Murry the Hump

Murry the Hump
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1999 in Aberystwyth, Wales
Founder	Matthew Evans, Gwion Rowlands, Curig Huws, Bill Coyne
Defunct	2001
Headquarters	Aberystwyth, Wales, United Kingdom
Products	Indie rock and urban folk music

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Murry the Hump, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025

Murry the Hump was a Welsh band known for their blend of indie rock and "urban folk," active between 1999 and 2001. Following this period, they continued their musical journey under the name The Keys (or simply Keys).

History

Originating in Aberystwyth during the late 1990s, the group was founded by vocalist Matthew Evans, guitarist Gwion Rowlands, bassist Curig Huws, and drummer Bill Coyne. Their name was inspired by the gangster Llewellyn Morris "Murray The Hump" Humphreys.

Early on, they faced off against Muse in a Battle of the Bands competition. Their indie releases, including "Green Green Grass of Home"—an NME "Single of the Week" centered on marijuana—and "Thrown Like a Stone," which secured ninth place in John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1999, earned them airplay from BBC Radio 1 personalities Steve Lamacq and John Peel. They recorded three sessions for Peel and performed at the In The City industry event. Subsequently, they secured a publishing contract with Townhill Music (Sony), attracting admiration from Blur’s Alex James, artist Damien Hirst, and Joe Strummer, who preferred them over Coldplay during a label showcase. NME praised their single "Silver Suit" as "The Proper Indie; winsome, charmsome, delicate, funny and toe-tappin' Trebor fizz-pop Fab."

In 2000, Murry the Hump signed with Too Pure and supported Hefner on tour. They began crafting their debut album Songs of Ignorance while debuting new tracks live on Radio 1's One Live in Cardiff. During this time, Siôn Glyn replaced Curig Huws on bass.

Their initial release under Too Pure was the split single "The House That Used to Be a Ship," shared with Hefner. This was followed by "Cracking Up," which earned Guardian Guide Single of the Week honors and gained substantial backing from Xfm, including a John Kennedy Session and performances at Camden’s Barfly venue.

After releasing "Don't Slip Up," they unveiled Songs of Ignorance, which Andy Gill of The Independent commended for its inviting warmth and appeal. NME’s April Long highlighted their talent for combining catchy guitar hooks with compelling narratives, drawing comparisons to Super Furry Animals and XTC. The Sunday Times selected "Cracking Up" as one of 2001’s 'Tracks of the Year,' describing it as both "joyous" and "perfect pop."

The band announced their disbandment in September 2001 but delivered a final performance at BBC Radio 2’s Live in Cardiff festival the following month. Matthew Evans later attributed internal strains to promotional demands.

In 2002, Evans, Rowlands, and Glyn regrouped as The Keys after consulting fans on their new moniker. Critics characterized them as reminiscent of "Duane Eddy jamming with the Jesus and Mary Chain." The Keys released their self-titled debut album in 2003, followed by two EPs in 2009 and their sophomore album Fire Inside in 2010. Their third album Bitten by Wolves appeared in 2011. Continuing as Keys, they released Ring the Changes (2014), Bring Me the Head of Jerry Garcia (2019), and Home Schooling Album (2020).

Trivia

On 26 May 1999, Murry the Hump performed alongside Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, the Morriston Orpheus Choir, and other Welsh artists before an audience of 25,000 at the BBC Voices of a Nation concert.
Their Blue Dog single (V2) "The Green Green Grass of Home" was issued as a limited run of only 1,000 copies.
Throughout their career, Murry the Hump supported numerous acts such as The Stereophonics, The Levellers, Bonnie Tyler, Shed Seven, Björn Again, Mike Peters, Coloursound, The Crocketts, Cartoon, Topper, Big Leaves, and Deacon Blue.

Albums

Songs of Ignorance (28 May 2001), Too Pure Records (Pure 116) – available on CD and LP formats

under the name The Keys

The Keys (2003), Too Pure
Fire Inside (2010), See Monkey Do Monkey
Bitten by Wolves (2011), See Monkey Do Monkey
Ring the Changes (2014), See Monkey Do Monkey
Bring Me the Head of Jerry Garcia (2019), Libertino
Home Schooling Album (2020), Libertino

Singles and EPs

Don't Slip Up – Demo (not officially released)
"Green Green Grass of Home" (1999), Blue Dog Records – 7" vinyl single, shared release with Gorgeous Fame and the Three Degrees
"Thrown Like a Stone"/"Don't Slip Up" (27 September 1999), Shifty Disco Records – CD format
Colouring Book EP (November 1999), Malthouse Records – CD
"Silver Suit"/"Booze and Cigarettes" (May 2000), Prim and Proper Records – 7" vinyl single
"The House That Used to Be a Ship" (January 2001), Too Pure Records – 7" vinyl single, split with Hefner
"Cracking Up" (26 March 2001), Too Pure (Pure 114) – released on CD and 7" vinyl
"Don't Slip Up" (21 May 2001), Too Pure (Pure 107) – issued as CD and white 7" vinyl single

as The Keys

Le Mans EP (2009), See Monkey Do Monkey
The Christmas EP (2009), See Monkey Do Monkey

Peel Sessions

Between 1999 and 2000, the group recorded three sessions for John Peel, in addition to a special live event:

Peel Session at Maida Vale 4, recorded on 26 September 1999, broadcast on 1 December 1999
Live Peel Session from the Union Chapel, London, aired on 29 March 2000
Peel Session recorded live at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, broadcast on 25 October 2000
John Peel Christmas Special live from Peelacres, aired on 21 December 2000

External links