The Humans (British band)
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Toyah Willcox, Bill Rieflin, Chris Wong |
| Defunct | 2020 |
Area served | United Kingdom, Estonia, United States |
| Products | Studio albums, live albums, compilation albums, singles, music videos |
The Humans was a British-American rock ensemble comprising vocalist Toyah Willcox, drummer Bill Rieflin, and instrumentalist Chris Wong. Over their career, they produced three studio albums and performed live across the UK, Estonia, and the United States before disbanding in 2020 after Rieflin's death.
History
Established in 2007, The Humans came into existence when Toyah Willcox accepted an invitation from the Estonian Embassy to perform at the President of Estonia's birthday celebration, stepping in after her husband, Robert Fripp, declined. Willcox brought together former R.E.M. drummer Bill Rieflin and musical director Chris Wong to form the trio. Their inaugural live appearance occurred at Estonia’s Jazzkaar festival in October 2007.
Their first album, We Are the Humans, debuted on 1 May 2009 and was promoted with a rendition of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" that included a music video. Robert Fripp contributed guitar work during the album's launch event held in Tartu. After a short UK tour in 2010, The Humans released their sophomore album, Sugar Rush, on 27 September 2011, featuring Fripp on every song. For the US and UK tours supporting this album, Igor Abuladze joined the lineup. In 2013, the band issued a live recording titled Live at Scala London, which had been captured in 2010.
Their third studio effort, Strange Tales, was made available digitally worldwide on 1 March 2014, with "Get in Your Car" as its lead single. A UK tour followed in April 2015 to promote the album, which was subsequently released on CD.
Bill Rieflin passed away from cancer on 24 March 2020 at the age of 59. Later that year, in July, the group released Noise in Your Head, a comprehensive box set featuring all three studio albums, a live album, and a concert DVD. This collection was credited to Toyah & The Humans and dedicated to Rieflin’s memory.
Studio albums
- We Are the Humans (2009)
- Sugar Rush (2011)
- Strange Tales (2014)
Live albums
- Live at Scala London (2013)
- Live at Trading Boundaries (2021)
Compilations
- Noise in Your Head (2020)
Singles
- "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (2009)
- "Get in Your Car" (2014)
- "21st Century Schizoid Man" (2020)
Music videos
- "We Are the Humans" (2007)
- "Quicksilver" (2009)
- "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (2009)
- "Sea of Size" (2010)