Broadcast was an electronic music band, founded in Birmingham, England. Original members were Trish Keenan (vocals), Roj Stevens (keyboards), Tim Felton (guitar) and James Cargill (bass). Various drummers played with the band, including Keith York, Phil Jenkins, Jeremy Barnes, Steve Perkins, and Neil Bullock. As of 2005, the group consisted of Keenan and Cargill, with Felton having departed to form a new project, Seeland, with Billy Bainbridge, formerly of another Birmingham Warp act Plone.
The band’s first releases were singles released on Wurlitzer Jukebox Records ( “Accidentals” ) and Duophonic Records (“The Book Lovers”) in the mid-1990s. “The Book Lovers” was also featured on the soundtrack of the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. They attracted the attention of Warp Records, who compiled the singles in 1997 on Work and Non Work. All subsequent releases have been on Warp Records, or in the USA on Tommy Boy Records. Their song “Before We Begin” was used in… read more
Broadcast was an electronic music band, founded in Birmingham, England. Original members were Trish Keenan (vocals), Roj Stevens (keyboards), Tim Felton (guitar) and James Cargill (bass). Various drummers played with the band, including Keith York, Phil Jenkins, Jeremy Barnes, Steve Perkins, and Neil Bullock. As of 2005, the group consisted of Keenan and Cargill, with Felton having departed to form a new project, Seeland, with Billy Bainbridge, formerly of another Birmingham Warp act Plone.
The band’s first releases were singles released on Wurlitzer Jukebox Records ( “Accidentals” ) and Duophonic Records (“The Book Lovers”) in the mid-1990s. “The Book Lovers” was also featured on the soundtrack of the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. They attracted the attention of Warp Records, who compiled the singles in 1997 on Work and Non Work. All subsequent releases have been on Warp Records, or in the USA on Tommy Boy Records. Their song “Before We Begin” was used in the Season Four finale of The L Word, as well as in the 2008 UK independent film, Donkey Punch. “Colour Me In” is also featured in the first episode of Nathan Barley.
The band released three albums, several EPs, two singles and EP collections. In October 2009, Broadcast released a collaborative mini-album with The Focus Group (aka graphic designer and Ghost Box label co-owner Julian House) called Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age. In late 2009 their song “I Found the F” was covered by Gravenhurst on the Warp20 (Recreated) compilation.
The band was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival he curated in May 2010 in Minehead, Somerset, England.
The band’s style was a mixture of electronic sounds and Keenan’s 1960s-influenced vocals. It was heavily influenced by the 1960s influenced American psychedelic group The United States of America, using many of the same electronic effects. It was also reminiscent of Stereolab. However, despite the similar musical pedigree, Broadcast’s music was often darker and edgier in sound – with amorphous samples and analogue dissonance giving it a retro-futuristic sci-fi edge.
Lead singer Trish Keenan died of pneumonia on 14 January 2011 at the age of 42. —Wikipedia
