Although they claimed not to be a "political band" -- they are simply "political people" who are also musicians, they say -- the group's lyrics have a political message which can be interpreted as generally anti-capitalist and anarchist.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Tours 3 Discography 4 External Link |
The band came together in the early 1990s as Irish vocalist Brian Barry got together with guitarist Chris Ignatiou under the name "Near Death Experience". After working with various rhythm sections, they settled with Glen Diani on bass and Eddie Stratton on drums.
The band was forced to change its name because of an American group who shared it, and so they became One Minute Silence. That name, originally intended to be that of a song, was chosen to parody the practice of having a one minute silence as a mark of respect when someone considered "important or well respected" dies. The band felt that that respect was often "misplaced".[1]
The band signed a record deal with Big Cat Records in 1997, and released Available In All Colours the following year. Buy Now... Saved Later followed in 2000 after an amicable split with Ignatiou, who was replaced by Massimo, known as Massy. This, their second album, represented a noticeable step in the band's musical progression: the record's production quality and style differed from their debut, for which they had used a hip-hop producer. Buy Now... sounded more like a metal album.
After circulating a three track demo and signing a deal with Taste Media, the band started recording sessions for their third album in the autumn of 2002. From live performances and both live and studio recordings, the new material was obviously a further progression; the group was experimenting with various time signatures, such as 7/4, and was using more melody and a greater variation in song structure.
A single, "We Bounce", was released on March 31st 2003, with a third album, titled One Lie Fits All, following on July 7 2003. According to oneminutesilence.com, "[t]his name continues the pattern of manipulating well known marketing slogans in order to present a political statement."[1]
One Lie Fits All showed a new direction for band. Yap's rapping gave way to much more singing on tracks like "Price Of The King's Ticket". There are still the thunderous live songs like "We Bounce" and "I Wear My Skin".
Between these releases, One Minute Silence had toured extensively, though the latest tour had to be cancelled. The group's following comes largely from their energetic live shows -- they have been voted Best British Live Act in Kerrang.
More recently Yap has been following his spoken word career, succeeding on breaking onto Radio 4's "Spoken Word". However, in a statement released in October 2003, the band announced their split:
The band have played in support of:
Biography
Tours
The following groups have played on the bill of One Minute Silence' headlining tours:
Discography
External Link