Ultrasound (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Ultrasound
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Origin = London, England
Genre = Britpop, Indie, Rock, Pop
Years_active = 1997–1999
Label = Nude Records
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Current_members = Andy Peace
Tiny Wood
Richard Green
Vanessa Best
Matt Jones
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Ultrasound were a British indie band who were active in the late 1990s. Although fronted by tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and bassist/singer Vanessa Best.

Origins

Three-fifths of Ultrasound - Wood, Green and Peace - had originally been part of Newcastle psychedelic rock band Sleepy People, with whom they'd spent two years touring small venues around the UK and gaining underground attention. (At the time, Green played bass rather than guitar). All three musicians featured on Sleepy People's 1994 cassette album "Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall" (originally a cassette release, but reissued in 1999 on Org Records).

Wood and Green left Sleepy People in 1995, taking keyboard player Pete Haslam with them. They also reconnected with Peace (who'd left the band some time previously). Moving to London, they formed a new progressive/art-rock band called Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal, which began earning underground attention (in particular after supporting cult band Cardiacs). At some point, Vanessa Best was added to the line-up.

Early Ultrasound

After the departure of Haslam, Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal became Ultrasound, reducing their more obvious progressive rock influences in favour of a stronger element of 1970s Glam Rock and an indie outlook. The band released their first single "Same Band" on Fierce Panda in 1997, which bought them some favourable press in NME and led them to a deal with Nude Records following a bidding war. At around this time, Matt Jones was brought in on keyboards to expand the sound.

Career

Further singles "Best Wishes" and "Stay Young" (which mentioned Gary Glitter just when he returned to the news) followed in 1998. The band received some very favourable reviews (most notably for their 1998 Glastonbury Festival performance) and began to build a growing fanbase. The band were sometimes described as a band of outsiders with an image unusual for successful pop stars, and were often compared with Pulp, Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers. This enabled them to attract some of the typically devoted fans of each of these bands.

The band released their triple-length debut LP "Everything Picture" after a gap of nearly a year in 1999. The LP received poor reviews for its great length and alleged lack of focus. A string of planned live dates were cancelled following growing tensions within the band, including an important show at T in the Park festival in Scotland.

Ultrasound splits

The band officially split on October 12th 1999.

Tiny Wood briefly attempted to reform Ultrasound with a new line up (including drummer Paul Boundey) and played a few live dates with this lineup in 2000, but this proved unsuccessful.

After Ultrasound

Tiny Wood returned to Newcastle and formed a new band, [http://www.myspace.com/thisissiren Siren] , with Paul Boundey and Jessica Harrison. The band has continued (with varying lineups) and gigged throughout the Newcastle area and in London between 2002 and 2005. Siren has recorded an array of material and played at a Smiths tribute in Newcastle in Spring 2006. Tiny also took on the role of lead singer in Blue Apple Boy (featuring his former Sleepy People bandmates) and performed on their debut album "Salient" (Soma Sound, 2002).

Richard Green settled in Leeds and formed [http://www.myspace.com/thesomatics The Somatics] , who have released two albums.

Matt Jones went on to form [http://www.myspace.com/minuteman Minuteman] .

Vanessa Best is now a music teacher in East London.

Discography

Albums

*"Everything Picture" (1999)Cross My Heart/Same Band/Stay Young/Suckle/Fame Thing/Happy Times (Are Coming)//Aire & Calder/Sentimental Song/Floodlit World/My Impossible Dream/Everything Picture/Best Wishes [piano version - hidden track]

ingles

*"Same Band" (1997)Same Band/Floodlit World/Over There
*"Best Wishes" (1998)Best Wishes/Kurt Russell/Black Hole
*"Stay Young" (1998)Stay Young/Underwater Love Story/Can't Say No & Stay Young/Football Meat/Hey Hey, My My
*"I'll Show You Mine" (1998)I'll Show You Mine/One plus One/Final Solution/Lovesick
*"Floodlit World" (1998)Floodlit World/Getting Better/Death of a Drag Racer & Floodlit World/We Will Find Love [demo] /I'll Show You Mine [video]
*"Aire & Calder" (1999)Aire & Calder/Goodbye 25/Valencia

EPs

* "Mayflower" (USA, 1999)Stay Young/Best Wishes/Kurt Russell/Underwater Love Story/Can't Say No

[This EP also released in Europe as "Ultrasound Sing Five Songs for Europe"]

External links

[http://members.tripod.com/~Skippingb0y/USfront.htm Ultrasound fansite 'Floodlit World']