later formed a new band 'Siren' who have gigged throughout the Newcastle area and in London between 2002 and 2005. The band have recorded an array of material and recently experienced line-up changes. In Spring 2006 the band played at a Smiths tribute in Newcastle.