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The Relationships
(United Kingdom) Oxford
Richard and Angus first crossed jangly guitars in legendary mid 80s ensemble Here Comes Everybody, which also featured Peter Momtchiloff - soon to become a founder member of Talulah Gosh - and inspired Andy (Ride/Oasis) Bell to buy his first guitar. Diversifying via Razorcuts (Angus) and The Anyways (Richard), our two heroes regrouped in a desolate 90s landscape of grungy indie and Britpop-by-numbers to create The Relationships, whose tweedy psychedelia and sparkling powerpop soon caught the eye of Californian label Twee Kitten. The band's EP 'Country Catalogue' (1998) and first album 'Trend' (2000) followed. Andy Bell stepped in to contribute some wig-out guitar to the anthemic 'All God's Children', and Amelia Fletcher (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap) put down some lovely backing vocals on 'Well' and 'Knock Knock Who's There'. Meanwhile bassists came and went... in 2005 a stabilized line-up released The Relationships' second album 'Scene' on Trailer Star of Nottingham, followed by 2009's 'Space' (Big Red Sky). Mr Turan's fluent drums and Mr Smith's melodic powerful basslines underpin the band's trademark chiming guitars and lush vocals. Pianos, strings and tubular bells dip in and out of the mix as the listener is introduced to a spectrum of eccentric characters, locations and moods. The songs combine Edwardian and futuristic imagery, light and airy pastoral pop with dark progressive key-changes, alternative histories of the space race with meditations on life, death, time, and of course those Middle Earth posters which used to be up in every self-respecting Genesis fan's bedroom. The band's fourth album - featuring such toe-tappers as 'Girl in a Headband' and 'Self Esteem Flying Machine' - should be descending from the skies in 2013. Meanwhile all four members of The Relationships appear (in footage and/or interviews) in 'Anyone Can Play Guitar', Jon Spira's 2011 documentary about the Oxford music scene. The film has generated many good reviews, not least for the fact that it includes actual footage (believed long-lost) of the mythical Here Comes Everybody.

Richard Ramage - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Angus Stevenson - lead and twelve-string guitars
Andy Smith - bass, backing vocals, keyboards
Tim Turan - drums, backing vocals



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Releases:
Country Catalogue (CD5) 1998
on Twee Kitten Records - TK-009
Trend (CD) 2000
on Twee Kitten Records - TK-014
- The Godfathers
- Invisible
- Junior
- Knock Knock Who's There
- Old Fashioned
- The Usual Address
- My Divorcee
- Northern Bird
- What She Said
- Darkroom
- All God's Children
- Well
Scene (CD) 2005
on Trailer Star
Space (CD) 2009
on Big Red Sky
On compilations:
Pop Goes The Weasel Vol. 2  (CD)
on K.O.G.A. Records
- Old Fashioned
I Am a Victim of This Song  (CD)
on Baka-Poi Fanzine
- Waiting
Last updated: 20-Feb-2013 © 1994-2024 TweeNet Creative Commons License