Neils Children
| Neils Children | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Cheshunt, England |
| Genres | Neo-psychedelia, post-punk, experimental rock, indie pop, art punk |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Structurally Sound Poptones Soft City Recordings Vinyl Junkie Half Machine White Heat Boudoir Moderne |
| Associated acts |
The Horrors These New Puritans Klaxons Electricity In Our Homes Disconcerts Vile Imbeciles |
| Members | John Linger (1999-present) Brandon Jacobs (1999-present) Syd Kemp (2013-present) Victoria Hamblett (2015) |
| Past members | Tom Hawkins(1999-2000) James Hair (2000-2005, 2012) Keith Seymour (2005-2009) Paul Linger (2009) Charles Boyer (2009) David Smith (2013-2014) |
Neils Children are an English band, founded by lead singer and guitarist John Linger and drummer Brandon Jacobs.
Neils Children formed in 1999 at Harlow College in Harlow, Essex, where John Linger and Brandon Jacobs were studying music with Tom Hawkins. The band's name came from Linger's obsession with 1960s proto-punk band John's Children; 'Neil' was the nickname of Hawkins, the group's original bassist, due to him apparently resembling Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey.
Primarily playing freakbeat-inspired music, the band performed several gigs on the London mod scene, as well as performing in the Harlow Square Rock Contest. In 2000 Hawkins quit the band and went on to become a sound engineer for The Subways. Replacement bassist James Hair was recruited in early 2001.
They are seen as forerunners of the mid 2000s 'Southend Scene' which revolved around Junk Club, a club night set up by future Horrors member Rhys Webb, Oliver Abbott, Ciaran O'Shea and John Linger and was considered the most unusual and cutting edge alternative club in the town. Adopted as honorary 'Southenders', Neils Children acted as house band for Junk Club, playing handfuls of shows either as one-off concerts or dates on longer UK tours. The 'Southend Scene' was written about in the pages of NME magazine, the focus of which went on to spawn such groups as The Horrors and These New Puritans, and it has long been noted that Neils Children acted as a catalyst for the scene and the bands involved.
They played many concerts in London, Southend, Brighton and other cities, notably playing the Insomniacs Ball in London in 2006, and the London Calling Festival in Amsterdam. John was placed Number 30 of 50 in NME's Cool List in 2005. In June 2005, their single "Always the Same" peaked at No. 56 in the UK Singles Chart. The group were much in demand as a support act for up and coming UK bands, being invited to support rising British bands such as Razorlight, Bloc Party, The Horrors, Klaxons and Art Brut on tour as well as completing various British headline tours and shows throughout the UK and Europe. In December 2005, Hair left to form Vile Imbeciles with former The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster member Andy Huxley and moved to Brighton, and was replaced by Keith Seymour (formerly of Hope of the States).
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