The Departure

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This article is about the English rock band. For the Animorphs book, see The Departure (Animorphs).
The Departure
Origin Northampton, England
Genre(s) Rock, alternative rock, indie rock
Years active 2004–2008
Label(s) Parlophone
Website www.thedeparture.com
Former members
David Jones
Sam Harvey
Ben Winton
Simon Alexander
Lee Irons
Andy Hobson

The Departure was an English rock band from Northampton, that formed in January 2004. Their debut album, Dirty Words, was released 13 June 2005 by Parlophone. A second album was expected to be released in early 2008, but it never saw the light. The band confirmed their split on 30 January 2008.

Contents

[edit] History

The Departure formed in January 2004 after initially starting life in Northampton as a collaboration between a former Christian commune inhabitant called David Jones (vocals/guitar) and his friend Sam Harvey (guitar).[1] After recruiting old school associate Ben Winton (bass) and Lee Irons (guitar), the lineup was completed with the addition of Andy Hobson (drums) via a website.[2] Jones described the concept of the band to music webzine Drowned in Sound: "We all got quite excited about the whole ethos of what we’re trying to do, which is to take 1980s reference points and transcend them into modern day, edgy, instant kind of sounds."[1]

The band were signed to Parlophone Records after playing only three gigs and being together for just four months,[1] a fact that attracted a not inconsiderable level of derision and scepticism.[2] Touring slots with Placebo, The Tears and a reformed Gang Of Four soon followed as the band sought to build a support base ahead of their first wing of releases. Debut single All Mapped Out was released on August 2 2004 and debuted at number 30 on the UK singles chart. This track later will be include on the Driver: Parallel Lines video game. Follow up single Be My Enemy emerged on October 18 2004 and was included on the soundtrack to the FIFA 06 video game.

The Departure released their debut album ‘Dirty Words’, produced by Steve Osborne (who has also worked with New Order, Suede and Happy Mondays), a year after signing to Parlophone. The album was trailed the week before its release by the reissue of the All Mapped Out single, which disappointingly charted lower than the original. The album itself drew a mostly middling response from critics,[3] who varied between praising the album for its bleak, futuristic atmosphere[3] and slating it for its perceived superficiality and over-reliance on the music of the 80s for inspiration.[4]

A UK tour and festival appearances followed soon after. In early 2006, it was announced that guitarist Lee Irons had left the band citing artistic differences.[5] This news was followed by the announcement that drummer Andy Hobson was to leave also.[citation needed] He was replaced by the band's original drummer, Simon Alexander. The four-piece began work on the follow-up to Dirty Words in Grouse Lodge Studios, Ireland which was expected to see a release in 2007.

[edit] Demise

On 30 January, the band posted an announcement on their MySpace page indicating that they would no longer continue as The Departure, having been dropped by their former label Parlophone. The members indicated that they intend to record together and tour under a new name in the future but no details as yet have been confirmed.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

Release date Title Album UK
2 August 2004 "All Mapped Out" Dirty Words 30
18 October 2004 "Be My Enemy" Dirty Words 41
4 April 2005 "Lump In My Throat" Dirty Words 30
6 June 2005 "All Mapped Out" (re-release) Dirty Words 33
17 October 2005 "Arms Around Me" Dirty Words  ?
3 September 2007 "7 Years" Inventions  ?

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Gourlay, Dom. In 20 years it's not going to be what we look like that matters. Drowned in Sound. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  2. ^ Gourlay, Dom. Cherubs, The Departure at Nottingham Stealth, Thu 16 Dec. Drowned in Sound. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  3. ^ The Departure: Dirty Words. Metacritic.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  4. ^ Garrett, Jon. The Departure: Dirty Words - PopMatters Music Review. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  5. ^ Diver, Mike. Lee Irons leaves the Departure. This headline could have been better, no?. Drowned in Sound. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.

[edit] External links