Travis
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Travis hails from Glasgow, Scotland comprised of Fran Healy, Dougie Payne, Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose. They are dubbed as one of Britain's most popular Alternative Rock bands. They have paved the way for similar artists such as Coldplay and Keane.
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About
The band was originally called Running Red, then changed it to Glass Onion, and now called Travis. They were formed in 1990 by Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose. They were first fronted by a female singer and would perform at Glasgow's famous Horse Shoe Bar, where Primrose worked as a bartender. The singer was replaced Fran Healy, after being auditioned by Primrose.
The band released their first EP entitled, The Glass Onion EP, with a little help from Healy's mother, they borrowed £600 and started to make 500 copies to give out, now they are worth £1000 each. By this time, the band was finally renamed Travis, after a character played by Harry Dean Stanton in the movie Paris, Texas. The band credits their musical influences to The Beatles, The Band, and Queen. They started to perform at a number of bars and clubs to get the word out. They had a rough start, considering they have once been told to be uncool. But Travis did not pay attention much to it since they are more interested in the value of the actual music, not how people alienates them.
American engineer and producer, Niko Bolas discovered the band while tuning in on Radio Scotland, he heard them and there was something in the band that made Bolas travel to Perth to see them. Healy recounts the time they were approached by the New Yorker and pushed, not encouraged them to play like a band. Bolas had them in the studio for four days to play properly. Three years later, Travis was playing in New York and one of the sets they played was their first ever single, All I Want To Do Is Rock. Healy wrote the song years earlier but decided to dedicate it to Bolas, who was in the audience. Bolas wept as he heard this, and finally Travis was already on their way to stardom.
The band finally released their first full-length album entitled, Good Feeling in September 8, 1997. They would not have made it if it wasn't for the help of Andy MacDonald, owner of Go! Discs Records and founder of Independiente Records. MacDonald gave £100,000 of his own money to fund Travis. So if MacDonald ever leaves Independiente Records which is Sony-financed, the band goes with him.
Their sophomore following The Man Who (from the book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by American neurologist Oliver Sacks) served as the more melodic, melancholic record the band ever produced. The record has a dwindling experience in the charts since it recieved little radio airplay from thei singles such as Driftwood, Turn, Writing To Reach You, and Why Does It Always Rain on Me?. Even critics thought this was a bad move Travis made to be making more sad songs. But word of mouth spread and the single, Why Does It Always Rain On Me? rose back to the charts. Travis then toured, performing along side Coldplay and Oasis.
Their belief in their own music resulted inthei third effort, The Invisible Band. The single, Sing was the most played song on British radio in the summer of 2001). Recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, the album peaked at #1 in the British charts and receiving notable critical acclaim. It also took the album of the year from Top Of The Pops. the band again had an extensive world tour following the release of the album.
Travis almost came to a halt on 2002 when drummer Neil Primrose dove into a shallow swimming pool head first. He broke his neck, almost dying from spinal damage and could have drowned if not for his bandmates. Despite the accident, Primrose made a full recovery. By this time, Healy re-evaluated the band and regrouped. Moving into a small cottage in Crear, West Scotland, the band came up with new songs over the course of two weeks and released their next album, 12 Memories, produced by the band themselves. The single Re-offender did well on the British charts, and the album peaked at #3. The band remained active and successfully completed a US and European tour supported by Keane. They also headlined the 2005 Isle of Wright Festival and T in the Park. Travis also performed at the Live 8's London concert for Make Poverty History as Healy is a part of the movement, having made trips to Sudan with the Save The Children Organization.
Travis is back inthe studio currently working on their next album with producers Nigel Godrich and Mike Hodges with Brian Eno. The album is set to be released by 2007. Singer K.T. Tunstall has been reported to provide backing vocals on a song. Actor Ben Stiller has said to have contributed a cowbell for his fave band.
Band Lineup
- Fran Healy - lead vocals, guitar, piano
- Dougie Payne - bass, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals
- Andy Dunlop - lead guitar, banjo, keyboards, backing vocals
- Neil Primrose - drums, percussion
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Brit Awards | Won: Best Album from The Man Who |
| 2001 | Brit Awards | Won: Best Album from The Invisible Band |
| Ivor Novello Awards | Won: Best Songwriting & Best Contemporay Song |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | All I Want To Do Is Rock (Re-released in 1997) | 39 | Good Feeling |
| 1997 | U16 Girls | 40 | Good Feeling |
| Tied To The 90's | 30 | Good Feeling | |
| Happy | 38 | Good Feeling | |
| 1998 | More Than Us | - | Good Feeling |
| 1999 | Writing To Reach You | 14 | The Man Who |
| Driftwood | 13 | The Man Who | |
| Why Does It Always Rain On Me? | 10 | The Man Who | |
| Turn | 8 | The Man Who | |
| 2000 | Coming Around | 5 | None |
| Sing | 3 | The Invisible Man | |
| Side | 14 | The Invisible Man | |
| 2001 | Flowers In The Window | 18 | The Invisible Band |
| 2003 | Re-Offender | 7 | 12 Memories |
| 2004 | The Beautiful Occupation | 48 | 12 Memories |
| Love Will Come Through | 28 | 12 Memories | |
| Walking In The Sun | 20 | Singles |
News
Tours & Concerts
Announcements
There are no new announcements at this time.
Discography
Albums
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Singles / Compilation
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Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- The band has a number of famous followers like Chris Martin, The Benjamins, Noel Gallagher, Prosthetic Aesthetic, Rubyblue,
Relax to Paris, J Band and Ben Stiller.
Reviews
Travis' music indulges in the melancholic yet melodic side. But not all tracks can be categorized in the like. I wasn't really into them until I was curious at a particular song I heard on the radio. I like their 12 Memories CD a lot. Their track Re-Offender was such a masterpiece I consider it one of my favorites, apart from Happy To Hang Around and Quicksand. Fran Healy's voice captures the essence the band was aiming for. They are the pioneers of the Brit Pop culture. Whenver I listen to similar artists, I always have Travis in my mind to tell me they were the first.--Angelic biatch 19:49, 6 October 2006 (PDT)
External Links
Categories: Artist | Alternative Rock | Brit Pop | Pop
