Dawn of the Replicants explained

Dawn of the Replicants
Origin:Galashiels, Scotland
Genre:Indie rock
Years Active:1996 - present
Label:eastwest, Hungry Dog (Flying Sparks imprint), SL Records
Current Members:David Coyle
David Little
Roger Simian
Mike Small
Paul Vickers
Past Members:Donald Kyle
Grant Pringle

Dawn of the Replicants are a Scottish indie rock quintet from Galashiels. Four of the 1997 line-up (Pringle, Vickers, Simian and Small) had previously worked together on the short-lived Scottish music magazine, Sun Zoom Spark.

Band members

Biography

Initially a duo (Vickers and Simian), the band released a mail-order EP, entitled So Far So Spitfire in December 1996. John Peel and Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 1 DJs gave the EP substantial airplay.[1] The band was expanded to a quintet and a second self-released single followed in the summer of 1997. They signed for East West Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records. Before the close of the year, a few more EPs followed, accolades from the NME, and The Times newspaper declared them the 'best new band of 1997'.[2]

The 1998 single "Candlefire", taken from the debut album reached number 52 in the UK Singles Chart.[3] The follow-up, "Hogwash Farm"(lead track of The Diesel Hands EP), peaked at number 65.[3] That summer the band played both the Glastonbury and Reading Festivals.

Before his death, John Peel aired five sessions, four as Dawn of the Replicants plus a one-off session which Vickers and Simian recorded as side project, Pluto Monkey. The band's single "Science Fiction Freak", taken from the second Replicants' album, made John Peel's 'Festive Fifty' in 1999. The album sold less well than its predecessor and Warner Bros. dropped the band.

In 2000, Vickers and Simian released an album and two singles through Shifty Disco of electronica, under the name Pluto Monkey.

After a break the band returned with a third album and a live tour in 2002. In 2005 the band played at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. In recent years they have also recorded sessions for Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1 and Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music. While on tour in the UK during early 2006, the band took part in the Abbey Road Sessions for American satellite radio station U-Pop and enjoyed video plays on MTV2, whilst Mojo, NME, Uncut, and Q all carried reviews of their fifth studio album, Fangs.

In 2006 ten years was celebrated with a 22-track singles collection, the first 1,000 copies of which included a free DVD, featuring live footage, videos and interviews. New tracks were recorded in early 2007 for the sixth studio album. Members of Dawn of the Replicants can currently be found working on projects including Paul Vickers and The Leg, Mr. Twonkey, The Stark Palace, The Stone Ghost Collective, Mike and Michi, The Border Boogie Band, The Countess of Fife, The Shamanic Project, The Wedding Present, P.P. Arnold and The Duncan MacKinnon Music and Arts Trust venue Mac Arts.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

EPs

Singles

Notes and References

  1. News: Tom Davies. Speed of Sound: Dawn of the Replicants - Rhino Rays EP. . 219 . 6 . 14 November 1997 . 14 . This EP needs quite some listening, but why else would John Peel be playing this band to death?.
  2. . Retrieved on 2008-07-23
  3. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 143.
  4. Book: Strong , Martin C. . 2000. The Great Rock Discography. 5th. Mojo Books. Edinburgh. 246. 1-84195-017-3.