The Stands
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Liverpool , England |
| Products | Studio albums, singles |
| Website | https://myspace.com/thestandsband |
The Stands were an alternative rock group from Liverpool, England, established in 2002. The band consisted of vocalist and songwriter Howie Payne, guitarist Luke Thomson, bassist Dean Ravera, and drummer Steve Pilgrim.
They produced two studio albums before both Pilgrim and Thomson exited following the second release. Subsequent tours featured drummer Graeme Robinson and guitarist Paul Molloy; however, the band dissolved in November 2005 shortly after parting ways with their record label, Echo Records.
History
Formed in 2002 by Howie Payne after the disbandment of The Big Kids—where he had played lead guitar under frontman Edgar Jones—The Stands initially performed with various backing musicians, including future members of The Zutons. Payne then solidified the lineup by recruiting drummer Steve Pilgrim and guitarist Luke Thomson. Alongside session bassist Martyn Campbell, the trio recorded demos funded by Payne while he worked as a roadie for The Zutons.
In September 2002, ITV’s program "This Is Music" featured the band following local support from fellow musicians. Bassist Dean Ravera joined shortly thereafter. The Stands went on to support The Coral during their autumn UK tour. Around this period, Noel Gallagher reached out to Payne after hearing their demos and invited them to open for Oasis at several shows in Liverpool and Birmingham. By early 2003, still unsigned and without management, The Stands had supported acts such as The Burn, Alfie, Stephen Fretwell, and The Zutons, while also performing at major festivals including Glastonbury and V Festival.
In spring 2003, they secured a deal with Echo Records and commenced recording their debut album at Noel Gallagher’s Wheeler End studio. Midway through the recording process, they toured the UK and Europe with Jet, which led to an invitation to join Jet’s tour in Australia.
Their first single, "When This River Rolls Over You," was released in August 2003, followed by "I Need You" in October. Their debut album All Years Leaving was released in February 2004, reaching number 28 on the UK Albums Chart and generating three singles that entered the UK Top 40. Contributions from Noel Gallagher and Bill Ryder-Jones of The Coral were notable on the album.
Throughout 2004, The Stands supported Gomez and Paul Weller, headlined tours across the UK and Europe, and performed their inaugural US concerts at venues in Los Angeles. They appeared at significant festivals such as Glastonbury and Japan’s Asagari Jam. In October 2004, the band relocated to Los Angeles to record their sophomore album Horse Fabulous with producer Tom Rothrock at Sunset Sound Studios. Shortly after completing this recording, Steve Pilgrim departed to focus on his solo career.
Drummer Graeme Robinson was brought in to replace Pilgrim as the band supported Brendan Benson in the US and Oasis across Europe. During a break in the Oasis tour, guitarist Luke Thomson left; Paul Molloy joined for the remaining dates. Their fifth single "Do It Like You Like" reached the UK Top 30 in May 2005. They continued touring US venues and UK festivals throughout the summer. Horse Fabulous was released on 25 July 2005 but experienced only brief chart presence.
In mid-2005, following Chrysalis Group’s announcement of a £2 million loss and restructuring of Echo Label—which included dropping several artists such as I Am Kloot and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club—The Stands were also released from their contract. This likely hindered promotion efforts for Horse Fabulous. Without label support, they completed one final UK tour before disbanding in November 2005 after a concluding performance supporting the Love Music Hate Racism campaign at the University of Liverpool.
Post split
In April 2009, Howie Payne launched his first solo album, Bright Light Ballads, produced by Ethan Johns and released under his full name, Howard Eliott Payne. Additionally, five tracks penned by Payne were recorded by Ren Harviue for her debut release Through The Night in April 2012.
Steve Pilgrim worked alongside Cast lead vocalist John Power on his solo projects Willow She Weeps and Stormbreaker. He also toured as part of The John Power Band, featuring bassist Jay Lewis. Pilgrim has two solo albums to his name, has collaborated with Japanese folktronica musician Akeboshi, and performs as a member of Paul Weller's live ensemble.
Between 2005 and 2006, Luke Thomson and Steve Pilgrim were both members of Cuckolds. Currently, Luke is focusing on developing his solo career.
Dean Ravera played both electric and double bass on Payne’s solo record. Presently, he contributes double bass, keyboards, and drums for the folk group The Unthanks, appearing on their fourth album, Last. Ravera also performed double bass on the debut album Kite by Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell (2011), as well as on Bill Ryder-Jones' debut EP A Leave Taking Soundtrack and the album If....
Members
- Howie Payne – vocals, guitar (2002–2005)
- Steve Pilgrim – drums, backing vocals (2002–2004)
- Luke Thompson – guitar, backing vocals (2002–2005)
- Dean Ravera – bass guitar (2002–2005)
- Graeme Robinson – drums (2005)
- Paul Molloy – guitar (2005)
Albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| All Years Leaving |
|
28 | |
| Horse Fabulous |
|
62 | |
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| "When This River Rolls Over You" | 2003 | 32 | All Years Leaving |
| "I Need You" | 2003 | 39 | |
| "Here She Comes Again" | 2004 | 25 | |
| "Outside Your Door" | 2004 | 49 | |
| "Do It Like You Like" | 2005 | 28 | Horse Fabulous |
| "When the Night Falls In" (cancelled) |
2005 | – |