Sneaker Pimps
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox musical artist
Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994.<ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They are best known for their debut album, Becoming X (1996), and its singles "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.<ref name="auto5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Unreliable source</ref>
The band was founded by electronic musician Liam Howe and guitarist Chris Corner. They later recruited Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton) as lead singer,<ref name="auto2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> plus guitarist Joe Wilson and drummer Dave Westlake as backup musicians. After Becoming X, the band decided to replace Ali with Corner on vocals.<ref name="Kelli">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wilson and Westlake departed in 2002. In 2016 Howe and Corner revived the group after a lengthy hiatus.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2021, they began releasing new music.<ref name="pearis">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
Chris Corner and Liam Howe met as teenagers in the 1980s,<ref name="auto1"/> both taking an interest in recording and studio experimentation. They banded together under the name F.R.I.S.K. and produced the Soul of Indiscretion EP, an early example of what became known as trip hop. The mix of beats and acoustic folk sounds was further explored on two more instrumental EPs: F.R.I.S.K. and World as a Cone. They were signed to Clean Up Records.<ref name="sneakerpimpsbe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The duo also worked as DJs and producers under the name Line of Flight.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Howe and Corner launched Sneaker Pimps as a recording group in 1994.<ref name="LarkinDM">Template:Cite book</ref> The following year, they recruited Ian Pickering to help write lyrics for what would become Sneaker Pimps' debut album, Becoming X.<ref name="auto3"/> Corner recorded vocals for several demo tracks, but the band decided the kind of music they were writing would better suit a female voice.<ref name="Howe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At their manager's suggestion, they saw Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton) performing in a pub with her band The Lumieres,<ref name="LarkinDM"/> and invited her to sing on some demos, including an early version of "6 Underground".<ref name="sneakerpimpsbe" /><ref name="auto4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She soon joined the band, and the demos won the group a contract with Virgin Records.<ref name="auto4"/> The group was presented as a trio featuring Howe, Corner, and Ali; while bassist Joe Wilson and drummer Dave Westlake were added as supporting musicians.<ref name="auto5"/>
Released in 1996, Becoming X sold over one million copies.<ref name="Howe" /> The band toured for two years to support the album, including gigs alongside Aphex Twin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A "grueling" tour of the US strained relations within the band,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Howe left the tour prematurely.<ref name="auto4"/> A remix album, Becoming Remixed, followed in 1998.
Howe and Corner then developed their own studio, also called Line of Flight after their earlier production work, and began sessions for the second Sneaker Pimps album.<ref name="auto5"/><ref name="auto4"/> Kelli Ali had taken a break after the Becoming X tour and was away traveling, so Corner sang on the new demos.<ref name="auto4"/> When Ali returned, she was told by Howe and Corner that her voice was no longer considered suitable for their new music, and that Corner's voice was a better fit.<ref name="sneakerpimpsbe" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Due to other ongoing personality conflicts and the band's concern about being stereotyped as a faddish female-fronted trip-hop act,<ref name="auto5" /><ref name="Kelli"/> Ali was fired and Corner took over on lead vocals.
This significant lineup change caused Virgin Records to drop the band.<ref name="auto5"/> Their second album Splinter was released in the UK on Clean Up Records in 1999, and failed to match the commercial success of Becoming X.<ref name="circle">Template:Cite news</ref> New songs were premiered during a 2001 European tour opening for Placebo.<ref name="sneakerpimpsbe" /> Their third album Bloodsport was released on Tommy Boy Records in 2002.<ref name="circle" /> Howe and Corner also gained notice by writing and producing for other artists, including Natalie Imbruglia, and for remixing songs under the name Line of Flight.<ref name="auto2" />
In 2002, Joe Wilson and Dave Westlake left Sneaker Pimps.<ref name="auto">https://www.linkedin.com/in/joewilson22/?originalSubdomain=uk Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwestlake/ Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In 2003, a fourth Sneaker Pimps album was demoed but shelved. The album, which started as the soundtrack for an abandoned indie film project called Blind Michael,<ref name="auto3" /> is referred to in fan circles as SP4.<ref name="auto3" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Corner then launched the solo project IAMX,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which included several songs from the SP4 project.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After some additional cancelled projects,<ref>https://www.sneakerpimpslegacy.com/give-it-another-angle Template:Dead link</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in 2006 Howe and Corner recorded some new demo tracks with an unidentified female singer; the tracks turned up on a MiniDisc found in a bar in Russia and are now commonly referred to as SP5 demos. The tracks were leaked online and were later confirmed to be legitimate new Sneaker Pimps songs.<ref name="auto3" /><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
After several years of side projects, Howe hinted in 2015 that Sneaker Pimps may reform.<ref name="twitter.com">https://twitter.com/SneakerPimpsNow/status/594541947164962816 Template:Dead link</ref> Corner confirmed the reunion in 2016,<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> and as of early 2019 they were reportedly working on a new album.<ref name=":0" /> Deluxe box sets of previous albums and two new studio albums were announced to be released variously across 2021.<ref name="sneakerpimpslegacy.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In May 2021, the band announced a new album entitled Squaring the Circle.<ref name="pearis" /> The album was produced at Sawtooth Studios in Pioneertown, California and The Tower Studios in London.<ref name="pearis" /> Main vocals are shared by Corner and "featured artist" Simonne Jones.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Five of the songs originate from the SP5 demos, "Lifeline" (originally "Samaritan"), "Child in the Dark" (originally "Satellite"), So Far Gone (originally "Sun Ate the Moon"), "Come Like the Cure" (originally "Elias") and "No Show" (originally "Rush").
MembersEdit
In the studio, the band regularly swapped instruments. As Corner explained during the recording sessions for Bloodsport, "we tend towards jobs, but generally we can mix and match. If we get bored of one aspect, someone else jumps in the seat. Gone are the days where it’s like 'You’re the drummer, I’m the synth player."<ref name="auto2"/> When playing live, however, their roles were more fixed:
Current membersEdit
- Chris Corner - vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Liam Howe - keyboards, synths, programming, guitar, percussion
Contributors and former membersEdit
- Kelli Ali (vocals on Becoming X)
- Joe Wilson (guitars, bass, backing vocals)
- Dave Westlake (drums, percussion)
- Ian Pickering (lyrics; live synths, bass and vocals)
- Simonne Jones (featured artist on Squaring the Circle: main vocals, backing vocals, spoken word lyrics)<ref name="squaringAlbumBandcamp" />
- Cathy Davey (backing vocals on Squaring the Circle)<ref name="squaringAlbumBandcamp" />
- Sue Denim (backing vocals and occasional lyrics)
- Zoe Durrant (backing vocals)
- Janine Gezang (IAMX, backing vocals on Squaring the Circle)<ref name="squaringAlbumBandcamp">Squaring The Circle | Sneaker Pimps (album). sneakerpimps.bandcamp.com</ref>
- Sarah McDonnell (backing vocals)
- Chris Tate (occasional live keyboards)
- Noel Fielding (occasional live guitar)<ref>SP4 | Sneaker Pimps Legacy</ref>
DiscographyEdit
Studio albumsEdit
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||||
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| Becoming X | 27 | — | 55 | — | 80 | 47 | 111 | 1 |
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| Splinter |
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80 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Bloodsport |
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— | — | — | 68 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Squaring the Circle |
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— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||
EPsEdit
- Low Five (digital remix EP) (2005)
- Loretta Young Silks (digital remix EP) (2005)
- Rework Collection 1 (2021)<ref>Rework Collection 1 | Sneaker Pimps. sneakerpimps.bandcamp.com, [retrieved 2021-09-10]</ref>
- Rework Collection 2 (2021)<ref>Rework Collection 2 | Sneaker Pimps. sneakerpimps.bandcamp.com, [retrieved 2021-11-07]</ref>
- Rework Collection 3 (2022)<ref>Rework Collection 3 | Sneaker Pimps. sneakerpimps.bandcamp.com, [retrieved 2022-05-26]</ref>
- Rework Collection 4 (2022)<ref>Sneaker Pimps Twitter status on 27. May 2022, [retrieved 2022-05-28]</ref>
SinglesEdit
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1996 | "Tesko Suicide" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Becoming X | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Roll On" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "6 Underground" | 15 | — | — | 62 | — | — | 17 | 45 | — | 7 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | "Spin Spin Sugar" | 21 | 1 | — | 126 | 2 | 67 | 28 | 87 | 2 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| "6 Underground" (re-issue) | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | 67 | 11 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Post-Modern Sleaze" | 22 | 4 | — | 143 | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | "Spin Spin Sugar" (re-issue) | 46 | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | 70 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | "Low Five" | 39 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | Splinter | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Ten to Twenty" | 56 | 38 | 9 | — | — | — | 68 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | "7th High" (with Double 99) | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | "Sick" | 100 | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | Bloodsport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Bloodsport" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Loretta Young Silks" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | "Squaring the Circle" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Squaring the Circle | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "Fighter" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Alibis" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | "Love Me Stupid" (Simonne Jones Remix) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rework Collection 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Promo singlesEdit
- 2002 "Kiro TV"
- 2002 "M'Aidez"
Other appearancesEdit
- "Long Hard Road out of Hell", a collaboration with Marilyn Manson on the Spawn Soundtrack (1997)
- "Velvet Divorce", a song on the A Life Less Ordinary Soundtrack (1997)
Music videosEdit
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Tesko Suicide" | Liam Howe and Joe Wilson | Released on the 2001 DVD The Videos. |
| "Spin Spin Sugar" | Toby Tremlett | ||
| 1997 | "6 Underground" | ||
| "Post-Modern Sleaze" | Howard Greenhalgh | ||
| 1999 | "Low Five" | Tom Gidley | |
| 2002 | "Sick" | Simon Smyth | |
| "Loretta Young Silks" | Liam Howe | Featuring Honor Blackman | |
| 2004 | "First and Careless Rapture"Template:Citation needed | Chris Corner | Unreleased |
| "Missile"Template:Citation needed (do not confuse with IAMX single) |
Unknown | ||
| 2021 | "Fighter" | Chris Corner | Featuring Janine Gezang (IAMX) as fighter. |
| "Alibis" | Chris Corner | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 2022 | "Love Me Stupid (Simonne Jones Remix)" | Chris Corner |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }} New and regularly updated Sneaker Pimps resource website
- Template:Webarchive
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }} Italian fan site.
- Template:Webarchive
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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