Astrid (band)
| Astrid | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Isle of Lewis, Scotland |
| Genres | Indie pop |
| Years active | 1997–2004, 2016- |
| Labels |
Fantastic Plastic Records Mushroom Pillow Muzak Records |
| Members |
William Campbell Charles Clark Neil Payne Gareth Russell |
| Past members | Gary Thom |
Astrid is a guitar-pop foursome formed in Glasgow in the mid 1990s, but with strong ties to Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides, Scotland. The group released three studio albums, as well as several singles and EPs, before breaking up in 2004.
Willie Campbell, Charles Clark and Gareth Russell were childhood friends who moved from the Isle of Lewis, off the West coast of Scotland, to Glasgow in the mid 1990s. There, the three began writing songs together; Campbell on vocals, Clark on acoustic guitar and Russell on bass guitar. They then met up with drummer Gareth Thom and began rehearsing in 1997. The group called themselves "Astrid" and quickly caught the attention of Belle & Sebastian who asked them to be their opening act, initially at a local gig and then on a small tour of the UK.
Astrid signed up with Fantastic Plastic Records, under whose record label they released their first EP in 1998, No Reason. The group then teamed with former Orange Juice singer, Edwyn Collins, who produced their second EP, Hi-Fi Lo-Fi, which was also released in 1998. A single "It's True" was released the same year. Collins went to produce the group's debut album the following year, Strange Weather Lately. The album received positive reviews and sold well in the UK and in Europe, although no American distributor could be found. The band's sound was compared to that of fellow Scottish indie bands The Pastels and Teenage Fanclub.
A further EP called Modes of Transport was released in September 2000. The main single from the EP was made Single of the Week by Radio 1 DJ Simon Mayo, gaining further publicity and airplay for the group. As the band began recording their second full album, Thom left and was replaced by Neil Payne. Play Dead, the group's second album, was released in March 2001.
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