Starclub

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Starclub was a British alternative rock band from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, active from 1991 to 1994. The members were Owen Vyse (lead vocals, guitar, Hammond organ and keyboards), Steve French (guitar, backing vocals), Julian Taylor (bass, backing vocals) and Alan White (drums). Vyse, French and Taylor had grown up in Maidstone, Kent as the Shoes, a band that played gigs mainly in London and once sold out the Hazlitt Theatre.

They signed with Island Records and changed their name to Starclub, after the famous Star-Club venue in Hamburg. Their 1993 self-titled album was produced by Chris Hughes and recorded with several drummers before Alan White joined full-time and toured that year. Georgie Fame guested on the tracks “Forever” and “The Question.”

The single “Hard to Get” became a radio hit in the United States, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album received positive reviews; a Washington Post critic praised its expansive pop-rock sound and Vyse’s vocals, noting the band’s eclectic style.

Island dropped Starclub and the band split in 1994. Vyse and White later formed Paint with Taylor; White left to join Oasis. Paint recorded for Sacred, but Sony pulled the single before its release. Vyse also worked with Echo & the Bunnymen and contributed to film and TV projects, including The Crush, Still Crazy, and The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star.

White played with Oasis from 1995 to 2004, and later performed as a guest drummer with Trio Valore, his brother Steve White’s band, in 2008. French later released an album in 2006 with Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson as the Longshadows. Taylor joined Rialto from 1997 to 2000.