Past members Alex Lidgate Record label Polydor Records | Active until 1993 | |
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Years active 1989–1993, 2015–present Labels Stifled Aardvark Co. Records
Polydor Records Website www.thousandyardstare.co.uk Members Stephen Barnes
Dominic Bostock
Giles Duffy
Kevin Moxon
Sean McDonough Origin Slough, United Kingdom (1989) Albums Mappamundi, Fair to Middling, Hands On Genres Alternative rock, Indie pop Similar The Family Cat, The Dylans, These Animal Men, Midway Still, Ned's Atomic Dustbin | ||
Thousand Yard Stare are an English band from Slough, Berkshire active during the early 1990s, prior to the Britpop explosion. Supporting popular bands on the indie circuit such as James and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, the band also released several EPs. Reformed in 2015, the band played a sold-out show at London's Borderline on 6 June, at the Nottingham Rock City Wake-Up Indie Alldayer on 17 October 2015, and at the Shiiine On Weekender festival at Butlins Minehead on 6 November 2015. More dates were scheduled for 2016.
Contents
History
The band's debut effort, the Weatherwatching EP was released in November 1990 on Stifled Aardvark Records, the band's own record label. Both the Easter 89 and Tumbletown EPs were demo tapes made up by the band and sold at gigs prior to their first official release, the 12" vinyl only Weatherwatching. In a response to this record, NME nominated Thousand Yard Stare as "brightest hope for the future". Following in June 1991, the Keepsake EP reached the top spot in both the NME and Melody Maker independent charts. That summer the band performed at the Reading Festival, further raising their profile and leading to their stint as support for James in October and November of that year. In the Autumn, the band began the sessions for their first album, Hands On, the first fruit of which was another EP. Seasonstream EP was released on Stifled Aardvark Records in 1991, their last independent release on their own label. The Seasonstream EP began with a track titled "0-0 a.e.t", (which means "No Score After Extra Time"), a football metaphor laden song that featured Martin Bell of The Wonder Stuff on fiddle. 0-0a.e.t appeared as the first track on the Hands On LP. This single again topped the Indie music charts, and reached number 65 in the UK Singles Chart. With the backing of the major label Polydor, Thousand Yard Stare went on to release a further three EPs, and two studio albums. (Hands On and Mappamundi) were both produced by Stephen Street, who had already produced records for The Smiths and Blur.
However, neither of the albums made much of an inroad into the mainstream market, and the band became eclipsed by the burgeoning Britpoppers such as Suede, Blur and Elastica, and Mappamundi proved to be their final release.
Albums
EPs
Band members
Songs
No Score After Extra Time1991
WideshireHands On · 1991
SeasonstreamHands On · 1991