- Quench (band)
Infobox Musical artist
Name = Quench
Img_capt = Quench
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Background = group_or_band
Origin =England
Genre = Rock, Alternative, Emo, Punk/Pop
Years_active = 2001 - present
Label = Elevation/ICC
Associated_acts = Doug Walker, Jamie Hill, Why?
URL = [http://www.quenchuk.com/ quenchuk.com]
Current_members = Jamie Hill,Mark Cocks , Andy Davis, Ed Powell
Past_members = Kevin Sefton, Ron KnightsQuench are an English rock band based in Cheltenham, Oxford and Bristol, known for their uplifting, exhilarating and powerful sound, heartfelt lyrics and energetic live performances.Fact|date=July 2008 The band have toured the UK and Europe and have performed at festivals, including the UK's
Greenbelt festival .Fact|date=July 2008Following
P.O.D. ,Switchfoot and As I Lay Dying, the band's Christian faith impacts their music and performances, making them a "four piece rock band with solid mainstream appeal" according to industry magazine "The Hit Sheet", which featured Quench's "Bring The Summer In" on one of their compilation CDs. [cite web
last = Nattriss
first = Dave
title = Hit Sheet Messageboard
work =
publisher = The Hit Sheet
date = 2003-07-21
url = http://www.hitsheet.co.uk/messageboard/messages/1/2281.html?1058861731
accessdate = 2008-07-20] Quench were arguably the first signed UK Christian band to break away from the rock scene's 'punk/pop' and 'nu-metal' genres and forge new ground in an 'emo' musical direction, pioneered in the mainstream by American bandJimmy Eat World .Fact|date=July 2008History
Early years (1997–2000)
Quench grew out of Why?, an alternative band who had successful gigs at the Birmingham NEC and The Albert Hall, and had a large European following before calling it a day in 2000. Singer Jamie Hill and drummer Andy Davis then started a new rock project without the folk influences of Why? and joined by guitarist Kevin Sefton and bassist Ron Knights, they formed Quench (originally under the working title of "4 Real").
"The Quench EP" (2001)
The "Quench EP" [ [http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Quench/Quench/2474/ Magazine review of the "Quench EP"] ] was released shortly after the band signed to Elevation Records, the rock subsidiary of
ICC Records , who signed Quench on the strength of their early showcase gigs in April 2001. The EP was well received and enjoyed radio play in several countries.Fact|date=July 2008In 2002, guitarist Kevin Sefton left the band and
Mark Cocks was recruited to replace him. Mark had just finished working with ex Dum Dums frontmanJosh Doyle in his progressive rock project under the working title of "Entrace Thesis" and had originally toured with Jamie Hill in UK pop band TVB. Mark brought a harder edge to the band which drew them away from their early Punk/Pop leanings into a moreEmo direction referencing bands likeJimmy Eat World ,Lostprophets and Finch in their new sound.Fact|date=July 2008 After their performance at theGreenbelt Festival , Elevation Records booked Quench into the recording studio in the Autumn of 2002 to record their debut album."Afterglow" (2003–2006)
"Afterglow" [ [http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Quench/7170/p1/ Magazine interview with Quench about the release of "Afterglow"] ] was recorded with producers Trevor Michael and Dave Lynch at Chapel Lane Studios in Hereford and ICC Studios in Eastbourne. The album was almost entirely arranged in the studio and the process of arranging, recording and mixing was achieved in just over three weeks.
Upon its release in the Spring of 2003, "Afterglow" received rave reviews from the music press including a 10/10 rating in Cross Rhythms Magazine. [ [http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Quench/Afterglow/7161/ 10/10 magazine review of "Afterglow"] ] The album also won the Best UK Christian Album award at the 2003 UK Gospel Awards.Fact|date=July 2008
The band toured in 2003–2004. This "Afterglow Tour" tour took Quench on an initial 18 date headline tour across the UK followed by a number of festival appearances including the
Flevo Festival in the Netherlands. Later shows included a support slot for Athlete and headline shows at The Zodiac in Oxford and The Fleece and Firkin in Bristol.Hiatus (2006–2008)
After the success of their début Album, Quench hoped to break new ground into the secular scene and further into Europe and America (where their song "Think About It" had enjoyed a spell as the number one requested song at a New York radio station). However, the band began to lose momentum when this proved impossible without the right contacts. Despite a strong UK fan base and having written some new songs, the "where do we go from here?" question seemed impossible to answer. Sporadic gigs followed and several band members took time out to pursue other avenues. One thing the band were sure of was that they did not want to take the easy option of simply recording album number two with
ICC Records if that meant a repeat of what they had already achieved without moving forward."Reality Radio" (2007–present)
2007 saw Quench's return to the recording studio to record a new 4 track EP with rock producer Joe Gibb (Jane's Addiction, 3 Colours Red, Funeral For A Friend, Brigade, etc). Gibb was chosen because his impressive back catalogue assured Quench that he could help them capture their live sound onto tape, as well as giving them a recording of sufficient quality to open new doors. The new new EP was recorded in one week in January 2007 at "Mighty Atom" studios in Wales and mastered by Pete Maher at Topfloor Music. The "Reality Radio EP" was released in August 2008 exclusively as an iTunes download. The time delay between recording and release was due to having to wait for the right distribution deal to be agreed.Facts|date=July 2008
The future
Now "Reality Radio" is released, the band hope that new doors will open for them to take their career to the next level. In the meantime
Mark Cocks and Ed Powell are currently playing as session musicians for Warner Bros’ Top 40 artist Doug Walker and Mark's guitar playing features on Doug’s debut album "Fear Together" (2008) (produced by Danton Supple – producer of Coldplay’s "X&Y" etc).Musical style and influences
Originally Quench had been firmly rooted in the Punk/Pop genre drawing on influences such as Blink 182, All Star United, Ash and Feeder. The individual band members also brought influences from Counting Crows, Barenaked Ladies and 1970's progressive rock, which manifested themselves in the vocal style and keyboard riffs of the "Quench EP". After
Mark Cocks joined the band, the decision was made to drop the keyboards and embrace a heavier guitar sound more akin to Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Finch, lostprophets and P.O.D. but without losing their melodic vocals. By 2006, Quench's unique sound sits somewhere between My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Foo Fighters.Facts|date=July 2008Band members
Current members
* Jamie Hill - lead vocals, additional rhythm guitar, (keyboards 2001–2002)
*Mark Cocks - lead guitar, backing vocals
* Andy Davis - drums, backing vocals
* Ed Powell - bass guitar, backing vocals (2005–present)Former members
* Kevin Sefton - guitar (2001–2002)
* Ron Knights - bass guitar (2001–2005)Discography
* "Reality Radio" (distributed by Elevation) (2008)
* "Afterglow" (Elevation) (2003)
* "Quench EP" (Elevation) (2002)Several Quench songs have also featured on compilations including The Hit Sheet and Lemonaid.
External links
* [http://www.quenchuk.com/ Quench's Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/quenchuk Quench's Myspace Page]
* [http://www.youtube.com/markcguitar YouTube Channel featuring Quench Videos]References
Navbox Musical artist
name = Quench
title = Quench
background = group_or_band
above = nowrap|Jamie Hill • nowrap|Mark Cocks • nowrap|Andy Davis • nowrap|Ed Powell
group1 = Studio Albums
list1 = 'Quench EP' (2001) • Afterglow (2003) • 'Reality Radio' (2008)
group2 = Other Albums
list2 = 'One Day' (2004)
group3 = Related Acts
list3 = Why? • Doug Walker •Jamie Hill (Worship Leader)
group4 = Related Articles
list4 = Elevation Records
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