The Tears
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2008-03-19T00:48:17Z
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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name = The Tears
| Img = The Tears-2005-Roskilde-2.jpg
| Img_capt =
| Img_size =
| Landscape =
| Background = group_or_band
| Alias =
| Origin = [[London]], [[England]]
| Genre = [[Britpop]]
| Years_active = [[2004]]–[[2006]] (hiatus)
| Label = [[Independiente Records|Independiente]]
| Associated_acts =
| URL =
| Current_members = [[Brett Anderson]]<br />[[Bernard Butler]]<br />[[Will Foster]]<br />[[Makoto Sakamoto]]<br />[[Nathan Fisher]]
| Past_members =
}}
'''The Tears''' are a band formed in [[2004]] by ex-[[Suede (band)|Suede]] bandmates [[Brett Anderson]] and [[Bernard Butler]].
==History==
Many have wondered how two performers as volatile as Bernard Butler and Brett Anderson who had at one time nurtured such hatred for one another, were reunited after all this time. Anderson describes getting together with former bandmate Butler as such, "We went out for a drunken night. I'd called him and we went out for a curry and got drunk. Then the next day he came over with these tracks and that was that". Though Butler and Anderson had not spoken since the days of Suede, Anderson claimed getting back in gear with Butler was not difficult. The band decided on being named after a line from a [[Philip Larkin]] poem, "Femmes Damnées", which ends with the line: "The only sound heard is the sound of tears".
[[Brett Anderson|Anderson]] also had this to say about the renewed partnership with [[Bernard Butler]]: “For years and years after Bernard left Suede it was me running the show, but now the stakes are raised. I feel like we are duelling with each other, in some kind of friendly competition. When we were at our best it was always like that, each trying to better each other.”[http://www.nme.com/news/111579.htm]
The band played their first ever live show on [[December 14]], 2004 at the [[Oxford]] Zodiac. Things went as expected for the "new" band, and most new songs were received well by those attending the first set of shows. When asked during a concert by a fan to play the famous [[Suede (band)|Suede]] song, "The Drowners", Anderson replied saying, "Did somebody say they want us to play The Drowners? They came to the wrong gig".
Apart from relatively minor reviews of the first clutch of live shows, The Tears first press, a review of "Refugees", interview with Anderson and a poster was in ''The Sun'' on [[15 April]]. The next major article was by [[Alexis Petridis|Alex Petridis]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'', which ended on an extremely optimistic note: "the pair seem artistically reinvigorated by each other's company. Anderson talks excitedly of Tears songs like the ballad Asylum, inspired by his father's struggle with depression, as having moved away from "Suede cliches or Brett Anderson cliches ... it's not, you know, opiated fop territory". There's even a hint of the old provocative flash and arrogance when talk turns to the future: ''Here Comes the Tears'' feels like a debut. It will be massively bettered. On this at least there's no hint of disagreement. "This album's like rocking the boat a bit. There's been a few splashes," nods Butler. "Next time, I want to get rid of the sails and see what happens."
From the start, Anderson and Butler were very insistent that the band would not be playing any songs by [[Suede (band)|Suede]]. Things would change over time, however, as the band ended up playing a b-side of [[Suede (band)|Suede's]] titled "The Living Dead" to an enthusiastic reception, during an encore for their show at the Sheffield Leadmill in April. On [[April 25]], [[2005]], the band's first single, "[[Refugees (song)|Refugees]]", was released. The single was very much a success and jumped into the top ten singles chart at number nine.
The band's debut album, ''[[Here Come The Tears]]'' followed on [[June 6]], 2005. It was released to stellar reviews that helped solidify the duo's comeback, yet it failed to crack the top 10. In late June, the band played a set at the [[John Peel]] stage at the [[Glastonbury Festival]]. The second single from the debut album, entitled "[[Lovers (song)|Lovers]]", was released on [[June 27]]. Though a significantly lower charting than the previous single, it still managed a decent spot in the top 25.
More than a month later, singer Anderson announced that he would release his long awaited solo album in between the touring for ''[[Here Come The Tears]]'' and the release of the band's follow up album. After playing a few festivals and international gigs, the band announced a European tour with dates in October and November. However, to the disappointment of many fans, they later cancelled the tour in favor of beginning work on their second album. Shortly after, the band were dropped from their label.
In late April of [[2006]], Anderson posted a message on the band's message board announcing the band were on temporary hiatus because "no one ever wanted this thing to get caught up within the drudgery of the whole tour/record/tour cycle anyway". In addition, he announced that he had completed his [[Brett Anderson (album)|debut solo album]] and that it would see light in early [[2007]], hinting that the second Tears record would most likely come after that. On [[August 29]], the band's official site and forum were closed.
== Discography ==
===Albums===
<gallery>
Image:Here_come_the_tears.JPG|<center>'''''[[Here Come the Tears]]''''' <br />(2005) - #15 UK</center>
</gallery>
===Singles===
From ''Here Come The Tears'':
* "[[Refugees (song)|Refugees]]" ([[2005]]) #9 UK
* "[[Lovers (song)|Lovers]]" ([[2005]]) #24 UK
== External links ==
{{Commons|The Tears}}
* [http://www.brettanderson.co.uk Brett Anderson Official Site]
* [http://www.bernardbutler.com Bernard Butler Official Site]
* [http://www.thetears.hk The Tears | Bread & Butter | fansite]
* [http://personales.ya.com/suede/tears.html The Tears: 2 Creatures]
* [http://suede-music.freeservers.com/thetears.html Suede Music - The Tears]
[[Category:Britpop musical groups]]
[[Category:Music from London]]
[[Category:English musical groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 2004]]
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