Simian (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2000 in Manchester, England |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , England |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Simian was a rock ensemble originating from Manchester in the year 2000.
Members
- Simon William Lord – lead vocals, lead guitar, drum programming
- Alex MacNaghten – bass guitar
- James Anthony Shaw – keyboards, drum programming, percussion
- James Ellis Ford – drums, drum programming
Touring members
- Michael Tighe – supplementary guitar, keyboards, percussion (2003)
History
The formation of Simian took place during the members' time at Manchester University. Prior to this, MacNaghten, Shaw, and Ford had collaborated in the live breakbeat outfit King Rib.
Primary releases
Their first album, Chemistry Is What We Are, was issued in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2001 under Source Records and later reached the United States market on 18 September 2001 via Astralwerks. The American version included two additional tracks, "The Tale of Willow Hill" and "Grey," which had previously appeared in the UK on the EPs The Wisp and Watch It Glow.
The follow-up album, We Are Your Friends, was launched in the UK on 28 October 2002 and in the US on 29 October 2002. The Japanese edition, released on 26 March 2003, contained bonus songs "Out of Bed," "Coins," and "Reasons," with "Out of Bed" and "Coins" initially released as B-sides to the single "Never Be Alone."
Additional projects
In 2000, Simian recorded a cover version of Prince's "Under the Cherry Moon" for the tribute compilation If I Was Prince (2001).
They also produced remixes for various artists such as Ladytron ("Playgirl"), Appliance ("AM/PM"), Zero 7 ("Destiny"), and The Future Sound of London ("Papua New Guinea").
Their track "La Breeze" was featured in a Peugeot 1007 television commercial in 2005 and subsequently used in Dove’s 2007 "Onslaught" advertising campaign.
Disbandment
Simian dissolved in 2005. Following this, Ford and Shaw created the offshoot project Simian Mobile Disco, which concentrated on electronic dance music and achieved recognition as remixers and DJs. Ford also became involved with baroque pop group The Last Shadow Puppets, collaborating with Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. Meanwhile, Lord formed part of The Black Ghosts, an electronic duo alongside DJ Touche from The Wiseguys.
Justice Remix
In 2006, the single "We Are Your Friends", a remix based on their original track "Never Be Alone," was released through Ten Records, a Virgin Records subsidiary. This version credited to "Justice vs Simian" stemmed from a remix contest entry by French duo Justice. The accompanying music video received the Best Video award at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, an event notable for Kanye West’s protest against the outcome.
Later on, Australian DJ Steve Camp combined Wolfgang Gartner’s track "Illmerica" with "We Are Your Friends," creating the mashup titled "Illmerica Are Your Friends." This mix gained traction following its feature on episode 186 of Tiësto's radio program Club Life in 2010.
In 2011, NME placed "We Are Your Friends" at number 19 on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years."
Albums
- Chemistry Is What We Are (2001)
- We Are Your Friends (2002)
Singles and EPs
The UK releases under Source Records are as follows:
- Watch It Glow (EP, released 16 October 2000)
- The Wisp (EP, released 21 May 2001)
- "One Dimension" (22 October 2001) – reached UK chart position #95
- "Mr. Crow" (4 February 2002) – peaked at UK #84
- "Never Be Alone" (21 October 2002) – attained UK #76
- "La Breeze" (31 March 2003) – climbed to UK #55
- "In Between" (15 September 2003)
- "We Are Your Friends" – a collaboration between Justice and Simian (2006) – achieved UK chart position #20