The Bluetones
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1993 in Hounslow, London, England |
| Founder | Mark Morriss, Adam Devlin, Scott Morriss, Eds Chesters |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
The Bluetones are a British indie rock group that originated in Hounslow, London, in 1993. The band’s members consist of Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin playing guitar, Scott Morriss handling bass duties, and Eds Chesters on drums. Richard Payne was part of the lineup between 1998 and 2002. Initially called "The Bottlegarden," the band has secured thirteen singles within the UK top 40 and three albums reaching the top 10. Their most recent studio release, A New Athens, came out in May 2010.
History
After releasing two singles through Fierce Panda Records, The Bluetones signed with A&M Records and launched Expecting to Fly under their sublabel Superior Quality Recordings. This debut album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, featuring tracks such as "Bluetonic" and the successful single "Slight Return", which peaked at number two in the UK. Between albums, they also released the single "Marblehead Johnson".
Their sophomore effort, Return to the Last Chance Saloon (1998), reached the UK top 10 and included singles like "Solomon Bites the Worm" and "If...". The third album, Science & Nature (2000), also achieved a top 10 position with singles "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia".
Following a greatest hits compilation in 2002, Luxembourg was released in 2003 but received mixed critical feedback. By late 2005, they had signed a three-album contract with Cooking Vinyl, issuing the limited Serenity Now EP and conducting a UK tour.
In 2006, Universal released A Rough Outline, an extensive collection of singles and B-sides. Their self-titled album appeared in October 2006 but failed to chart. Plans for tours in North America and Australia were abandoned; instead, they focused on European dates, including sold-out performances at Glasgow’s King Tuts.
Throughout 2007, they put out BBC Radio Sessions and their first live album, Once Upon a Time in West Twelve, recorded in 2005, followed by a concert DVD named Beat about the Bush. Additionally, early demo compilations and a DVD anthology of their music videos were released.
Touring continued into 2008 and 2009 with appearances supporting homelessness charities. Late in 2008, they performed their debut album live during a tour.
Although met with modest critical acclaim, A New Athens (2010) did not enter the charts. The band announced their breakup in March 2011 after completing a farewell tour but reunited in April 2015 for a UK tour. In summer 2017, they co-headlined the Star Shaped Festival alongside Sleeper across several major UK cities.
Discography
The Bluetones have produced six studio albums, six compilation albums, one live album, five EPs, twenty singles, and four video releases.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | |||
| 1996 | Expecting to Fly
|
1 | 44 | UK: Platinum |
| 1998 | Return to the Last Chance Saloon
|
10 | – | UK: Gold |
| 2000 | Science & Nature
|
7 | – | |
| 2003 | Luxembourg
|
49 | – | |
| 2006 | The Bluetones
|
100 | – | |
| 2010 | A New Athens
|
— | – | |
Live recordings
- Once Upon a Time in West Twelve (2007)
- Bluetonic (2017)
Compilation collections
| Year | Album information | Chart rankings |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 2000 | Are You Blind?
|
– |
| 2002 | The Singles
|
14 |
| 2006 | A Rough Outline: The Singles & B-sides 95 - 03
|
156 |
| 2007 | BBC Radio Sessions
|
164 |
The Early Garage Years
|
– | |
| 2008 | Collection
|
– |
EP releases
- A Bluetones Companion (1995, exclusive to Japan)
- Mudslide (2000)
- Serenity Now (2005, available through mail order only)
- Drive Thru EP (2024)
- In The Cut EP (2025)
- London Weekend Television EP (2025)
Singles
| Year | Single title | Chart rankings | Associated album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
IRL | |||||
| 1995 | "Slight Return" (limited edition 7") |
– |
– |
– |
Expecting to Fly | ||
| "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" |
31 |
– |
– |
||||
| "Bluetonic" |
19 |
– |
– |
||||
| 1996 | "Slight Return" (re-release) |
2 |
60 |
15 |
|||
| "Cut Some Rug/Castle Rock#Cut Some Rug" |
7 |
– |
– |
||||
| "Cut Some Rug/Castle Rock#Castle Rock" |
7 |
– |
– |
||||
| "Marblehead Johnson" |
7 |
– |
– |
||||
| 1998 | "Solomon Bites the Worm" |
10 |
– |
– |
|||
| "If..." |
13 |
– |
– |
||||
| "Sleazy Bed Track" |
35 |
– |
– |
||||
| "4-Day Weekend" (mail order exclusive) |
– |
– |
– | ||||
| "Keep the Home Fires Burning" |
13 |
– |
– |
Science & Nature | |||
| "Autophilia (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Car)" |
18 |
– |
– |
Science & Nature | |||
| "After Hours" |
26 |
– |
– |
The Singles | |||
| "Fast Boy"/"Liquid Lips" |
25 |
– |
– |
Luxembourg | |||
| "Never Going Nowhere" |
40 |
– |
– |
Luxembourg | |||
| "My Neighbour's House" |
68 |
– |
– |
The Bluetones | |||
| "Head on a Spike" |
135 |
– |
– |
The Bluetones | |||
| "Surrendered" |
– |
– |
– |- |
"Carry Me Home" |
– |
– |
A New Athens |
| "Golden Soul" |
– |
– | |||||
Music Videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" | Unknown |
| "Bluetonic" | Dom & Nic | |
| 1996 | "Slight Return" | Lindy Heymann |
| "Cut Some Rug" | Unknown | |
| "Marblehead Johnson" | Dom & Nic | |
| 1998 | "Solomon Bites the Worm" | John Hardwick |
| "If..." | Tony Hill | |
| "Sleazy Bed Track" | Unknown | |
| "4 Day Weekend" | Koji Morimoto | |
| 2000 | "Keep the Home Fires Burning" | Edgar Wright |
| "Mudslide" | Unknown | |
| "Autophilia" | Jake & Jim | |
| 2002 | "After Hours" | Edgar Wright |
| 2003 | "Fast Boy" | Maggie Kelly |
| "Never Going Nowhere" | ||
| 2006 | "Head on a Spike" | Mark Morriss |
| 2010 | "Carry Me Home" | |
| "Golden Soul" | ||
| 2025 | "London Weekend Television" | William Sash & Jack Stephenson |
Video/DVD releases
- Mondo Concerto (1997)
- Blue Movies (2007)
- Beat about the Bush (2007)
- Expecting to Fly Live (2009)