Perfume (British band)
| Company type | Indie band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder | Mick McCarthy, Tony Owen |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Leicester , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Perfume was an indie band originating from Leicester, England, active between 1993 and 1997.
History
After the breakup of Blab Happy, vocalist and guitarist Mick McCarthy along with bassist Tony Owen established Perfume, joining forces with John Waddington. They initially issued their music through their own label, Aromasound. Their first release, "Yoga/Perfume" (December 1993), was notable for its limited edition scented vinyl and received significant airplay on Radio 1, particularly from DJs Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley. In April 1994, they followed up with "Young/Anointed," another single featuring a perfume-scented vinyl. Their third offering, "Lover," gained additional radio exposure and secured them a session on Jo Whiley’s program.
Both "Lover" and "Yesterday Follows You" climbed into the UK Indie Top 10 charts, cementing Perfume’s status as favorites among radio audiences and earning coverage in prominent music magazines such as NME and Melody Maker. The music video for "Yesterday Follows You" was broadcast on ITV's Chart Show, while their headline tour across the UK achieved multiple sold-out dates. The band also recorded a week-long live session at BBC Maida Vale studios for Lamacq and Whiley’s shows.
Performing to over 5,000 fans at the Phoenix Festival’s secondary stage alongside Travis, Perfume maintained an extensive touring schedule throughout the UK. Their international appearances included a set for the Black Sessions in Paris. Leicester-born bassist Karl Traae joined the lineup after transferring from HBM; his experience with San Diego’s Whirl contributed to the band scoring another Indie Top 10 and a UK Top 75 chart position in January 1996 with "Haven't Seen You."
Following their signing to Big Star Records and Paul Weller’s Notting Hill publishing company, Perfume re-released "Lover" and unveiled their first album, One (1997), which garnered favorable critiques in magazines like Q and Select. They performed on the NME stage during Glastonbury Festival 1997. After a record label acquisition, their last release was a posthumous compilation titled Yesterday Rising (1998). Supporting Paul Weller at Finsbury Park’s Lazy Sunday Afternoon event, they also featured Jo Whiley joining them live at the BBC Camden Festival to perform "Lover," a track she lauded as "the sweetest song in all the world." Both Lamacq and Whiley later identified their interview with Perfume as one of the standout moments during The Evening Session’s two-decade history in 2014.
"Lover" appeared on the 2010 indie compilation Common People, where NME’s Luke Lewis praised it as a "lost gem," describing it as "an ecstatic, vernal bloom of falsetto and violins." The song was selected by Steve Lamacq for his 2019 Lost Alternatives compilation, leading to renewed broadcasts on BBC 6 Music and Radio 2.
In July 2020, Speakeasy reflected on Perfume’s impact: “During their four-year existence, Perfume earned acclaim from publications such as NME, Melody Maker, Select, and Q, achieved several Indie Top-10 singles, and featured on essential indie compilations. If they were overlooked initially, now is an ideal moment to revisit their work.”
Singles
- "Perfume/Yoga" (1993, Aromasound)
- "Young" (1994, Aromasound)
- "Lover" (1995, Aromasound) UK #158
- "Yesterday Follows You" (1995, Aromasound) UK #189
- "Haven't Seen You" (1996, Aromasound) UK #71
- "Carving Your Name" (1996, Aromasound) UK #77
- "Lover" (1997, Big Star) UK #99
- "You and I" (1997, Big Star) UK #147
Discography
- Yesterday Rising (circa 1996, Aromasound)
- One (1997, Big Star)