The Boo Radleys

The Boo Radleys formed on the Wirral in 1988, and originally consisted of guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, vocalist/guitarist Sice, bassist Tim Brown, and drummer Steve Hewitt.

The band released their first album, Ichabod and I, on local label Action Records in 1990; Hewitt was replaced by Rob Cieka after the release of the record.

With the support of influential British disc jockey John Peel, the band signed with Rough Trade Records with whom they released the Every Heaven EP in 1991 – a record which made it into the lower regions of the UK charts.

Rough Trade folded shortly after the release of Every Heaven, and The Boo Radleys moved to Creation Records, releasing Everything’s Alright Forever in 1992.

The album was also released in the US through Creation’s association with Columbia Records, but didn’t gain much attention in America. In England, it received favorable reviews and the group began to build a fan base.

The Boo RadleysTopping several ‘best of the year’ lists, including those in Melody Maker and Select, 1993’s Giant Steps was a critical success in England and sold respectably. In America, the record launched the alternative hit Lazarus and led to second-stage spot on the Lollapalooza tour in 1994.

Released in England in the spring of 1995, the more pop-oriented Wake Up! was the band’s commercial breakthrough, debuting at number one.

The bright, horn-driven single Wake Up Boo! entered in the top ten and stayed on the charts until the early summer, preventing the follow-up single, Find the Answer Within, from charting higher than the top 30.

The Boo Radleys returned in the autumn of 1996 with C’mon Kids, a self-consciously loud and arty album designed to shake off the band’s newfound pop fans.

It worked – the album debuted in the top ten but soon fell off the charts, despite overwhelmingly positive reviews.

The Boo RadleysEarly in 1997, the band finalized an American contract with Mercury, and C’mon Kids was released in March, a half a year after its initial British release.

Kingsize followed in late 1998, and was again met with favourable reviews, but the Boos officially broke up months later just weeks before the title track was set to be released as a single.