Adrian Borland
| Adrian Borland | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adrian Kelvin Borland |
| Also known as | Joachim Pimento |
| Born |
6 December 1957 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 26 April 1999 (aged 41) |
| Genres | Post-punk, alternative rock, new wave, indie rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboard, vocals |
| Years active | 1976–1999 |
| Labels | Red Sun, Play It Again Sam, Resolve, Earth |
| Associated acts | The Outsiders, The Sound, Adrian Borland & the Citizens, The Witch Trials, Second Layer, Honolulu Mountain Daffodils, White Rose Transmission |
| Website | www.brittleheaven.com |
Adrian Kelvin Borland (6 December 1957 – 26 April 1999) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, best known as the lead singer of post-punk band The Sound (1979–87). Following a substantial solo career spanning five albums, he succumbed to the symptoms of schizoaffective disorder and committed suicide in April 1999.
Borland was born in Hampstead, London, the son of Bob Borland, a physicist at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, London, and his wife Win, an English teacher.
At primary school the young Borland was already friends with future Sound bassist (and Second Layer collaborator) Graham "Green" Bailey, and would meet Steve Budd, closely involved with his band The Sound in their early years, in his early teens. Budd would later recall, "We met when we were both 14. He was the only other kid I knew with an electric guitar. Even at 14 you could see he was a genius". Borland played guitar left-handed.
Borland's first band, the Wimbledon-based punk rock trio The Outsiders, was formed with Borland at its nucleus, manning vocals and guitar. Bob Lawrence was on bass, and Adrian 'Jan' Janes manned the drums. Their debut LP, Calling on Youth, was self-released on their Raw Edge label, and became the first UK self-released punk album. and won them their first unfavourable reviews: "apple-cheeked Ade has a complexion that would turn a Devon milkmaid green with envy", reported the NME.
A single released that November, One to Infinity, was labelled as "tuneless, gormless, gutless" (again by the NME), but was praised elsewhere. It was followed by a second album, Close Up in 1979. This received better reviews from the press. During his time with The Outsiders he played on stage with Iggy Pop.
It was after this album that important changes took place that would decide the band's future: Lawrence left to be replaced by Borland's old friend Graham 'Green' Bailey, and Adrian Janes' departure to go to college allowed Geoffrey Cummant-Wood (the band's manager) to suggest 28-year-old Mike Dudley in his stead. The Outsiders trio then became The Sound, a quartet, with the arrival of Bi Marshall (real name Benita Biltoo), an acquaintance of Bailey's and the band from around 1977. The new sound was augmented by her use of the clarinet (later saxophone) and synthesizer.
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