The Seahorses
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | John Squire |
| Defunct | January 1999 |
| Headquarters | England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
The Seahorses emerged as an English alternative rock group established in 1996 by guitarist John Squire following his departure from The Stone Roses.
Their first album, Do It Yourself, was released in 1997. They started developing a second album but ultimately disbanded amid creative disagreements during recording sessions in January 1999.
Reflecting in 2002, Squire described the formation of the band as a "hasty reaction" to leaving the Roses and acknowledged difficulties with collaborative decision-making, expressing a preference for maintaining sole artistic control.
Formation and early media attention
In 1996, Squire assembled The Seahorses by recruiting bassist Stuart Fletcher, whom he discovered performing with a local cover band in York. After auditioning vocalists Sean O'Brien and Chris Helme, he selected Helme despite some doubts about his vocal style. While Helme contributed to songwriting, Squire predominantly steered the band's musical direction with his own compositions.
During the summer of 1996, Squire rented a cottage in Coniston, Cumbria to compose and rehearse alongside Helme and Fletcher. Following auditions for drummers, they appointed Andy Watts, who had previously played with Fletcher and was acquainted with Helme.
Thanks to Squire’s previous association with The Stone Roses, the group attracted significant media interest before releasing any music. Speculation included rumors about former bandmate Reni joining and delays in securing a drummer due to a search for backing vocal skills. In 2019, Fletcher disclosed that they briefly collaborated with drummer Mark McNeill, who was dismissed due to inconsistent rehearsals linked to rehabilitation challenges.
The choice of the band's name led to various theories, such as supposed anagrams like "He Hates Roses" and "The Rose Ashes." Squire explained that they selected "The Seahorses" because of the creature’s uniqueness—particularly that males carry the young—and mentioned repeatedly encountering seahorses. The band briefly shortened their name to Seahorses but reverted after discovering another group already used it.
Do It Yourself
Shortly after Watts joined, the band performed unannounced warm-up shows in Buckley, Greenock, and Lancaster, before heading to North Hollywood to record with producer Tony Visconti. Their debut single, "Love Is the Law", was issued on 28 April 1997 through Geffen Records, with whom Squire remained under contract post-Stone Roses. The full-length album Do It Yourself was released in May 1997. Among its tracks was "Love Me and Leave Me", co-written alongside Liam Gallagher of Oasis, a band they toured with that year.
Just before releasing "Love Me and Leave Me," drummer Andy Watts departed to focus on family commitments. Watts later revealed that manager Steve Atherton had actually dismissed him due to problematic conduct during tours and concerns over his image. Helme commented that Watts had been "playing like an arse," attributing this behavior to cocaine use. Fletcher described Watts as having "gone off the rails." Temporary replacements included session drummers Mal Scott—who performed on the Squire/Helme single "You Can Talk to Me" in December 1997—and Toby Drummond.
The Seahorses supported prominent acts such as The Rolling Stones, U2, and Oasis. By 1998, with new drummer Mark Heaney, they commenced work on their second album, previewing new material including "City in the Sky," "700 Horses," "Tombraid," along with Helme’s compositions "Won't Let You Fall" and "Moth" during fan club events and festivals.
Recording of second album and band dissolution
In January 1999, the group commenced sessions at Olympic Studios with producer David Bottrill to work on their sophomore album, initially named Minus Blue and later Motorcade. During these sessions, conflicts between Squire and Helme intensified; Fletcher recounted an incident where Helme damaged a Larrivée guitar. Eventually, Squire departed the studio and did not come back, resulting in the project's abandonment and the band's eventual breakup.
The official announcement of the split came on 23 January 1999, attributing it to creative differences. A spokesperson for the band informed the NME that Squire had become dissatisfied with Helme’s songwriting, making their collaboration unsustainable.
In 2001, Helme stated that his input had been marginalized, describing the material as "unfinished tunes with unfinished lyrics" primarily shaped by Squire’s compositions. Squire insisted that songwriting was a joint effort but conceded that most tracks were his creations. It was confirmed that several songs penned by Squire were intended for inclusion on the album.
By 2011, Helme expressed frustration over Squire's dominance in writing and receiving the bulk of publishing royalties. While still a member of The Seahorses, he attempted to launch a solo career but faced legal threats from management if he performed his own songs live. This strained trust led to Helme developing a drinking problem and arriving at rehearsals intoxicated, which further aggravated Squire.
Squire reflected on ending the band by stating, "I thought 'This sounds shit, we don't deserve to be in this place.' The band sounded complacent." He attributed some difficulties to Helme juggling a solo career alongside the band, which he viewed as incompatible with their collective success.
Activities following the breakup
Following The Seahorses’ disbandment, John Squire collaborated with drummer Mark Heaney on John Squire's Skunkworks, which also featured vocalist Duncan Baxter and former Verve members Simon Jones and Simon Tong. This endeavor eventually dissolved, with some members going on to form The Shining. Squire released two solo albums before stepping away from music to concentrate on his art; however, he reunited with The Stone Roses in 2011.
Mark Heaney pursued a career as a drum instructor and session musician, contributing to Squire’s solo album Time Changes Everything. In 2005, he became part of Gang of Four and worked alongside artists such as Badly Drawn Boy and Klaxons.
Chris Helme continued with his solo pursuits while openly criticizing Squire’s work. In 2001, he formed The Yards with Stuart Fletcher and Paul Banks; they released two albums under their own Industrial Erotica label before disbanding in 2009. Subsequently, Helme resumed his solo career with the independently released album Ashes, noting minimal communication with Squire.
Stuart Fletcher remains active within York’s music community, performing with cover band The Mothers, Rick Witter & The Dukes, Heather Findlay’s Mantra Vega (which he joined in 2015), and Hurricane #1 (joined in 2018).
Original Seahorses drummer Andy Watts led Mozer until its early dissolution. Since 2004, he has performed solo acoustic sets and collaborated with Stuart A Staples (Tindersticks) and Roger Goslyn. Watts composed music for a BBC documentary about "Bohemian Rhapsody", which won Best Documentary at the 2006 Third Coast awards. In 2014, he released his solo EP Fragments of Bone through Meraki Records. In 2016, Watts co-authored a children's book titled Cloud Cuckoo Land under the name 'Wavey n Snotts', promoting it through Waterstones tours as well as appearances at literary and music festivals.
Discography
- Studio Albums
- Do It Yourself (Released 26 May 1997) – Reached No. 2 on UK charts
- Singles
- "Love Is the Law" (Released 28 April 1997) – Peaked at No. 3 in the UK
- "Blinded by the Sun" (Released 14 July 1997) – Achieved No. 7 on UK charts
- "Love Me and Leave Me" (Released 29 September 1997) – Attained No. 16 in the UK
- "You Can Talk to Me" (Released 1 December 1997) – Charted at No. 15 in the UK and No. 30 on US Modern Rock charts