JJ72

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Biography

JJ72 were an alternative rock band (music)|band from Dublin , Republic of Ireland|Ireland . After forming in 1996, they signed to Lakota Records in 1999, releasing two hit albums before splitting in 2006.

History

Formation & early years

The band was formed in 1996 by lead singer and songwriter Mark Greaney and drummer Fergal Matthews , while studying at Belvedere College .Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography , Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 814 Greaney grew up in Dublin, where for a time he lived next door to Phil Lynott .Jones, Tim (2001) "JJ72: Gasping for Air", Record Collector , No, 265, September 2001, p. 40-44 Matthews originated from County Meath . The name 'JJ72' derives from a window at Belvedere College made from 72 Jar|jam jars . They cited Nirvana (band)|Nirvana , Mudhoney and Joy Division as influences. After auditioning several bassists they recruited their schoolmate Garvin Smith on bass in 1996. After a few early gigs, Smith left, and Greaney and Matthews once again set about auditions for a new bassist. Two bassists had short stints with the band, but in 1997 Greaney and Matthews entered the studio as a duo to record their first demo. They sent it to local record companies and media but with little response. In 1998 they started university courses, but shortly after starting they decided to concentrate on the band; They played a concert at Behan's pub in Dublin, backed by a string quartet , and were asked to appear on local television. They decided they needed someone who could mime and who "looked good", and recruited Hilary Woods, who Greaney had known for several years. Despite not being able to play bass, Woods became a member in January 1999. They recorded a second demo, and targeted the UK, playing several gigs there and getting a write-up in Select (magazine)|Select . This led to interest from the Dublin-based Sony sub-label Lakota Records, who signed the band in mid-1999.

Commercial success

Début single "October Swimmer" was released in November that year, and was named 'Single of the Week' by BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe . They were given support slots with The Dandy Warhols and My Vitriol . The band had their first hit with "Long Way South" in May 2000, which peaked at number 68 in the UK, and they played at festivals including Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury , Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading and Leeds later that year.

The band released their JJ72 (album)|eponymously titled debut album in Summer 2000. A great critical and commercial success alike, the album has sold in excess of 500,000 copies in their native Ireland and in the United Kingdom , where it reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart . In Germany, a special 'tour edition' was released, including a second CD-ROM disc. The album spawned the singles "Snow", "October Swimmer", "Long Way South", and "Oxygen", and saw the band perform promotional tours in Europe , the United States|US . "Oxygen" gave the band their first top 30 single in the UK, leading the band to perform on Top of the Pops . After touring with Coldplay and Embrace (band)|Embrace , they set out on their own headline tour. They supported Muse (band)|Muse on a tour of Europe, headlined the NME Brats tour, and played a few gigs in Japan . Several performances had been cancelled after Greaney lost his voice, and there were further cancellations in 2001 after Matthews was knocked off his motorbike, with Kylie Minogue 's drummer Bob Knight standing in for a few gigs. Matthews recovered in time for the festival season and support slots with U2 . The band received an Irish Music Award for 'Best New Band' later that year.

The band's second album I To Sky followed in October 2002. It contained the singles "Formulae" and "Always and Forever", and reached the Top 5 of the Irish album charts and the Top 20 of the UK Albums Chart .

Return & split

In March 2003 bassist Hilary Woods left the band.
Greaney and Matthews recruited Canada|Canadian born bassist Sarah Fox as her replacement. After a two-year silence, the band embarked on their first tour with Sarah Fox in May 2005, and released the uploading and downloading|download and Gramophone record|7" only single "She's Gone". A second single, "Coming Home" followed in August 2005, peaking at number 52 in the UK Singles Chart . A tour followed in September 2005, with Greaney expressing from the stage his frustrations regarding the release of the third album. pending an ongoing dispute with then current record label s Lakota Records/ Sony . Song s rumoured to have been included on the new album: "Take From Me", "Radio","Everything", "Rainfalls", "Underground", "Maria", "Nothing In This World", "Some Day" (this song, as Demo version, appear as B-side on the "coming Home" 7" vinyl). A promotional CD containing "Coming Home", "Take From Me", "Radio" and "Everything" was circulated in 2005.

However, on June 22, 2006, JJ72 issued a press release announcing they were to split up after ten years together. They cited a struggle with their record label as their main reason for the split. This press release read:

Post-JJ72 activities

Mark Greaney embarked upon his first tour as a solo artist in May 2007. He subsequently formed a new band called Concerto For Constantine , featuring himself (guitar and vocals), Gavin Fox (ex- Idlewild (band)|Idlewild /Turn/Vega4 on bass) and Binzer (ex-BellX1/Frames/Halite on drums). The band performed live throughout Ireland as part of the "2fm 2moro 2our" in November 2007, and supported Smashing Pumpkins in Belfast and Dublin in Spring 2008. Concerto for Constantine then went on to sell out headline shows in Dublin and London, and also played at the Oxegen Festival in Ireland and at T In The Park in Scotland in July 2008. Greaney is currently making another record under a new moniker, the title and style of which is as yet unknown. He is also an artist manager.

Sarah Fox played bass for a band called Lluther , but has since left the band and is now running a record label called "Angel, She's A Killer". The future of Fergal Matthews is as yet unclear."", NME , 22 June 2006, retrieved 2010-10-10

Band member details

Mark Greaney ( vocals , guitar , piano ) born 23 June 1980.

Fergal Matthews ( drums ) born 29 January 1980, in Dublin .

Hilary Woods ( Bass guitar|bass , backing vocals ) born 30 May.

Sarah Fox (bass) - from 2003 onwards.

Garvin Smith (bass) - early line-up.

Discography

Albums

Year	Details	Peak chart positions			Certifications ( List of music recording sales certifications
Year	Details	IRE cite web	UK cite web	FRA cite web
2000	JJ72 Released: 28 August 2000 Label: Lakota Records	7	16	—	British Phonographic Industry\|UK : Gold
2002	I to Sky Released: 11 October 2002 Label: Lakota Records	10	20	124

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions			Album
Year	Title	IRE	UK	NED cite web	Album
1999	"Pillows" ("Oxygen") (demo)	—	—	—	rowspan="3"
1999	"October Swimmer"	—	—	—
2000	"Snow"	—	80	—
	"Long Way South"	—	68	—	JJ72
	"Oxygen"	42	23	—
	"October Swimmer"	50	29	86
2001	"Snow"	33	21	—
2001	"Algeria" (promo only)	—	—	—
2002	"Formulae"	24	28	—	I to Sky
2003	"Always and Forever"	—	42	—	I to Sky
2005	"She's Gone"	—	136	—	rowspan="2"
2005	"Coming Home"	38	52	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Copyright Citations

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