A (band)
552462
221442373
2008-06-24T14:46:53Z
Egg Creations
227059
/* A new beginning? */
{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = A
| Img =
| Img_capt = {{deletable image-caption}}
| Background = group_or_band
| Origin = [[Leeds]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]]<br>[[Punk revival]]<br>[[Pop punk]]<br>[[Skate punk]]<br>[[Indie punk]]
| Years_active = 1992 – 2005
| Label = [[Warner Music]]
| URL = [http://www.a-communication.co.uk/ (Un)Official website]
| Current_members = [[Jason Perry]]<br />Mark Chapman<br />[[Daniel P Carter]] <br />Giles Perry <br />[[The Yin|Adam Perry]]
| Past_members = Steve Swindon
}}
'''A''' was a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[alternative rock]] band from [[Leeds]], [[England]], which formed in 1995.
==History==
The band known as 'A' formed in [[Leeds]], England in the early 90s. The band was founded by three brothers, Jason, Adam and Giles Perry, and two friends, Mark Chapman and Steve Swindon. The original members cited their influences as: [[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[The Beach Boys]], [[Van Halen]] and the [[Beastie Boys]].
===''How Ace Are Buildings'' and ''A vs. Monkey Kong''===
After changing their name from 'Grand Designs' and abandoning their early [[prog rock]]-inspired sound for a more [[punk rock]] style, they signed a European recording contract with British ([[Warner Bros. Records]]) in 1996 and released their debut LP ''[[How Ace Are Buildings]]'' in 1997. Also in 1997, the band briefly appeared in the music video for "Anthem" by [[The Wildhearts]]. The band found a healthy underground reception and even had a couple of low-charting singles in the UK. After the mild success brought to the band by ''How Ace Are Buildings,'' bassist Stevie Swindon decided to quit the band. He was replaced by current bassist and [[BBC Radio 1]] Rock Show DJ Daniel P Carter. A licensing agreement for the American music market was reached with the [[North Carolina]]-based [[Mammoth Records]]. Future releases would be distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Mammoth. A second album ''[[A vs. Monkey Kong|'A' Vs. Monkey Kong]]'' followed in 1999. The band then toured the world and enjoyed a small degree of success worldwide, especially in Germany. They released a live album, ''[[Exit Stage Right]]'' in 2000.
===''Hi-Fi Serious'' and commercial success===
''[[Hi-Fi Serious]]'' was their third album, released in 2002. It was preceded by their biggest single to date, "Nothing", which saw the band reach the UK top ten for the first time, hitting number 9, and the further top 20 hit "Starbucks", named after the coffee chain. The release of the album was highly anticipated, and charted at #18. The tour following ''[[Hi-Fi Serious]]'' saw the band playing their largest venues to date, headlining the 5000 capacity Brixton Academy as part of their 'Inner-City Sumo' Tour. At the end of the year they won the [[Kerrang!]] award for "Best British Band", their only award to date.
===''Teen Dance Ordinance''===
[[Image:Ateendanceposter.jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Teen Dance Ordinance (album)|Teen Dance Ordinance]] promotional poster ]]
'A' released their fourth album, ''[[Teen Dance Ordinance (album)|Teen Dance Ordinance]]'' (TDO), on [[June 27]] [[2005]]. The album had been recorded 2 years earlier, but was heavily delayed due to Jason Perry's illness and disputes with the record company. It featured a more straight-rock sound and displayed an almost complete absence of the keyboards and sampling that marked the early sound of the band. Unlike their last 2 albums, ''Teen Dance Ordinance'' was not released in the US. [[Hollywood Records]] agreed early on to release it in the US, but ultimately did not. The album charted at a disappointing #95 on the UK charts.
===Hiatus===
The band since the release of Teen Dance Ordinance in 2005 have been working on other projects. Jason Perry is currently involved with writing, recording, and touring with [[Matt Willis]], formerly of [[Busted (band)|Busted]]. He has also written songs with the pop band [[McFly (band)|McFly]] for their most recent album, two of which have gone to number 1 in the [[UK Singles Chart]]. Adam (Perry) replaced [[Bloodhound Gang]] drummer [[Willie the New Guy]] for their 2005-6 European tour, and subsequently became the full-time drummer of the band. Daniel P Carter has been hosting [[BBC Radio 1]]'s Rock Show since 25th September 2006. He continues writing material with Jason Perry, and artists such as McFly, as well as previously playing bass in Matt Willis' band for his first album. He is also playing guitar and lead vocals in new hardcore punk band, Hexes. Mark Chapman has joined a band called ''Malpractice,'' whose debut single "Breathe" was released on [[February 19]] [[2007]]. Their website can be found [http://www.malpracticeuk.com/ here].
===''A'' new beginning?===
Jason Perry has stated that the band hope to begin writing a new album as a band in early 2008. A new record label has not yet been decided upon, since [[Warner Bros. Records]] dropped them in 2006 after poor record sales. When questioned at the Download Festival 2007, Daniel Carter said the band would be reuniting for a "few shows" at the end of the year.<ref>[http://www.verseonemagazine.com/images/V1_Website/Features/Jason/Jason.htm</ref>
The [http://www.a-communication.com/ official band website] has now gone down and since a new (Un)Official site has been created by fans of 'A' which can be found at [http://www.a-communication.co.uk/ A-Communication.co.uk]
==Discography==
===Albums===
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|'''Date of Release'''
|'''Title'''
|'''Label'''
|'''U.K. ''Albums Chart'' Peak'''
|-
|[[July 29]], [[1997]]
|''[[How Ace Are Buildings]]''
|[[Epic Records]]
|#
|-
|[[September 9]], [[1999]]
|''[[A vs. Monkey Kong]]''
|[[Warner Music]]
|#62
|-
|[[March 4]], [[2002]]
|''[[Hi-Fi Serious]]''
|[[London Records]]
|#19
|-
|[[June 27]], [[2005]]
|''[[Teen Dance Ordinance (album)|Teen Dance Ordinance]]''
|[[Warner Music]]
|#95
|}
===Live albums===
*''[[Rockin' Like Dokken]]'' (Japan Only mini Live Album)
*''[[Exit Stage Right]]'' (mini Live Album)
===Singles===
*''[[5 in the Morning(A song)|5 in the Morning]]''
*''[[House Under the Ground(A song)|House Under the Ground]]''
*''[[Bad Idea(A song)|Bad Idea]]''
*''[[Foghorn(A song)|Foghorn]]''
*''[[Number One(A song)|Number One]]''
*''[[Sing-A-Long(A song)|Sing-A-Long]]''
*''[[Summer on the Underground(A song)|Summer on the Underground]]''
*''[[Old Folks(A song)|Old Folks]]''
*''[[I Love Lake Tahoe(A song)|I Love Lake Tahoe]]''
*''[[A(A song)|A]]''
*''[[Nothing (A song)|Nothing]]''
*''[[Starbucks (A song)|Starbucks]]''
*''[[Something's Going On (song)|Something's Going On]]''
*''[[Good Time(A song)|Good Time]]''
*''[[Rush Song(A song)|Rush Song]]''
*''[[Better Off With Him(A song)|Better Off With Him]]''
====B-sides and rare tracks====
'''''See:''' [[Chronology of A B-sides]]''
==External links==
*[http://www.a-communication.co.uk/ New (Un)Official site]
*[http://www.a-communication.com/ Old Official site (now closed)]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/rockshow/ Daniel P Carter's Rock Show Site]
*[http://www.hiddenhive.co.uk/ www.hiddenhive.co.uk - Label set up by Steve Swindon]
*{{MusicBrainz artist|id=55c6eb6e-8388-497c-acaf-dbff584d0c3a|name=A}}
{{A (band)}}
*[http://www.verseonemagazine.com/images/V1_Website/Features/Jason/Jason.htm - Jason Perry's Recent Column in VerseOne Magazine - 2008]
[[Category:Alternative musical groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1995]]
[[Category:Warner Music Group artists]]
[[de:A (Band)]]
[[et:A (ansambel)]]
[[fr:A (groupe)]]
[[fi:A (yhtye)]]