Cornershop (band)
| Cornershop | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Leicester and Wolverhampton |
| Genres | Indie rock, raga rock, Britpop, alternative dance |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Wiiija, Rough Trade, Ample Play, Luaka Bop, Warner Bros. |
| Website | Official site |
| Members |
Tjinder Singh Ben Ayres Nick Simms Peter Bengry Adam Blake Pete Downing James Milne |
| Past members | Avtar Singh David Chambers Anthony Saffery Wallis Healey Pete Hall |
Cornershop are a British indie rock band best known for their 1998 UK number-one single "Brimful of Asha". The band were formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh (singer, songwriter, and guitar), his brother Avtar Singh (bass guitar, vocals), David Chambers (drums) and Ben Ayres (guitar, keyboards, and tamboura), the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single (the "Fast Jaspal EP") in 1991. The band name originated from a stereotype referring to British Asians often owning corner shops. Their music is a fusion of Indian music, Britpop, alternative and electronic dance music.
Tjinder Singh formed the General Havoc whilst a student at Lancashire Polytechnic in Preston, in 1987. He relocated to Leicester, where his brother and sister lived, and formed Cornershop in 1991 along with his brother Avtar, and Chambers and Ayres, while working as a barman at Leicester's Royal Mail pub, also a popular local music venue. The band played their first gig at Leicester's O'Jays venue. In the early 1990s, when popular singer Morrissey was being vilified by the UK music press after accusations of racism, the band were invited to comment and the Melody Maker ran a story featuring the band burning a picture of the singer outside the offices of EMI.
Their debut release, the In The Days of Ford Cortina EP, was pressed on "curry-coloured vinyl", contained a blend of Indian-tinged noise pop. The sound mellowed somewhat with the release of debut album Hold On It Hurts in 1994, described by Trouser Press as "a politically charged popfest, ten tracks of noisy delights that meld incisive social commentary with a firm hold on British post-punk." The album impressed David Byrne sufficiently for him to sign the band to his Luaka Bop label. Although David Chambers left the band in 1994, replaced by Nick Simms, the band re-emerged in 1995 with the "6 a.m. Jullandar Shere" single and the album Woman's Gotta Have It, also touring the United States including some dates on the Lollapalooza tour. The band also toured Europe with Beck, Stereolab and Oasis.
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