Euros Childs

Euros Childs

Euros Childs performing at The Faversham, Leeds, 6 September 2008
Background information
Birth name Euros Childs
Born 16 April 1975
Origin Freshwater East, Wales
Genres Rock, alternative, folk-pop
Years active 1991–2006 (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci)
2005–present (solo & other projects)
Labels National Elf, Wichita Recordings, V2 International
Associated acts Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Jonny, Cousins, Short & Curlies, Ymarfer Corff
Website www.euroschilds.co.uk

Euros Childs (/ˈtʃaɪldz/; Welsh: [ˈəirɔs]; born 16 April 1975)[1] is a Welsh musician and songwriter, perhaps best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. His sister is the violinist Megan Childs, and their father Lynn played on some Gorky's recordings, most notably on Barafundle. Childs was born in Freshwater East, Pembrokeshire, and was educated at the Welsh-medium school Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin in Carmarthenshire.[1]

Career

Childs was a founder of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and stayed with the band throughout its lifetime, writing or co-writing most songs, handling most lead vocals, and playing keyboards, among other instruments.

His first solo music appeared in 2005, and his first single, "Donkey Island", was released on Wichita Recordings in November of that year. His band for the subsequent UK tour included Gorky's drummer Peter Richardson and fellow Welsh musician Alun Tan Lan, who also has occasionally opened for Childs.

Childs' first solo album, Chops, was released on Wichita in February 2006, quickly followed by the other single from the album, "Costa Rita". By the middle of 2006, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci had announced their split, allowing Childs and Richard James to focus on their solo projects.

Childs' second solo album, the all-Welsh language Bore Da, was released in March 2007. This was followed in August of the same year by The Miracle Inn.

His fourth album, Cheer Gone, was released in October 2008. It was recorded over six days in Nashville with a band that included Richardson and Stephen Black, and had contributions from several Nashville musicians including Matt Swanson of Lambchop.[2]

In 2009, Childs released his fifth album, Son of Euro Child, on his newly formed label National Elf. The album was available as a free download as well as on CD, and it began his current trend of releasing all his music through his official website on a "pay what you can" basis.

2009 also saw Childs form the duo Jonny with Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake.[3] They released their debut, Jonny, in 2011.

The album Ends was released on 28 November 2011.[4] Its songs consist mostly of vocals and piano, with Megan Childs contributing violin on four of the 10 tracks.

In 2012, Childs established another duo, Cousins, this time with Race Horses' Meilyr Jones, who had previously appeared on Bore Da and The Miracle Inn. Their album First Cousins was released on 12 March 2012 on National Elf.[4]

Childs and Peter Richardson have recorded under the name Ymarfer Corff.[4] Childs has also been a member of Short & Curlies with frequent collaborators Stephen Black and Megan Childs, among others.

Summer Special was released on 20 August 2012, with a band consisting of Childs, Jones, Black, Stuart Kidd, and Megan Childs. The first single and video was "That's Better".[5] The second single was "Be Be High" with the non-album B-side "The Surgeon".[4]

The album Situation Comedy was released on 21 October 2013, preceded by the single "Tête à Tête" on 14 October.[4] In his NME review that rated the album 8/10, Tom Pinnock called it "a set of witty piano-pop songs" with "a grim undertone". He opined that the closing 14-minute track "Trick of the Mind" was "perhaps Childs' most beautiful song ever".[6]

In late 2014, Childs self-released his new album Eilaag, on a donation basis, at his website.[7] Seven of the nine tracks are instrumental pieces for solo piano, the other two being solo vocal pieces accompanied by solo piano.

Discography

Album cover of Situation Comedy

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Appears on

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jude Rogers (24 August 2007). "The year of the dragon : Where do you go after Gorky's Zygotic Mynci? Jude Rogers talks to former frontman Euros Childs about how glad he is to be Welsh". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  2. ↑ Wichita Recordings (27 October 2007). "Out This Week on Wichita Recordings". Wichita Recordings. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Turnstile (1 November 2010). "Euros Childs and Norman Blake, a.k.a. Jonny, Announce Debut Album Details". Turnstile. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Official website
  5. ↑ Best Fit News: Euros Childs set for new album, ‘Summer Special’, The Line Of Best Fit, 1 August 2012
  6. ↑ Tom Pinnock (18 October 2013). "Euros Childs – 'Situation Comedy'". NME. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  7. ↑ http://euroschilds.co.uk/euros-childs-eilaaig/

External links