Baby Chaos

Baby Chaos
Baby Chaos playing live at King Tut's in 2017
Background information
Also known as Deckard (1998–2004)
Origin Glasgow, Scotland
Genres Rock
Years active 1993–1998, 2013–present
Labels Electric Honey, East West, Atlantic, Elektra, Reprise
Website www.babychaos.com
Members Chris Gordon
Bobby Dunn
Grant McFarlane
Davy Greenwood
Past members Gen Matthews

Baby Chaos are a Scottish rock band based in Glasgow, who originally formed in 1993, then returned in 2015 after a long hiatus.[1] The band consists of Chris Gordon on lead vocals & guitar, Grant McFarlane on guitar & backing vocals, Bobby Dunn on bass and Davy Greenwood on drums.

Formation

Baby Chaos formed in 1993 when the band members met at school, in Stewarton, Ayrshire. They relocated to Glasgow and in May 1993 released their first EP, Buzz, on the Electric Honey label.[2] After appearing on TV in a feature on Scottish bands on The Late Show on BBC2 the band were signed to East West Records by Nathan McCough in August 1993 [3] A first single "Sperm" was released by East West before the end of the year and Kerrang featured the band as one of their "Klass of '94" feature, comparing them to Therapy? and the Smashing Pumpkins.[4]

90s success

Their debut album Safe Sex Designer Drugs & the Death of Rock 'N' Roll was released in the UK in October 1994 and in the USA in June 1995, after US radio stations such as KROQ took an interest.[5] They toured across the UK and Europe with the likes of Terrorvision[6] and The Wildhearts[7] in 1994 and also the USA where they did a tour supporting Elastica in 1995.[8] Kerrang magazine gave the band 5/5 in their live reviews for the Camden Monarch and Highbury Garage shows. A second album was recorded in 1995 with Al Scott and Zmago Smon. Love Your Self Abuse was released in April 1996 and earned them a 5K review in Kerrang magazine who have since cited it as one of Kerrang reader's 100 best British rock albums.[9] The album was released in the UK on East West and then a year later in the USA and Japan on Atlantic Records with a slightly different track listing. The album featured the singles "Hello" and "Ignoramus", which was made Kerrang's Single of the Week. Changes at East West led to them being transferred to Atlantic Records for a short time[10] before their contact there left and they found themselves without a label in 1998.[11]

Deckard

In 1998 after parting ways with their label the band also underwent a line up change as drummer Gen Matthews (previously of Jesus Jones) joined in place of Davy. The group decided to change name to Deckard and start afresh with a new record deal with Reprise Records in the USA.[12] They recorded a new album Stereodreamscene with Nick Launay at Ocean Way Studios in LA which was released in the USA in July 2000.[13] A review of the album on Five Miles High website described it as having "choruses with hooks so big you could use them to catch whales."[14] Unfortunately changes at the label again led to a change of strategy and the band and label parted ways soon after without much promotion of the album.[15] Deckard took a break until 2002 when they started work on a second album, Dreams Of Dynamite And Divinity, which was self-recorded and self-released in 2003.[16]

Regency Buck & Union of Knives

After Deckard parted way with their label Chris went on to make music with Dave McLean and Paul Westwater as Regency Buck, recording an album in 2001 with Mark "Spike" Stent for Dreamworks.[17] Later in 2005 he then formed Union of Knives with Dave McClean & Craig Grant.[18] Union of Knives put out the album Violence & Birdsong on Relentless Records in 2006,[19] which was described by The Guardian as "dance-rock...a nocturnal rendezvous between Muse and Massive Attack."[20] The album included the track "Opposite Direction" which was used on the American TV shows Vampire Diaries and Grey’s Anatomy.[21] After being dropped during changes at their record label, Union of Knives split up and then later evolved into Craig Grant's new band Song of Return,[22] for which Chris was involved in the writing but decided to take a break from playing live, preferring to concentrate on producing for other acts.[23]

Reunion & new material

In 2010 former label mate Ginger Wildheart persuaded Baby Chaos to reform for a one off live date to support him in Glasgow.[24] Following the gig the band felt inspired to work together again, but didn't want to just play their old material so they began to write a new album.[25] In 2014 Baby Chaos returned for some further live dates, encouraged by Ginger who stood in on guitar for Grant at Halloween when he couldn't make the show,[26] and also guested on guitar when they supported him again in Glasgow.[27] 2015 saw the first release of new material with the original line-up,[28] both self-produced and self-released.[29] The single You Can't Shut Us Up was accompanied by a handful of live dates in Spring 2015.[30] The album Skulls, Skulls, Skulls, Show Me The Glory was released in April to positive reviews from the rock press[31] who praised both the strength of the song writing and the production.[32]

In September 2015 the band toured the UK supporting The Wildhearts playing venues such as Nottingham Rock City,[33] Glasgow ABC and Shepherd's Bush Empire.[34] In April 2016 they played 3 dates in France, touring Paris, Epinal and Strasbourg with Dead Pop Club and Napoleon Solo.[35][36]

On 1 January 2016 a download-only companion album to Skulls, Skulls, Skulls, Show Me The Glory was released. Entitled Stripped Skulls it featured new recordings of stripped back versions of the album tracks, giving a different take on the songs.[37]

In February 2017 the band played both a headline show at Huddersfield Parish [38] and an extended support slot with Eureka Machines and Chris Catalyst's solo band at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds.[39] They also confirmed that they had started work on writing and recording a fourth album.[40]

Discography

As Baby Chaos

Singles & EPs

  • Buzz EP (May 1993, Electric Honey Records EHRCD01)
  • Sperm (1993, East West)
  • Golden Tooth (1994, East West)
  • Hello Victim (1994, East West)
  • Buzz (1994, East West)
  • Hello (1996, East West)
  • Ignoramus (1996, East West)
  • Blackbirds (2015, self-released)

Albums

  • Safe Sex Designer Drugs & the Death of Rock 'N' Roll (October 1994, East West)
  • Love Your Self Abuse (April 1996, East West)
  • Live at The Hultsfred Festival (recorded 1996, released 2008 via website download only)
  • Skulls, Skulls, Skulls, Show Me the Glory (2015, Three Hands Records)
  • Stripped Skulls (2016, website only download album)

As Deckard

Singles & EPs

  • The Deckard EP (1999, Reprise Records)
  • Holy Rolling EP (2004, self-released)

Albums

  • Stereodreamscene (2000, Reprise Records)
  • Dreams of Dynamite and Divinity (2003, self-released)
  • Live at King Tut's (recorded 2004, released 2009 via website download only)

References

  1. ↑ http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-03-10/baby-chaos-return-with-first-single-in-17-years
  2. ↑ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/music/music-news/electric-honey-celebrates-20th-anniversary-1908244
  3. ↑ http://themicmagazine.co.uk/2015/02/19/baby-chaos-back-new-album/
  4. ↑ Kerrang Magazine, November 1994
  5. ↑ "Billboard Magazine article 1995".
  6. ↑ http://h2g2.com/entry/A535358
  7. ↑ http://www.thewildhearts.com/history/history3.shtml
  8. ↑ http://veglam.com/2015/05/21/baby-chaos-out-of-the-silence/
  9. ↑ http://rockandrollreport.com/kerrang-magazines-top-100-british-rock-albums-of-all-time/
  10. ↑ https://veglam.com/2015/05/21/baby-chaos-out-of-the-silence/
  11. ↑ http://www.geocities.ws/retropalace/babychaos.html
  12. ↑ http://themicmagazine.co.uk/2015/02/19/baby-chaos-back-new-album/
  13. ↑ "Billboard Magazine article July 2000".
  14. ↑ http://fivemileshigh.com/archive/html/discography/deckard-stereodreamscene.htm
  15. ↑ http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article/3343/Deckard
  16. ↑ http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article/3343/Deckard
  17. ↑ http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article/3343/Deckard
  18. ↑ http://www.newhellfireclub.co.uk/2014/10/the-trio-of-awesome-band-interviews-is.html
  19. ↑ http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/products/UnionOfKnives-ViolenceBirdsong-Relentless-42662.html
  20. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/aug/11/popandrock.electronicmusic
  21. ↑ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/cathkin-high-teacher-tells-band-2581620
  22. ↑ http://www2.jpscotland.co.uk/musicblog/2010/03/on-radar-song-of-return.html
  23. ↑ http://dearscotland.com/2011/06/15/peenko%E2%80%99s-scots-way-hay-%E2%80%93-song-of-return/
  24. ↑ http://www.newhellfireclub.co.uk/2014/10/the-trio-of-awesome-band-interviews-is.html
  25. ↑ http://themicmagazine.co.uk/2015/02/19/baby-chaos-back-new-album/
  26. ↑ http://louderthanwar.com/ginger-wildhearts-halloween-hootenanny-wolverhampton-slade-rooms-live-review/
  27. ↑ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/ginger-wildheart-glasgow-x-factors-4522414
  28. ↑ http://www.uberrock.co.uk/cd-reviews/24-april-cd/14314-baby-chaos-skulls-skulls-skulls-show-me-the-glory-self-released.html
  29. ↑ http://www.newhellfireclub.co.uk/2014/10/the-trio-of-awesome-band-interviews-is.html
  30. ↑ http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-03-10/baby-chaos-return-with-first-single-in-17-years
  31. ↑ http://louderthanwar.com/baby-chaos-skulls-skulls-skulls-show-glory-album-review/
  32. ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/13209854.Baby_Chaos__Skulls__Skulls__Skulls__Show_Me_The_Glory__Baby_Chaos_/
  33. ↑ http://louderthanwar.com/wildhearts-baby-chaos-hey-hello-rock-city-nottingham-live-picture-review/
  34. ↑ http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/entertainment/13765442.Baby_Chaos_taking_a_walk_on_the_wild_side/
  35. ↑ http://musique.jeuxactu.com/interview-baby-chaos-interview-2016-pour-le-grand-retour-des-heros-de-glasgow-19754.htm French interview
  36. ↑ https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://musique.jeuxactu.com/interview-baby-chaos-interview-2016-pour-le-grand-retour-des-heros-de-glasgow-19754.htm&prev=search English translation
  37. ↑ http://www.babychaos.com/product/stripped-skulls-download/
  38. ↑ Parish, The. "Baby Chaos + Chris Catalyst Group + Fierce Ideas | The Parish". www.parishpub.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  39. ↑ "Eureka Machines SOLD OUT Baby Chaos Chris Catalyst Group - Gig at Leeds Brudenell Social Club". www.brudenellsocialclub.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  40. ↑ "Chris Gordon website". www.chrisgordon.info. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
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