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Bradford

A U.K. indie pop combo with a smart, melodic sound, Bradford enjoyed a brief period of industry buzz in the late 1980s when, following the Smiths' breakup, Morrissey proclaimed them the new torchbearers of British indie. In spite of their critical acclaim, commercial success eluded the group, and after being dropped from their label, Bradford disbanded in 1991. Three decades later, a retrospective reissue helped spark renewed interest in the band, who re-formed and began working on new material. Morrissey's praise for Bradford was far from a shocking revelation. The Blackburn-based group's breezy, jangling riffs mirrored the Smiths' ringing guitars; moreover, Smiths producer Stephen Street had signed them to his Sire-affiliated Foundation label based on their 1988 debut single, "Skin Storm." In a strange footnote, "Skin Storm" owns the distinction of being the first independent single to have been released on CD. Touted as inheritors of the Smiths' mope rock throne, Bradford opened for Morrissey later that year at his initial post-Smiths gig at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall in England. With Street acting as producer, members Ian Michael Hodgson (vocals), Ewan Butler (guitar), John Baulcombe (Keyboards), Jos Murphy (bass guitar), and Mark McVitie (drums) entered the studio and recorded their label debut, Shouting Quietly. Released in 1989, the first two singles, "In Liverpool" and "Adrift Again," both made the independent charts, but the album failed to make a larger impact and was eclipsed by the sudden popularity of the Madchester scene. Sire decided to drop the band from its roster, and Bradford disbanded in 1991. Morrissey's adulation for Bradford remained, however, and that same year, he recorded his own version of their song "Skin Storm" as a B-side. Over the years, Shouting Quietly earned a reputation as somewhat of a lost cult classic, and in 2018 a remastered 30-song retrospective called Thirty Years of Shouting Quietly was released by Turntable Friend Records. Hodgson and Butler formed a new trio version of Bradford with their former producer Stephen Street and began writing and recording together. Released in 2020, "Like Water" served as the band's first new release in three decades.
© Michael Sutton & Timothy Monger /TiVo
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Discography

26 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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