Pram (band)

Pram
Origin	Moseley, Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Experimental rock Dream pop Post-rock Shoegazing
Years active	1988–2008
Labels	Howl AE Too Pure Domino Merge
Associated acts	Broadcast Monade Modified Toy Orchestra Micronormous
Members	Sam Owen Matt Eaton Max Simpson Laurence Hunt Harry Dawes
Past members	Rosie Cuckston Steve Perkins Daren Garret Nick Sales Alex Clare Dave Turner Mark Butterworth Andy Weir Hannah Baines Mr. Verdigris Horn The Colonel

Pram are a British experimental pop band, formed in the Balsall Heath/Moseley area of Birmingham, England in 1990.

Originally from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Rosie Cuckston, Matt Eaton and Andy Weir went to school together. In the late 1980s Cuckston and Eaton moved to Birmingham, where Cuckston met Shropshire-born Samantha "Sam" Owen by chance (at a local supermarket's Singles Night). Weir had moved to London to study art, but kept in touch. The four musicians began working together in Birmingham under the temporary name Hole in 1988 (performing solely with vocals and a homemade theremin), changing their name to Pram some time later. Cuckston sang and played keyboards, Eaton played mostly guitar, Weir played drums, and Owen played bass guitar. A little later the group added a fifth member, Max Simpson, on keyboard and sampler. Over time, the various band members introduced their multi-instrumental skills to the project - in particular, Sam Owen and Matt Eaton shared bass guitar and six-string guitar roles (as well as adding to the keyboards) and Owen also performed on various woodwind instruments as well as singing backing vocals.

Pram's name (and their developing incorporation of unusual and toy instruments into their sound - including theremin, zither, toy piano, glass hammer, glockenspiel, and a Hawaiian bubble machine) emphasised their unearthly, childlike tone and presentation. Rosie Cuckston's eerie vocals and lyrics dealt with depression, loneliness and the dark side of childhood. The band's early recordings had a Krautrock-influenced blend of rhythmic guitar, keyboards and percussion which would eventually see them associated with the emerging post-rock genre, as would other elements of their work (although the band have rejected the label). The band was also inspired by multimedia and by memories of broadcast material: Sam Owen has commented that "in some ways film, animation, children's TV, Play For Today and public information broadcasts all lodged their spirit into our songs as much as the music we listened to."

...
Wikipedia