Sneaker Pimps

In 1995 as their music evolved, Howe and Corner drafted school friend Ian Pickering to help write lyrics for what would become Sneaker Pimps' debut album, Becoming X.[7] Chris Corner recorded vocals for several demo tracks, but the band decided the kind of music they were writing would better suit a female voice.[11] At their manager's suggestion, they saw Kelli Ali performing in a pub with her band, The Lumieres, and invited her to sing on some demos, including an early version of "6 Underground".[8][12] She soon joined the band, and the demos won the group a contract with Virgin Records.[12] The band came together with Liam's friends from art college in Reading, Joe Wilson on bass and Dave Westlake on drums and percussion.[2] At this time, the band adopted the name 'Sneaker Pimps'.

Released in 1996, Becoming X sold over a million copies.[11] The band toured the album for two years, including gigs alongside Aphex Twin,[13] and a "gruelling" tour of the US, during which "the band threatened to implode"[14] and Liam Howe walked out on the tour, flying home to the UK.[12]

A remix album, Becoming Remixed, followed in 1998.

After the tour for Becoming X, the band moved their studio, Line of Flight, from Howe's bedroom in Hartlepool to Terminal Studios in London to begin work on their follow-up album, Splinter.[2][12] Chris Corner again sang on the demos. Ali, who had taken a break to travel,[12] returned to the UK and was called to a meeting in which she was told that the other members felt Corner's voice suited the new material better than hers would,[8][15] that her relationship with the band had broken down[16] and that they were afraid of being identified with the fad for female-fronted trip-hop acts.[2] Ali was fired from Sneaker Pimps and Corner became its singer.

The band's change in line-up led Virgin Records to drop them.[2] Splinter was released in the UK on Clean Up Records in 1999.[17] Splinter featured more traditional instrumentation, acoustic guitars, and downbeat tempos. With the band's change in direction, Splinter did not match the commercial success of Becoming X, but solidified a cult fanbase.

Their third album Bloodsport was released on Tommy Boy Records in 2002. While they worked on the material, the band sustained themselves by writing and producing for other artists, including Natalie Imbruglia, and remixing songs under the name Line of Flight.[3] Songs from Bloodsport were premiered during a 2001 European tour opening for Placebo.[8] A more dance-oriented album than its predecessor, Bloodsport contains influences of new wave, pop, funk, and alternative combined with a residue of trip-hop. Cynical takes on fame and celebrity are a recurring lyrical theme throughout the album.[17]

In 2002, Joe Wilson and Dave Westlake left Sneaker Pimps.[18][19] Corner and Howe continued to record music and announce projects.

In 2003, a fourth Sneaker Pimps album was demoed but shelved. The album, which started as the soundtrack to an abandoned indie film project called Blind Michael,[7] is referred to in fan circles as SP4.[20][7] The same year, the band's website stated that Sneaker Pimps had "decided to undergo a mutation" and announced the launch of Chris Corner's new project, IAMX.[21] Many of the songs on SP4 would be finalised and recorded by Corner on the first two IAMX albums.[22][23]

In 2004, the band announced a DVD of videos, B-sides, remixes and covers. The original release date slipped before being cancelled in 2007.[24]

In 2005, the official Sneaker Pimps website announced that Becoming X and Splinter would be remastered in 5.1 surround sound, but these plans never materialised.[25]

In 2006, the band's website was updated with images of a butterfly metamorphosing and loops of new music. No news followed but a MiniDisc containing demos for an unreleased fifth Sneaker Pimps album was later found in a bar in Russia. The tracks, which correspond to the loops and feature an unidentified female singer were subsequently leaked online and have been confirmed as legitimate.[26][7]

In May 2015, Liam Howe hinted that Sneaker Pimps would return. He later reinforced this on a new Sneaker Pimps Twitter account.[27] That year, Chris Corner said that he would be involved in future Sneaker Pimps projects if the other band members were equally interested.[28] In April 2016, Corner seemingly confirmed plans for a fourth album in an image posted to Twitter.[29] In May 2019, Corner announced on his IAMX Patreon page that he and Howe were 'deep into a fourth Sneaker Pimps album'. The duo gave a further update in a live video stream on Patreon in August 2019, promising that new Sneaker Pimps material would be released in 2019 and that a possible tour was being discussed, alongside plans for more music outside of the proposed album.

• Chris Corner - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Liam Howe - keyboards, synths, programming, guitar, percussion

• Kelli Ali (vocals)
• Joe Wilson (guitars, bass, backing vocals)
• David Westlake (drums, percussion)
• Ian Pickering (lyrics, and live synth, bass and vocals during the 2003 Bloodsport gigs as paternity cover for Liam Howe[7])
• Sue Denim (backing vocals and occasional lyrics)
• Zoe Durrant (backing vocals)
• Sarah McDonnell (backing vocals)
• Chris Tate (lead singer of Trash Money, friend of Joe Wilson and working live alongside Liam Howe on keyboards during the last live Bloodsport gigs in 2003)
• Noel Fielding (played on the last Sneaker Pimps gigs during the IAMX cross-over period)

• Becoming X (1996) – #27 UK, #111 U.S., #1 U.S. Heatseekers, #55 AUS[35] – BPI: Gold
• Splinter (1999) - #80 UK
• Bloodsport (2002) – #16 U.S. Electronic, #46 U.S. Indie

• Sneaker Pimps also released the song "Velvet Divorce" on the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack as well as a collaboration with Marilyn Manson titled "Long Hard Road out of Hell" on the soundtrack to the movie Spawn (1997).

• 2002 "Kiro TV"
• 2002 "M'Aidez"