- The Nightblooms
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The Nightblooms Origin Deventer, Netherlands Genres Alternative rock, shoegazing Years active 1987–1996 Labels Fierce, Fire Associated acts Safe Home Past members Esther Sprikkelman
Harry Otten
Petra van Tongeren
Leon MorseltThe Nightblooms were a Dutch alternative rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Contents
History
The band formed in 1987 in Deventer, Holland as a four piece, featuring vocals by Esther Sprikkelman, guitar by Harry Otten, bass by Petra van Tongeren and Leon Morselt on drums.[1]
The band's first release was the "Go Eliza" single in 1988, after which they signed to Fierce Recordings, releasing the 1990 single "Crystal Eyes", and the Butterfly Girl EP, before releasing a debut album in 1992. They also recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1990, with Michael van der Woude added on guitar.[2] They moved on to Fire Records, who re-issued the band's debut album on their Paperhouse label; this was followed by 24 Days at Catastrophe Café in September 1993.[1] The band split in 1996.[1]
Sprikkelman and Otten started a new band, Safe Home.
Musical style
Although often bracketed together with the 'shoegazing' scene influenced by My Bloody Valentine, with multilayered and reverbed guitars and female vocals mixed low, this is only true of the band's second single, "Crystal Eyes"; indeed, on the band's debut album there is only one solitary guitar - no overdubs, and no effects - and vocals are startlingly upfront. Although Nightblooms songs essentially also had a noise pop or twee element, by the time of "24 Days At Catastrofe Cafe" this largely took a back seat to a 'stadium indie' sound, a mixture of Suede, Queen and Uriah Heep (with handclaps). A complete about-face occurred with final single "Love Is Gone", a one-chord acoustic-guitar strum-a-long pop song with primitive percussion: an indiepop Hotlegs.
Discography
Singles
- "Go Eliza" (1988) Dingo
- "Crystal Eyes" (1990) Fierce
- Butterfly Girl EP (1992) Fierce
- "Starcatcher" double-7" (1992) Fire
- "Komt Vrienden In Het Ronde" (1993) Fierce (unreleased - test pressings only)
- "Never Dream at All" (1993) Fire
- "Hold On" (1994)
- "Love Is Gone" (1995) Fire
- Spawning Monsters EP (199?) Fire
Albums
- The Nightblooms (1992) Fierce (reissued on Paperhouse/Seed)
- Live (1992) Fierce (one-sided live album)
- 24 Days at Catastrophe Café (1993) Fire/Seed
References
- ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Nightblooms", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0
- ^ The Nightblooms Peel Session at the BBC's Keeping it Peel site
External links
- Allmusic: The Nightblooms
- Wolk, Douglas "The Nightblooms", Trouser Press
- Scaruffi, Piero "Nightblooms, The History of Rock Music
Categories:- Shoegazing musical groups
- Dutch indie rock groups
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