Blink (band)

Blink
Origin Dublin, Ireland
Genres Alternative rock, dream pop, pop rock
Years active 1991–present
Labels EMI, Parlophone, Paradigm,Serenes
Members Dermot Lambert
Robbie Sexton
Brian McLoughlin
Barry Campbell

Blink are a pop rock band from Ireland. They are noted for their mixture of humour and melancholy. They have released three albums to date: A Map of the Universe by Blink (1994), The End Is High (1998) and Deep Inside the Sound of Sadness (2004). "A Map of the Universe by Blink" was an Irish top ten album. "The End is High" was a Billboard album of the week and "Deep inside the Sound of Sadness" was nominated as Best Irish Album of the Year in the 2005 Meteor Music Awards.

The band are also notable as being the first band to be pictured on a telephone card.[1][2] 202,000 were produced,[3] including a limited run of 2,000, which were used as membership cards for the band's fan club.[4] All cards said "Limited Edition" despite being produced in great quantities.[5]

The San Diego based pop punk band now known as Blink-182 was originally also called Blink, but a legal dispute with the Irish Blink resulted in their name change to Blink-182.[6]

Biography

Blink was formed in the early 1990s by Dermot Lambert (vocals/guitars), Robbie Sexton (keyboards), Brian McLoughlin (bass) and Barry Campbell (drums). Blink's inclusion on a CD for a trade festival in New York generated a positive review, which ended with the band signing with EMI for their debut release.

The bands name comes from the song Iceblink Luck by the Cocteau Twins, which was the favourite song of the bands drummer, Barry Campbell.[7]

Four months after playing their very first gig in 1992, Blink found themselves in recording studios working with producers including John O'Neill, Gil Norton and Steve Hillage.

Blink's first singles 'Going To Nepal' and 'Happy Day' reached the top 20 in Ireland. Their third release 'It's Not My Fault' debuted at No 8.

August 1994 saw the release of their debut album 'A Map of the Universe By Blink'. Parlophone and EMI UK launched the Lime Records imprint in the US and brought Blink stateside for their US debut where they garnered college and mainstream radio airplay and packed live shows. Blink was indeed on the map!

When the record company were looking for a new album, the band hesitantly packed their bags and headed back to start recording for Parlophone UK.

However, the call of the US kept coming hard and strong – offers of shows, supports with bands they had met over there, so album number two was postponed in favour of a return trip to the States.

In April 1996, the band received a letter from the label Parlophone reading ending their first deal.[8]

The decision to try to break the States was a solid one and a year later, the band signed on the dotted line with Paradigm Records, Blink began recording their second album 'The End Is High', releasing it in the US in March 1998.

Billboard magazine named the album their five star album of the month, and the album went on to sell 90,000 copies in a very short space of time, opening the doors for bigger US tour supports.[9] 1999 onwards saw Blink opening shows and sharing dressing rooms with artists including Mercury Rev, Moby, Lloyd Cole, The Cardigans, Mark Geary and Blink-182.

Despite Paradigm Records closing, Blink and Ministry programmer, Howie Beno, agreed to go ahead with plans for Blink's third album, Deep Inside The Sound of Sadness. Wendy Starland took time out from writing with Quincy Jones to sing on the album's track Don't You Rollerblade in Nashville Tennessee?

Lead singer Dermot Lambert released his first solo album Tiny to critical acclaim in June 2013, featuring several singles including Twinkle Twinkle Satellite, Hey Sean and Fade into The Morning Sun.[10][11][12]

In December 2015, the bands manager, Aiden Lambert, died from a "virulent" form of cancer. Lambert was a former member of staff at the Irish magazines Hot Press and later Phoenix Magazine before managing Blink.[13] There was a large turnout for his funeral, which included tributes from many of his colleagues from the Irish music and media industries.[14]

Singles A–Z

  • "A Planet made of Rain" (Paradigm)
  • "Cello" (Lime Records/Parlophone)
  • "Dead Little Bird" (Paradigm)
  • "Going To Nepal" (Lime Records/Parlophone)
  • "Happy Day" (Lime Records/Parlophone)
  • "Is God Really Groovy?" (Serene)
  • "It's Not My Fault
  • "Kiss Me"
  • "The Luckiest Man Alive" (Paradigm)
  • "The Tiny Magic Indian" (Serene)
  • "To Go"
  • "Would you kill for Love?" (Paradigm)

References

  1. ↑ http://www.irishcallcards.net/Telecom-Eireann-Callcards/blink.html#.V3ZW7fkrLmF
  2. ↑ O'Connor, Amy (31 August 2014). "Where are they now? 10 once-successful Irish bands and what became of them". The Daily Edge. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Blink Music Callcard (1043)". Callcards.ie. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  4. ↑ Rankin, Nick. "Blink". The Irish Callcards Site. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Rankin, Nick (24 November 2012). "So after all those years, are my Callcards valuable?... | The Irish Callcards Site". The Irish Callcards Site. Retrieved 16 October 2017. Last updated – Saturday, 26 August 2017
  6. ↑ Shooman, Joe (2010). "4". Blink 182: The Bands, the Breakdown and the Return (1st ed.). Church Stretton: Independent Music Press. p. 27. ISBN 1906191107. Retrieved 16 October 2017. .
  7. ↑ "Blink – Biography". Irish Music Central. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  8. ↑ Byrne, Niall (25 January 2015). "Dermot Lambert: "I have seen the best bands on earth, most people will never hear them"". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Dermot Lambert Archives". RTÉ 2XM. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  10. ↑ www.dermotlambert.com
  11. ↑ Ward, James (12 July 2013). "Back From The Blink". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Balfe, John (12 November 2012). "Blink Frontman Dermot Lambert releases first solo single". entertainment.ie. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Former Blink Manager Aiden Lambert Dies". Hot Press. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "Huge Turnout For Funeral of Aiden Lambert". Hot Press. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
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