User:Eldeviante/Pocket venus

Pocket Venus are a Welsh rock band from Conwy in North Wales. The bands sound has been difficult to pigeon hole as they have such a diverse range of sounds, however, many critics compared the group to classic rock bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin for the progressive rock dynamics and comparisons of the precise orchestration and song writing techniques of bands like The Verve and Spiritualized were also abundant in reviews. The band formed in 1998 and toured the UK extensively, hailed as the one of the best unsigned bands of their time they achieved critical acclaim both in the UK and abroad. Pocket Venus split in 2003 during negotiations with major record labels, the band cited musical and personal differences as the reason for the break up. In 2008 Pocket Venus anounced they were reforming.

Current Lineup

 * Chris Yates (lead vocals, guitar)
 * Dave Robinson (keyboards, piano)
 * Dyfed Roberts (backing vocals, guitar)
 * Naldo Algieri (bass)
 * Steve Flavell (drums)

Formation (1998 - 2003)
Pocket Venus, from North Wales formed in 1998, an amalgamation of various members of earlier bands, the original line up included Chris Yates, Naldo Algieri, Steve Jones, Dave Robinson and Mark Roberts. The line up changed in 2000 when drummer Mark Roberts left the band to be replaced by Pete Ryan. The band were managed by Neil Crud, who released two singles for them on his Secrets of Sound record label. First release; "Make It Through Your Day" was highly acclaimed and received airplay on BBC Radio One from John Peel and Mark Radcliffe, and also countless airings on BBC Radio Wales from Adam Walton , who subsequently invited the band on his show for a session. The bands produced a video for their second release Tell Me Why, which is still available on You Tube and and the NME's official website Countless gigs and an energetic stage performance led to plenty more airplay from radio stations both across the UK and internationally, notably winning "Best International Artist" at the Orange County Music Awards. The lineup changed again in late 2002 with the departure of Steve Jones on lead guitar. Steve's place was taken by Dyfed Roberts formerly of Gwacamoli. The band continued to play live shows until August 2003 when the band split up. The band had become disillusioned and disheartened by the music industry, so in order to save their friendships and personal relationships they went their seperate ways.

Post-breakup activities
After the band split Yates and Roberts went on to form Gotti, with Steve Flavell on drums and bass player Mauve. Gotti played locally and also recorded a number of demo tapes. Ryan, Algieri and Robinson stayed away from the music scene for various reasons and concentrated on their family lives and other responsibilities.

Reunion (2008 - present)
In June of 2008 the band anounced they were reforming, however, this time without drummer Pete Ryan, he would be replaced by Steve Flavell formerly of Gotti. The band are promising to be playing live towards the end of 2008 with a mixture of both old and new material.

Live
Pocket Venus claim they never managed to capture the true essence of the band in their recordings and urged people to see them live instead of relying on the EP's and singles they produced. They played at many of the more infamous London venues including the Garage in Highbury, The Water Rats in St Pancras and The Bull And Gate in Kentish Town. The band played several festivals during their career playing Pigstock in North Wales and also played alongside Reef at the prestigious Wakestock festival. Pocket Venus have also played Manchester's world renowned "In The City" showcase festival.

The band have recently issued a statement claiming they are hoping to be playing live towards the end of 2008.

EP's

 * 1) Make It Through Your Day (06/2000)
 * 2) Tell Me Why (03/2002)