- The Departure
Infobox musical artist
Name = The Departure
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Background = group_or_band
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Origin =Northampton ,England
Genre = Rock,alternative rock , nowrap|indie rock
Years_active = 2004-08
Label =Parlophone
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URL = [http://www.thedeparture.com/ www.thedeparture.com]
Current_members =
Past_members = David Jones Sam Harvey Ben Winton Simon Alexander Lee Irons Andy HobsonThe Departure was an English
rock band fromNorthampton , formed in January 2004. Their debut album, "Dirty Words ", was released 13 June 2005 byParlophone . A second album was expected to be released in early 2008, but wasn't. The band finished on 30 January 2008.History
The group formed in January 2004 after starting in Northampton as a collaboration between a former Christian commune member David Jones (vocals/guitar) and his friend Sam Harvey (guitar). [http://www.musicomh.com/interviews/departure.htm] After recruiting old school associate Ben Winton (bass) and Lee Irons (guitar), the lineup was completed with the addition of Andy Hobson (drums) via a website. [http://www.musicomh.com/interviews/departure.htm] Jones described the concept of the band to music webzine
Drowned in Sound : "We all got quite excited about the whole ethos of what we’re trying to do, which is to take 1980s reference points and transcend them into modern day, edgy, instant kind of sounds."cite web
url= http://drownedinsound.com/articles/9816
title= In 20 years it's not going to be what we look like that matters
accessdate= 2008-02-19
last= Gourlay
first= Dom
work= Drowned in Sound]They were signed to Parlophone Records after playing only three gigs and being together for just four months, a fact that attracted a considerable level of derision and scepticism.cite web
url= http://drownedinsound.com/content/view/10914
title= Cherubs, The Departure at Nottingham Stealth, Thu 16 Dec
accessdate= 2008-02-19
last= Gourlay
first= Dom
work= Drowned in Sound] Touring slots with Placebo,The Tears and a reformed Gang Of Four soon followed as the band sought to build a support base ahead of their first wing of releases. Debut singleAll Mapped Out was released on 2 August 2004 and debuted at number 30 on the UK singles chart. This track later will be include on the Driver: Parallel Lines video game. Follow up singleBe My Enemy emerged on 18 October 2004 and was included on the soundtrack to theFIFA 06 video game.They released a debut album ‘
Dirty Words ’, produced by Steve Osborne (who also worked withNew Order , Suede andHappy Mondays ), a year after signing to Parlophone. The album was trailed the week before its release by the reissue of theAll Mapped Out single. Disappointingly it was lower in the charts than the original. The album drew a middling response from critics,cite web
url= http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/departure/dirtywords?q=The%20Departure
title= The Departure: Dirty Words
accessdate= 2008-02-19
work= Metacritic.com] who varied between praising the album for its bleak, futuristic atmosphere [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/d/departure-dirtywords.shtml] and slating it for its perceived superficiality and over-reliance on the music of the 80s for inspiration. [cite web
url= http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3107
title= The Departure: Dirty Words - PopMatters Music Review
accessdate= 2008-02-19
last= Garrett
first= Jon]
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