Tom Hingley

Tom Hingley
Tom Hingley onstage in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Thomas William Hingley
Born	(1965-07-09) 9 July 1965 (age 51) Abingdon, Berkshire, England
Genres	Indie
Occupation(s)	Musician Songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, Banjo
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Ugly Man Mute Newmemorabilia
Associated acts	Tom Hingley Band The Lovers Inspiral Carpets Too Much Texas
Website	www.tomhingley.co.uk

Thomas "Tom" William Hingley (born 9 July 1965) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman of Inspiral Carpets.

Hingley was born in Abingdon, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) and moved to Oldham in 1984 to study English at Manchester Polytechnic. He formed a band called Too Much Texas, and got a job collecting glasses at The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester. He joined Inspiral Carpets as lead vocalist in 1989 (future Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher also auditioned, but was not chosen). After six successful years, Inspiral Carpets split in 1995 and Hingley started performing as a solo artist, releasing Keep Britain Untidy (2000) and Soulfire (2002), released on his own label Newmemorabilia Records. In 2001 Hingley formed the band The Lovers with Steve Hanley and Paul Hanley, both former members of The Fall, and Jason Brown and Kelly Wood. The Lovers' first album, Abba Are The Enemy, was released in 2004. In 2002/2003 Hingley joined a reformed Inspiral Carpets for two sell-out UK tours and again in 2006/2007. His second album with the Lovers, Highlights, was released in March 2008. In August 2009 Hingley played the Rebellion Punk Festival in Blackpool. In 2009 Hingley released a new solo acoustic record on Newmemorabilia Records called Thames Valley Delta Blues, a kind of follow up to the earlier, much-acclaimed Keep Britain Untidy.

Hingley's late father was the Russian academic Ronald Hingley, translator of Chekhov for Oxford University Press.