Labels Domino Years active 2007–present Genres Indie rock | Instruments Guitar
vocals Role Singer-songwriter Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter Name Eugene McGuinness Associated acts Miles Kane | |
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Birth name Eugene Michael McGuinness Born 11 August 1985 (age 38)
Leytonstone, London, England ( 1985-08-11 ) Albums Eugene McGuinness, The Invitation to the Voyage, The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness, Glue, Chroma Similar People Miles Kane, The Bohicas, The Rascals, The Courteeners, The Rifles Profiles | ||
Also known as Eugene + the Lizards Record label Domino Recording Company | ||
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Eugene Michael McGuinness (born 11 August 1985 in Leytonstone, London) is a British singer-songwriter and frontman of Eugene + the Lizards. He has lived in London, and he is of Irish heritage.
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Music career
McGuinness's first release, The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness, was released on 6 August 2007 on Domino Records' sublabel Double Six Records. Although the extended play was less than half an hour long, it received praise from critics. BBC reviewer Chris White called it "brimful with ideas" and stated that McGuinness's voice on the record "soars euphorically and coos playfully with equal aplomb". Drowned in Sound gave the EP a rating of 9/10, saying "McGuinness has a way with words that's quite remarkable". However, despite gaining the backing of its critics, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom.
Following the good response of Learnings, he went on to release his eponymous debut album, Eugene McGuinness, on the Domino label on 13 October 2008. Unlike the last release, Eugene McGuinness is a full-length album with 12 tracks. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. Drowned in Sound labelled it "a bold and confident piece of brilliance, equally off kilter as it is tenderly raw". The BBC said that the album "runs the formative gamut of angsty, carefree, happy-sad, hormone-fuelled, late-teens emotions with a solipsistic disregard for any feelings but his own". NME gave the album 8 out of 10, and The Times named it their album of the week. Meanwhile, an Observer journalist called the album "busily eclectic but... can make no great claims to originality". Allmusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying that "the arrival of Eugene McGuinness a true cause for celebration".
McGuinness began playing as Eugene + the Lizards, along with his brother Dominic McGuinness, Malcolm Lunan and John Barrett. On 30 November 2009, they released their first album together, Glue. It was originally released as a 6-track limited edition 10" vinyl record, which then came with a digital code to download all 6 tracks plus the additional 4 tracks online for free, though the full album is now available on iTunes and AmazonMp3.
Alongside playing as a session and tour member for Miles Kane, Eugene finished the recording of his third album in London. The Invitation to the Voyage was released on 6 August 2012 and contains the singles "Lion", "Thunderbolt", "Shotgun" and "Harlequinade".