Feeder are a rock band that formed in Newport, South Wales in 1992. The band's members are Welsh singer/guitarist/songwriter, Grant Nicholas, Japanese bass guitarist Taka Hirose, and English drummer Mark Richardson. The band is also accompanied on tour by second guitarist Dean Tidey of The Sandstone Veterans. The band's original drummer, Welsh-born Jon Lee, committed suicide in 2002.
To date the band have sold over a million certified albums in the UK according to the BPI's searchable database, with three of those certified Platinum and 3.
5 million records worldwide at the end of 2005.
The band are very loyal supporters of the charities War Child and Oxfam, and in 2006 also visited The Congo as part of War Child's fundraising initiatives. In 2004 they appeared on Band Aid 20, making them the first Welsh act to appear on the charity franchise.
They have also played the main stage of the Reading/Leeds festival on a frequent basis.
Despite singer Grant Nicholas and drummer Jon Lee performing in pre-Feeder acts such as Temper Temper as early as 1992, Feeder did not officially form until Lee and Nicholas moved to London in 1994 and gained bassist Taka Hirose. Before then the band were called "Hum", before changing to "Reel", "Real" then "Feeder". Following the release of their limited editon debut EP Two Colours in 1995, the band toured the UK extensively, and released their "mini album" "Swim" in 1996 to some acclaim which was soon followed by debut LP "Polythene" in 1997. "High" entered the UK and US top 40 charts, resulting in the re-release of "Polythene" and extensive European and American tours.
It was during the band's lengthy tours of the US that Nicholas wrote much of the band's second album, "Yesterday Went Too Soon". A much stronger commercial success in the UK, the album was however never officially released in the US, which may account for their relative obscurity since the release of High. It nevertheless spawned 4 Top 50 hits in the UK and was a critical success.
In 2001 the band achieved public visibility with the single "Buck Rogers", from their third album Echo Park, reaching the Top 5 in the UK. The album also entered the Top 5, and created several successful singles. Former B-side Just a Day made #12 and their success prompted the re-release of "Swim".
Despite this success, during the first weeks of 2002, drummer Jon Lee committed suicide in his Miami home.
The band's 4th full-length album "Comfort In Sound" was released on the 21st October 2002. Former Little Angels and Skunk Anansie member Mark Richardson was drafted in for drum duties, and ultimately became a full-time member of the band. The album entered the charts at #6, after major critical acclaim. Several successful singles followed, and the band sold out all 60,000 tickets for their Spring tour in 2003. That Winter the band played their first UK arena tour, including their biggest gig to date at Wembley Arena.
Shortly before the album was released, the band played two Radio 1 stage headline slots at the Reading/Leeds festivals in 2002, due to the gigs being their first after Jon Lee's death they didn't play the main stage. The bands new found success from 2001 meant that they filled the tents beyond their capacity on both occasions, and is still mentioned today by their fans as two of the bands best ever gigs.
During the band's recording sessions for the follow-up to "Comfort In Sound", their first UK compilation "Picture of Perfect Youth" was released, consisting of 36 B-sides. A very limited edition, it sold out quickly, but will be re-issued on general release on 5th February 2007.
Fifth album "Pushing The Senses" was released on the 31st January 2005, preceded by the band's joint highest-charting single, "Tumble And Fall". The album entered the UK charts at #2 and a number of other successful singles followed, including B-side "Shatter" which was released as a double A-side with "Tender" following their inclusion in the English dub of the film Nightwatch. The album also seen "Feeling a Moment" reach #32 in Australia and was also used in promotional ads for I'm a Celebrity Get Me Outta Here and the FIFA 2006 World Cup ITV coverage. The band ended 2005 having already headlined the first day of that year's Download Festival, though had to postpone a year-end tour following Nicholas developing of bleeding vocal chords.
The band's second compilation, "The Singles" was released on the 15th of May 2006, featuring a collection of singles from throughout their history, plus three new tracks: "Lost and Found", "Burn The Bridges" and "Save Us". The limited edition version of the album includes a DVD of all 26 of the band's promotional videos released to that point, running from the "Lost and Found" promo back to original release "Stereo World", as well as extensive sleeve notes by long-time collaborator Ben Johncock, a freelance writer and author. The album peaked at #2 in the UK album charts, after entering at #3 and spawned two Top 40 singles.
The band performed at several major European festivals that summer, and on 6 November 2006, played the first of three gigs at London's Roundhouse venue in aid of War Child, featuring guest appearances by The Sugababes and Jamelia. They raised £62,000.
A statement was made by the band that the War Child gigs would be their last for some time, as they commence work on their last album with The Echo Label. The band are re-releasing their b-sides album "Picture Of Perfect Youth" on February 5th 2007. This was previously only available through their website as a limited edition in 2004. Feeder have discussed the recent album in an interviews at XFM and Reading Festival, it will sound a lot "rockier" and will echo the sound of their older material.
