The Bees (English band)
English band blending indie rock with diverse influences.
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Hailing from Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, this English group is known as A Band of Bees in the United States. Their music is typically labeled indie rock or psychedelic rock, yet it draws from a broad palette of influences including 1960s garage rock, country, reggae, and jazz.
History
The Bees released their debut album Sunshine Hit Me in 2002, which earned a Mercury Prize nomination. Its follow-up, Free the Bees, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and released in 2004. Octopus followed in 2007, and their fourth album, Every Step's A Yes, came out on 11 October 2010. Songs from the first two albums appeared in British television advertisements, contributing to the band's recognition.
"A Minha Menina", a cover of an Os Mutantes track originally by Jorge Ben, was used in a Citroën car commercial and an advert for Magners Irish Cider. "Chicken Payback" and "Wash in the Rain", both from Free the Bees, were featured in adverts for Sure Deodorant for Men and Sainsbury's, respectively. "Chicken Payback" also introduced the Northern comic character Stan Hibbert on Sky Sports' Soccer AM and served as the bed track for The Radcliffe and Maconie programme on BBC Radio 6 Music.
The official video for "Chicken Payback" showed the band in an arcade-type dance game machine in a Japanese video arcade, where the lead character dances so quickly his shoes catch fire. The song was later used in a 60-second Age UK advert for the 2011 "Thank You" campaign, performed by 81-year-old Joy Graham with a jazz orchestra and directed by BAFTA-winning director Becky Martin. The Bees supported Oasis in 2005, Madness in December 2007 during their Christmas tour, and Paul Weller on selected dates of his "Winter Arena Tour".
In 2010, they performed a set for The Sun, covering "We Speak No Americano" and playing songs from Every Step's A Yes. Paul Butler appeared on stage at the 2010 Glastonbury Festival with Devendra Banhart after the band performed two sets of their own. In 2011, The Bees supported Fleet Foxes on their UK tour. One influence the band cited is ayahuasca; Butler drank this plant medicine with shamans in Peru after being introduced to it by Banhart.
In 2018, Fletcher and Parkin announced they had formed a new group, 77:78, whose debut album Jellies was released through Heavenly Recordings on 5 July 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is The Bees (English band) from?
The Bees originated in Ventnor, Isle of Wight, England.
When was The Bees (English band) active?
The Bees has been active since 2001.
Who are the current members of The Bees (English band)?
The current members of The Bees are listed as Paul Butler, Aaron Fletcher, Kris Birkin, Michael Clevett, Tim Parkin, Warren Hampshire and Tom Gardner.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: The Bees (English band) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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