Codeine Velvet Club | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
Genres | Alternative rock, Baroque pop, Cabaret |
Years active | 2008–2010 |
Labels | Island, Dangerbird, MapleMusic Recordings (Canada) |
Associated acts | The Fratellis |
Members |
Jon Lawler Lou Hickey |
Codeine Velvet Club was a Scottish alternative rock band formed in 2008 by Lou Hickey and Jon Lawler, a.k.a. Jon Fratelli from The Fratellis. The band's debut album Codeine Velvet Club was released on 28 December 2009 in the UK and on 6 April 2010 in the US.
The band released their first single on 23 November 2009 entitled "Vanity Kills". The song failed to chart on any national charts in countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland. The band released a second single "Hollywood" in December 2009, again failing to chart but the music video for the song has been nominated for MTVU Award for "Best Music Video". In April 2010, the band re-released their debut single "Vanity Kills" for promotion ahead of the release of Codeine Velvet Club in the United States. In 2010, it was confirmed by the band that they will be splitting up and both Jon Lawler and Lou Hickey will be pursuing solo careers.
Jon Lawler stated in 2008, while the Fratellis were touring their Here We Stand album, that he wanted to release a solo effort to keep himself busy between albums, indicating that the band were going to take a break once they finished touring the album. When the Fratellis finished their touring commitments in July 2009, after the Hop Farm Festival, the band went on to their new projects. Fans already knew that Jon was going to do a side project by this point. It was later reported that he had formed a band called 'Codeine Breakfast Club' with Lou Hickey on NME, but fans had already been aware of the involvement of Lawler and Hickey.
On 23 August 2009, it was reported in the Sunday Mail that the band was to be called Codeine Velvet Club and will be releasing their eponymous debut album on 16 November 2009. The article also included a track-by-track with Jon Lawler. This article also mentioned that Lawler and Hickey shared songwriting duties between them. The band's official website was unveiled (although in a basic form for now) and featured a clip of their debut single "Vanity Kills". Fans who sign up to the mailing list were able to view the full song as performed by the band. Later on, the website contained information about their debut shows (15, 17 and 19 September), a video player was also added to the site, showing full versions of "Vanity Kills" and new track and future single, "Hollywood". Reviews to the initial shows were positive, complimenting the duo's vocals and the musical arrangements.