Frazier Chorus
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Frazier Chorus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brighton, England |
| Genres | Pop, dream pop |
| Years active | 1986–1996 |
| Labels | 4AD Virgin Pinkerton |
| Past members | Tim Freeman Kate Holmes Chris Taplin Michéle Allardyce |
| Website | http://frazierchorus.co.uk |
Frazier Chorus were an English pop group from Brighton, England.[1] They were known for their unconventional instrumentation, including synthesizers, trumpets, flutes and clarinets, as well as frontman Tim Freeman's "soft, heavily accented ... talk-singing" and sarcastically witty lyrics.[2]
Frazier Chorus was formed in Brighton, England, by Tim Freeman (the brother of actor Martin Freeman and musician Jamie Freeman,[3][4] on vocals and keyboards), Michéle Allardyce (percussion), Kate Holmes (flute) and Chris Taplin (clarinet, programming).[5] Original names for the band included both Fishing For Clouds and Plop!,[5] but the band eventually settled on Frazier Chorus, a phrase they had seen on a jacket for the Frazier College football team's cheerleaders in the United States.[6]
The band first signed to British indie record label 4AD[7] and released the single "Sloppy Heart" in 1987.[8] Shortly afterwards, they moved to Virgin Records and achieved three minor chart hits with melodic pop songs taken from their 1989 debut album, Sue.[7] Allardyce was eventually dismissed from the band.[5]
Their second album, Ray, followed in 1991, and its singles were remixed by a number of top remixers, including Paul Oakenfold,[7] Chad Jackson and Youth. Following the album's release, the band was let go from Virgin after the label was purchased by EMI and began purging a number of its artists; subsequently, Holmes and Taplin fired Freeman before ultimately disbanding entirely.[6] Holmes later moved into electronica via the bands Sirenes, Technique, and Client.
Freeman took several years off and re-emerged in the mid-1990s, resurrecting the band name with permission from Holmes and Taplin.[6] In 1995, Freeman released a mini-album as Frazier Chorus, Wide Awake, which did not reach the UK Albums Chart. He later released Monkey Spunk, a collection of five demos recorded prior to the sessions for Wide Awake, available exclusively via the band's website.[9]
After leaving the band, Holmes became a member of the synthpop band Technique, before joining Dubstar's Sarah Blackwood in the electronic band CLIEͶT in the 2000s.[10][11]
