Ooberman

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Steve Flett)

Ooberman
OriginLiverpool, England[1]
GenresIndie,[citation needed] pop,[1] prog[2]
Years active1997–2001, 2001-2003, 2006–2010
LabelsRotodisc
Tugboat
Independiente
Rough Trade Records
Past membersDanny Popplewell
Andy Flett
Steve Flett
Sophia Churney
Alan Kelly
Paul Walsham
Jaymie Ireland

Ooberman were an English band with strong indie, folk and progressive influences first formed in 1997. They split up in 2003, shortly after the release of their second album Hey Petrunko, but announced their reformation in April 2006 and began releasing music again soon thereafter.[citation needed] Six of their singles have charted on the UK singles chart, with "Blossoms Falling" (1999) charting at #39.[3]

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

In 1988, Ooberman founders Danny Popplewell and Andy Flett met in Bradford, and, together with Flett's younger brother Steve, formed the Forestry Commission. The band's life soon ended when Popplewell moved to Liverpool, but the three friends kept in touch.[4]

Subsequently, the Flett brothers moved to Liverpool. Ooberman was founded nearly a decade after the previous band, with the addition of Alan Kelly (drums) and Sophia Churney (keyboards and vocals).[4] The first Ooberman gig was in June 1997, and their eccentric live shows and quirky demos won them the 1997 BT Merseyside Arts Award for Best Newcomers.[citation needed]

Their first release was the single "Sugar Bum" on Graham Coxon's Transcopic record label,[5] followed by the "seven-track mini-album" "Shorley Wall" on Tugboat Records which sold 10,000 copies.[6][7] The band then secured up a major recording contract with Independiente, on which they released their first proper single:[citation needed] the Top 40 hit "Blossoms Falling" at #39.[3]

The Magic Treehouse[edit]

Ooberman recorded two Peel sessions in 1999, on 31 January and on 25 October.[8] Ooberman performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 1999.[9] The band released their debut album The Magic Treehouse on Independiente on 25 October 1999. The album got a 4/5 review in NME.[6] The band won the NME Premier Award for Best Live Performance in February 2000.[10] According to Drowned in Sound, "the band didn't maintain their early sales despite continuing critical acclaim".[11] Afterwards, the record label Independiente and Ooberman parted ways in June 2000.[12][7] Ooberman signed to Rough Trade Records, releasing the single "Dolphin Blue" on the label in December 2000.[13] 2001's Running Girl was released on Danny Popplewell's own label, Rotodisc.[12][11]

Hey Petrunko[edit]

After more than a year working on new material, the band announced that they would release their second album – Hey Petrunko – at the start of 2002. The band got a new drummer – Jaymie Ireland.[citation needed]

A five track EP – "Bluebell Morning" – and a single – "Beany Bean" – followed, but Hey Petrunko was delayed. After nearly three years working on the album, it was released on 3 March 2003.[citation needed]

The group became disillusioned and broke up in 2003.[11]

Reformation[edit]

The band reformed in 2006.[11][14] Their third album Carried Away was released in 2006 by Rotodisc.[11]

In September 2007 the band released The Lost Tapes – Rare Recordings 1991–2007, a collection of rare and unreleased recordings covering the period in the title.[11][15]

Related projects[edit]

In December 2006, Rotodisc released an album by Symphonika entitled The Snow Queen. Symphonika is an orchestral side-project by Danny Popplewell, and the album featured the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and vocals by Sophia Churney.[16]

On 26 February 2007, Andy and Steve Flett released an album of material recorded during Ooberman's time apart under the name Ooberon. It was entitled Waiting for the Sonic Boom.[17]

The Magic Theatre[edit]

The album London Town featuring Ooberman members Sophia Churney and Danny Popplewell as "The Magic Theatre" was released on 7 June 2010.[18] The album's orchestral sound was achieved on a low budget by Popplewell writing library music, designed to be used as background for films and television, that fitted his songs,[19] and re-using the recordings with new vocals by him and Sophia Churney.

Discography[edit]

Many of the band's releases have been issued on their own label, Rotodisc.

Albums[edit]

EPs[edit]

Singles[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Graham Coxon's Transcopic label" (PDF). Music Week. 29 August 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  2. ^ "London W1 Notre Dame Hall". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "OOBERMAN". Official Charts. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Ooberman". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  5. ^ Burnet, Andrew (26 June 1999). "Ooberman with a plan". The Scotsman. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b "The Magic Treehouse". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Ooberman Summon Up Angels and Ghosts". NME. 15 August 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  8. ^ "BBC - Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - Ooberman". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  9. ^ "BBC News | Glastonbury 1999 | Arrests up at Glastonbury". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Ooberman Know Where It's At!". NME. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "Album Review: Ooberman - The Lost Tapes: Rare Recordings 1991-2007". DrownedInSound. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Album reviews" (PDF). Music Week. 3 November 2001. p. 25. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  13. ^ "OH, MAN!". NME. 24 November 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  14. ^ "BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  15. ^ "The Lost Tapes Rare: Recordings 1991-2007". Record Collector. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  16. ^ [1] Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Intropage". Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  18. ^ [2] Archived 1 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ "That's magic". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2011.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ooberman&oldid=1225971612"