The Electric Soft Parade | |
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Origin | Brighton, England |
Genres | Indie rock, psych pop |
Years active | 2001–2008 2010–present |
Labels | Helium Records (UK) |
Associated acts | Brakes |
Website | Official website |
Members |
Alex White Thomas White Andrew Mitchell Matthew Twaites Damo Waters |
Past members |
Steven Large Mathew Priest Matt Eaton Joe Harling Alan Grice Alistair Gavan Russell Gleason |
The Electric Soft Parade are an English psych pop band from Brighton, comprising brothers Alex and Thomas White, the creative core of the band, as well as a number of other musicians with whom they record and perform live, most recently including Andrew Mitchell (of Dundee-based group The Hazey Janes) and Damo Waters, as well as long-standing bass/keyboard player, Matthew Twaites.
Alex and Thomas originally formed Fixed Ascent (later The Feltro Media) with schoolfriends Alistair Gavan and Russell Gleason in around 1997. Whilst ostensibly a formulaic indie outfit, there were flashes of the more complex symphonic arrangements and varied production values that would characterise later Electric Soft Parade releases, and over three self-released albums the band cultivated a (relatively) original sound, not unlike that of Holes in the Wall. Following interest in their 1999 LP, The Wonderful World of the Feltro Media, the band were offered a deal with DB Records (a subsidiary of BMG). The band officially signed to DB Records (as a two-piece) in January 2001, with their debut single following that April. Their original choice for a name was "The Soft Parade" but were made to change it after legal action by an American The Doors cover band (The Soft Parade being the title of a Doors album).
The Brothers' debut, Holes in the Wall was released in February 2002 to wide critical acclaim. With A&R and production from Chris Hughes, the album spawned two UK top-forty hits and led to performances on Top of the Pops, Later With Jools Holland and a world-tour covering Europe, Japan and Australasia. They were also nominated for the 2002 Mercury Music Prize, where they lost out to Ms. Dynamite. They later won the Q Award for Best New Act.