Balloon (band)

Balloon were a London-based duo active from the early 1990s, made up of Ian Bickerton and David Sheppard. The pair met in 1988 and cut over 60 demo tracks before signing with Dedicated Records, a British label associated with neo-psychedelia. Their debut album, Gravity, came out in 1992 and was produced by Michael Brook.

It featured contributions from Sarah McLachlan on the song "Tightrope Walker" and from James Pinker. Bickerton handled the songwriting, while Sheppard played a variety of instruments. Most of the recording took place in New Orleans at Daniel Lanois’ studio. The duo toured the US in 1992 with Pinker as a touring percussionist.

Critic Eve Zibart of The Washington Post described their sound as "a peculiarly soothing mix of Feargal Sharkey, Storyville, white soul, mild social unrest punk and Leonard Cohen." Jae-Ha Kim of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Balloon's music is atmospheric and winsome, with acoustic guitars caressing velvety voices." Balloon supported comedian Bill Hicks on his final UK tour, including a show at the Tivoli Theatre in Dublin on December 1, 1992. They later played one-off shows for Violette Societa at the Social in London in November 2016 and at Leaf in Liverpool in November 2022. In late 2024, they released a new LP, Gas 'n' Air, recorded in Mexico City.