Mr Fogg
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| Mr Fogg | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Phil Barry |
| Origin | Reading, Berkshire |
| Genre(s) | Indie, synth-pop |
| Years active | 2005 - present |
| Label(s) | Little League/Worst Case Scenario |
| Website | [1] Official website |
Mr Fogg (born Phil Barry) is an indie-synth-pop solo artist from Reading, Berkshire.
Contents |
[edit] Origin of Name
Mr Fogg derives his name from Phileas Fogg, the main fictional character in the 1872 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days. In an interview with of BBC Radio 1's Annie Nightingale, he was heard to say that the name arose, as 'Phileas sounds somewhat like Phil', his own Christian name.
[edit] Career
Mr Fogg's first solo material appeared at the end of 2005 and was followed by a national tour and the self-released debut single "Giving In" which gained BBC Radio 1, 6Music and XFM airplay and received rave reviews from underground and online press.
After winning the 2006 BBC Berkshire Demo Search Contest, Mr Fogg won the opportunity to open the Carling Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals over the August 2006 festival weekend, playing to a packed tent with a 5-piece live band.[2]
Towards the end of 2006, Mr Fogg released "Seciov" as a single on Worst Case Scenario Records, receiving substantial airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6Music, XFM, MTV2 and QTV, including records of the week from Marsha Shandur on XFM and Tom Robinson on 6 Music. As well as a tour, live appearances included "Mr Fogg's Latin Lesson" on the Annie Nightingale BBC Radio 1 show and a live a session for Janice Long on BBC Radio 2 - including an interview and live versions of Stung, Moving Pictures and Seciov. An as-yet-unreleased breakbeat mix of "Seciov" was also played on BBC Radio 1 around this time.
In August 2007, Mr Fogg's third release "Stung"[3][4] came out and again picked up support from Radio1, XFM, Radio 2 and 6Music, including live sessions for Tom Robinson on 6 Music, Janice Long on Radio 2 and Music:Response on XFM, and a place in Eddy Temple-Morris' Top 5.
Later in the year, a remix 12-inch of Seciov was released, with mixes by Vandal, Loulou Players and Si McEvoy. The Vandal mix picked up airplay worldwide, including stations in Russia, USA, Australia, Netherlands and many more as well as Kiss FM in the UK. Meanwhile, the 12-inch made an appearance in several DJ and specialist charts. To meet demand for the original Worst Case Scenario 7-inch, it was re-packaged as a red 7-inch with a new b-side called "Black Heart".
Mr Fogg has reportedly said that he has over 40 songs written for his debut album[5], and that he will now record the LP before any further single releases.
[edit] Selected Press Quotes
"An inspired piece of pop music" - Music Week
"Lovely...rather like Get Cape Wear Cape snuggling up with Imogen Heap for a night of spooning." - Artrocker
"Ridiculously essential single...it seems (Mr Fogg) has something of a talent for sculpturing tenaciously timid pop that attaches to the senses and immediately has the nerve endings going weak at the knees." - Losing Today
