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Led by guitarist and vocalist David Feck (aka David Bower and David Christian), Comet Gain are a British indie pop band whose music is a freewheeling, literate fusion of folk-rock, twee pop, garage rock, R&B, punk, and any number of points in between. The first edition of Comet Gain was formed in 1992; Feck initially conceived the group as a trio with bassist George Wright and drummer Phil Sutton, but the band truly found its sound the following year, when Jax Coombes replaced Wright on bass and singer Sarah Bleach and guitarist Sam Pluck came on board. This lineup recorded the group's debut album, 1995's Casino Classics, which was released by the U.K. indie label Wiija. In 1997, Wiija issued Comet Gain's second album in Great Britain under the title Magnetic Poetry, while it came out in the United States via Beggars Banquet in expanded form as Sneaky. However, months after the sophomore album arrived in stores, Feck's bandmates walked out on him, and he assembled a new version of Comet Gain from scratch, featuring Rachel Evans as female vocalist, M.J. "Woodie" Taylor on drums, and former Huggy Bear member Jon Slade on guitar and bass. The new version of Comet Gain cut the 1999 album Tigertown Pictures, which was released by Kill Rock Stars in America and Fortuna Pop in the U.K. While Evans, Taylor, and Slade (and bassist Kay Ishikawa) have frequently played with Comet Gain since, Feck remains the only constant from the band's many personnel changes, and in a 2009 interview he claimed that 66 different people have been members of Comet Gain since the group's formation. Comet Gain's relationship with Kill Rock Stars resulted in two more albums, 2002's Realistes and 2005's City Fallen Leaves, while in 2008 Feck assembled Broken Record Prayers, a 20-song compilation drawn from the group's many single releases and compilation appearances. Released in 2011, Howl of the Lonely Crowd found Comet Gain receiving some production assistance from one of their heroes, ex-Orange Juice leader Edwyn Collins, while Ryan Jarman of the Cribs also contributed to the sessions.
from Wikipedia:
Comet Gain are a British indie pop band, formed by singer-songwriter and guitarist David Bower(aka David Feck/David Christian) in 1992, with influences including punk, post-punk and northern soul. They have been cited heavily by current UK indie band The Cribs as an inspiration.
The first full Comet Gain line-up released an EP on Soul Static Sound, before signing with Wiiija records for further EPs/singles and two albums between 1993 and 1997. During this period Comet Gain cited and were often compared to Dexys Midnight Runners; however their music ranged in influence and style from early-80s alternative pop through sixties girl-group sounds to pure punk. Partly as a result of these artistic differences, in early 1997 the majority of Comet Gain split and formed the band Velocette, remaining on Wiiija, leaving David Christian to continue Comet Gain with new members.
Joined by new vocalist Rachel Evans, alongside bassist Kay Ishikawa and guitarist Jon Slade (ex-Huggy Bear), Comet Gain released the comeback album Tigertown Pictures in 1999, following a move to KRS records. Guests on the record included John McKeown (The Yummy Fur). The follow-up record, Realistes, saw Comet Gain joined by Chris Appelgren (The PeeChees) and Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill) and showcased a more garage influenced sound.
2005’s City Fallen Leaves, released on Track and Field records, saw the permanent addition as drummer of Woodie Taylor (ex-Morrissey/The Meteors) and presented a wider range of songwriting styles and a more expansive production including alt-country influences. Follow-up release Broken Record Prayers compiled singles, Peel Sessions and unreleased tracks from 1998 to 2008 to further critical acclaim.
2010 and 2011 saw the release of a series of limited-edition singles to support new album Howl of the Lonely Crowd (Fortuna Pop! records). Produced by Ryan Jarman (The Cribs) with Edwyn Collins, the album cemented Comet Gain’s reputation as respected and influential indie-pop veterans. During this period, Comet Gain settled as a 7-piece band with the addition of Ben Phillipson (ex-Kicker, Eighteenth Day of May) on guitar and backing vocals and Anne Laure Guillain on keyboards and backing vocals.
Members of Comet Gain collaborate with tourmates Crystal Stilts and others as Cinema Red and Blue, a long-term side project which released a single and an eponymous album in 2010. A follow up EP was released in October 2011.
Lineup
1992
David Charlie Feck (vocals, guitar, keys)George Wright (bass)Phil Sutton (drums)1993-1997
David Charlie Feck (vocals, guitar, keys)Sarah Bleach (vocals)Sam Pluck (guitar)Jax Coombes (bass, keyboards)Phil Sutton (drums)1997-
Main Band (As of 2011)
David Charlie Christian Feck (vocals, guitar)Rachel Evans (vocals, percussion)Ben Phillipson (guitar, vocals)Jon Slade (guitar, bass)Anne Laure Guillain (keys, backing vocals, percussion)Kay Ishikawa (bass)M.J."Woodie" Taylor (drums, production)Additional Members
Blair Cowl (guitar, bass) (1997–1999)Erik Brunulf (guitar, bass) (2001)Darren Smyth (drums) (1997–2001)Chris Appelgren (drums) (2002)Gary Jarman (live drums - one gig) (2008)
