The Blueskins

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Blueskins


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Years_active = 1999–present
Label = Domino Records
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URL = [http://www.theblueskins.com Official Website]
[http://www.myspace.com/blueskins Official Myspace page]
Current_members = Ryan Spendlove
Andrei Nosov
Tom Bailey
Paul Brown
Past_members = Matthew Smith
Ritchie Townsend
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The Blueskins are a four-piece band based in Gawthorpe, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

Members

*Ryan Spendlove – lead vocals, guitar
*Andrei Nosov – guitar, backing vocals
*Tom Bailey – bass, backing vocals
*Paul Brown – percussion

Past members

*Matthew Smith - bass
*Ritchie Townsend - guitar

History

The band was formed after Ryan and Paul met at music college in 1999. After college they continued to play together and drafted in school friends Matthew Smith and Ritchie Townend. In 2003 considerable interest in the band resulted in an influx of A&R men to Gawthorpe and a signing to Domino Records. Three singles, an EP and an album followed, and the band embarked on a tour of Europe and America, recording in Mississippi with celebrated producer Dennis Herring.

In 2005 a change of direction saw Matthew and Ritchie leave the band and later in the year Paul and Ryan brought in Russian ex-tennis pro Andrei Nosov on guitar and Welsh student Tom Bailey on five-string bass guitar to replace them. The new members brought with them a range of new influences including native Siberian music and dance-inspired indie.

The band spent much of 2006 writing new material and showcasing it to fans across the country. In the summer their 2003 single "Change My Mind" was featured on a TV advertisement for Lynx shower gel. It generated considerable interest in the single, leading it to be re-released. Despite the interest from fans, the band’s record label did not push the single and it received limited airplay. Finding themselves unable to market the band, and choosing to concentrate on their more commercial signings, Domino Records parted company with The Blueskins, leaving them on the lookout for a label with more diverse interests.

The band spent the latter months of 2006 touring their new songs and writing new material. At the end of the year they played a small gig in their local pub in Gawthorpe, inviting friends to take to the stage and perform with them.

After writing a mass of new tunes and touring the UK for the past two years with the new line up they decided to call it a day in April 2008, some of the new tunes will be on their myspace and available for download.

Members of the band however are moving in their own directions in new projects which are expected to emerge sooner or later.

Discography

Albums

*"Word of Mouth" (2004)

EP

*Magic Road EP (2003)

ingles

*Change My Mind (2006)
*Change My Mind (2004)
*Stupid Ones (2004)
*User Friendly (2003)

Notable Quotes

Yorkshire Evening post
*"Its a crime that the blueskins are not one of the most talked about bands in the country"
*"A mass of hair... took nothing away from a show positively oozing confidence"
*"...they are the best band in the country"

Leeds Music Scene
*"the authorative and skunk-soaked vocals rasp and soar, howling out the words as if the future of the Blues depended on it"
*"If you closed your eyes for just a second it could be Jim Morrison presiding over Brian Wilson, Bo Diddley and Keith Moon. But it's not, just four lads from Wakefield. How amazing is that?"

BBC Liverpool
*"They have the sort of cosmo pop sound that makes The Datsuns and The Hives sound like a lost Hyena who has just eaten a dodgy zebra"

The Junction, York
*"Every single song in the set is an absolute classic"
*"The Blueskins are an incredible band and will do a lot of great work"

External links

* [http://www.theblueskins.com Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/blueskins Official Myspace page]