- Million Dead
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Million Dead Origin London, United Kingdom Genres Hardcore punk
Post-hardcoreYears active 2000–2005 Labels Integrity Records / Xtra Mile Recordings Associated acts Frank Turner, Abjure, Palehorse, Who Owns Death TV, The Quiet Kill, Idle Hearts Website [1] Members Frank Turner
Julia Ruzicka
Ben Dawson
Tom FowlerPast members Cameron Dean Million Dead were a hardcore punk band from London, UK, active between 2001 and 2005.
Contents
History
The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia.[1] They were joined by Ben Dawson, who had worked with Dean in a record shop in the city.[1] The band's lineup was completed with the addition of vocalist Frank Turner, an old bandmate of Dawson's.[1] The name was chosen from a lyric in the song “The Apollo Programme Was a Hoax”, by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused.[2] The first Million Dead demo was recorded in September 2001.[3]
The band's touring career began with support sets for Cave In, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Icarus Line and Alec Empire. In late 2002, the band signed to Integrity Records / Xtra Mile Recordings, and released their first single, “Smiling At Strangers On Trains”.[1] The video for the single, directed by Adam Mason, proved controversial as it featured scenes of a homeless man urinating through a letterbox, as well as on Dean.
The single received support from John Peel, Mike Davies, Mary Anne Hobbs and Steve Lamacq, helping the band secure a support slot with Pitchshifter on their farewell tour.[1]
The band entered the studio in April 2003 to record their debut album, A Song To Ruin, released in September, along with the single “Breaking The Back”. In December 2003, following a tour with Funeral For a Friend, Million Dead embarked on their first headline tour of the UK in support of the album, supported by Jarcrew and Minus.[1]
In 2004, guitarist Cameron Dean announced he was leaving the band to get married, and was replaced by Tom Fowler. After a series of festival dates over the summer, the band re-entered the studio to record a new album. Written and recorded in eight weeks, Harmony No Harmony was released in May 2005, followed by another UK headline tour with Engerica and Days of Worth,[1] and support dates on Finch's UK tour.
Million Dead remixed the song 'Pop Idol' by legendary UK Hip Hop artist Blade, providing an instrumental-only arrangement for the rapper, the original song having previously appeared on his earlier record Storms Are Brewing.
In September 2005, it was announced via the band's official website that Million Dead were to call it a day at the conclusion of their September tour, as “irreconcilable differences within the band mean that it would be impossible to continue”.[4] The band played their final concert at Southampton's Joiners venue on September 23, 2005.
Since the band's breakup, vocalist Frank Turner has made a career as a solo folk/punk artist. Tom Fowler and Julia Ruzicka played guitar and bass in another band, Quiet Kill (2005–2006) and then Who Owns Death TV (2007–2009), and The Idle Hearts in 2009. while Ben Dawson currently plays drums for Palehorse, Mothlite, Queen of Swords and Armed Response Unit. Ruzicka also currently plays bass with Future Of The Left, and played bass for Dream Of An Opium Eater and Tricky in their tour in 2010.
In 2011, Turner commented on the band's break-up stating, "I’m very proud of all the music we made in that band. It came to an end. The actual process of that end wasn’t very fun. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t done Million Dead before. I’m glad it happened. Once the end of Million Dead rolled around, I just didn’t want to be in a band anymore. The last year of Million Dead was just murderous. Four people who want to kill each other, sat in a van driving around Europe...it’s no fun."[5]
Discography
Studio albums
- A Song to Ruin - 2003
- Harmony No Harmony - 2005
- A Song to Ruin Deluxe Edition - 2009
Singles and EPs
- “Million Dead (First Demo)” - September 2001
- “Million Dead (Second Demo)” - June 2002
- “Smiling At Strangers On Trains” - February 2003
- “Breaking The Back” - August 2003
- “I Am The Party” - November 2003
- “I Gave My Eyes To Stevie Wonder” - May 2004
- “Living The Dream” - March 2005
- “After The Rush Hour” - May 2005
- “To Whom It May Concern” - September 2005
Videography
- “Smiling At Strangers On Trains”
- “Breaking The Back”
- “I Am The Party”
- “I Gave My Eyes To Stevie Wonder”
- “Living The Dream”
- “After The Rush Hour”
- “To Whom It May Concern”
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bio on official site". http://www.hippieburner.com/MDsite/index2.html. Retrieved 2009-03-07.[dead link]
- ^ The exact lyric: ”Suck on my words for a while, choke in the truth of a million dead”
- ^ "Discography on MillionDead.org fansite". http://milliondead.org/disco/demo1.html.
- ^ "Announcement on official site". http://www.hippieburner.com/MDsite/index2.html. Retrieved 2009-03-07.[dead link]
- ^ http://punkskapress.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/interview-frank-turner-part-2/
External links
- Million Dead fansite
- Frank Turner's website
- Palehorse on Myspace
- Who Owns Death TV on Myspace
- The Quiet Kill on Myspace
- Armed Response Unit on Myspace
Frank Turner Studio albums EPs Collaborative Albums BuddiesCompilation Albums The First Three Years · The Second Three YearsSingles "Vital Signs" · "Photosynthesis" · "Reasons Not to Be an Idiot" · "Long Live the Queen" · "The Road" · "Poetry of the Deed" · "Isabel" · "Try This At Home" · "I Still Believe" · "Peggy Sang the Blues"Split EP's Xtra Mile Single Sessions #4 · Jonah Matranga Split EP · Under The Influence: Volume 8 · Tim Barry Split EPLabels Related articles Million DeadCategories:- British post-hardcore musical groups
- Musical groups established in 2001
- Musical groups disestablished in 2005
- British hardcore punk musical groups
- English punk rock groups
- Musical groups from London
- English indie rock groups
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