Witness (UK band)

Witness
Origin	Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock Lo-fi Americana
Years active	1997–2004 2008
Labels	Valiant Recordings Island Records
Associated acts	Strangelove The Jazz Butcher The Blue Aeroplanes
Website	witness.uk.com
Members	Gerard Starkie Ray Chan Dylan Keeton John Langley
Past members	Julian Pransky-Poole Becky Home Paul Harte

Witness were a British alternative rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester in 1997. The band released two albums via Island Records between 1999 and 2001, before splitting up in 2004.

Singer-songwriter, Gerard Starkie, and guitarist, Ray Chan, first met at Wigan & Leigh College and spent their early years in and out of various local bands which didn't quite match the sound that they were both hoping for; most notably Gerard in Embryonic and Ray in Easter. As a result, they eventually set about writing and recording a number of 4-track demos together, which were mixed by their friend, Nick McCabe.

Bassist Dylan Keeton became the next member to join the band which would eventually go on to become Witness, as a result of an advert he had placed in the local Loot newspaper. After securing a record deal with Island, they went on to add both drummer, John Langley, and guitarist, Julian Pransky-Poole – initially to enhance their live sound during gigs, but later as a full-time member – to the line-up.

Before settling on the name Witness, the band initially played a handful of gigs in nearby Manchester under the names Siren and High Mountain Jag in mid-1997. Witness' big break came in the same year, as they ventured down to London to watch The Verve support Oasis at Earl's Court in September 1997. Ray, a long-time friend of Nick McCabe's, met someone backstage at the gig who did press for The Verve (Tim Vigon). He passed on a recently recorded demo tape – produced by former Tansads songwriter and guitarist, John Kettle – and just a week later they had signed a three-album deal with Island Records. At this stage, Witness had yet to settle on a band name, and had yet to play a gig under the name "Witness", and, as such, their record contract simply referred to them as the "Wigan Band".

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