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Budapest were formed
by John Garrison, Adrian Kelley & Mark Walworth in early 1999 from
their base in Leamington Spa, having played together in various bands.
Drummer Paul Possart was quickly recruited as the band spent the next
12 months writing and rehearsing intensively.
It quickly became clear that the young band had created something
special, as word spread throughout the UK music industry and bootleg
copies of the bands rehearsals were seized by numerous A&R
executives. Early gigs were attended by a host of record companies and
assorted faces including Feeder, Travis and Ocean Colour Scene.
Amazingly in the spring of 2000, after only a handful of gigs,
Budapest signed a multi-album deal with independent label, Easy Street
Music.
Work immediately started on recording their debut album with producer
Dave Creffield, famed for his work on Embrace's debut album, and
engineer Markus Dravs, most well known for his work with Bjork. What
materialised in October 2001, was a piece of work that blended the
band's love for classic English songwriting, ala Talk Talk, and
contemporary melancholic soundscapes ala REM and Radiohead. More
importantly it sounded intense, fresh and destined to matter.
Unfortunately the emotional toll exerted during the recording process,
mixed with the dark undercurrents associated with the album, was to
leave a definable mark on the band. Tragically, guitarist Mark
Walworth committed suicide during the final mastering of the album.
Mat Parker, a friend of the bands', and a talented songwriter in his
own right, subsequently took over lead guitar duties. Long-time live
keyboardist Chris Pemberton also became a full-time member of the
band, completing Budapest's line-up.
The album, entitled
‘Too Blind To Hear’ was released in the UK in September 2002 and
was quickly followed by the sublime single ‘Is This The Best It
Gets’. Support from Radio 1, MTV and MTV2 ensured the limited
edition single quickly sold out.
Critical acclaim for the album, followed by some blistering live shows
supporting The Leaves, Remy Zero and Tom McRae, led to the band
signing a multi-album deal with Universal Records in the U.S., where
the album was released in March 2003.
April 2003 also saw
the band supply the soundtrack and star in the BBC1 drama ‘Final
Demand’, starring Tamsin Outhwaite and Simon Pegg, watched by over 9
million viewers.
The rest of 2003 will
see Budapest release their second single from ‘Too Blind To Hear’
entitled ‘Wake Up Call’, which will be supported by the band
embarking on a full UK tour, as well as playing various European
festivals.
Further dates in
Europe and the U.S. are also planned, as well as the boys recording
their eagerly anticipated second album, scheduled for release later in
the year.
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