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Symposium are an English punk pop band. They were active from 1994 to 2000 and were known for their live shows. The name 'Symposium' originally referred to a drinking party (the Greek verb sympotein means "to drink together"), and was taken from the philosophical dialogue by Plato.
Symposium | |
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Origin | London, England |
Genres | Punk rock, Britpop[1] |
Years active | 1994–2000, 2022—present |
Labels | Infectious Records |
Members | Ross Cummins Joe Birch William McGonagle Hagop Tchaparian Wojtek Godzisz |
History
editThe band formed whilst still at school in Shepherd's Bush, London, in 1994. The line-up consisted of Ross Cummins on vocals, Hagop Tchaparian as a guitarist and backing vocalist, Joe Birch on drums, William McGonagle as a guitarist, and Wojtek Godzisz as a vocalist and songwriter.[2] The band's first show was at Hammersmith's Emerald Hut in July 1994,[3] and they played various clubs and pubs in Camden Town throughout 1995; by November, they had obtained a manager.[4] The band had a selection of uptempo punk pop songs which, together with their young average age of eighteen, brought them to the attention of Korda Marshall, who signed them to Infectious Records in 1996.[2]
Their 1996 debut single, "Drink the Sunshine", was followed by support from NME, who placed them on the "Bratbus Tour" (an annual tour of four hotly tipped bands) which would visit universities in the UK. In March 1997, the band's concerts had been noted by Everett True, who put them on the cover of the 29 March 1997 Melody Maker, proclaiming them to be the "best live band in Britain". The band released a No. 25 UK hit single, "Farewell to Twilight" in March 1997.[2] They also performed the song on TFI Friday. This was followed by a headlining tour.
They released a mini album, One Day at a Time, in October 1997,[2] stating in NME that they "just wanted to get them [the songs] out there". The release alluded to the fact that their actual (full-length) debut album would be released at a later date.[citation needed] This was illustrated by the fact that one of the four singles they had released up until this point, "The Answer To Why I Hate You", was absent from the mini-album, but did appear on their first album On The Outside. Having signed a recording contract with Infectious Records. "Farewell to Twilight" achieved a UK Singles Chart peak of No. 25, a position that they would never surpass.[2]
"Fairweather Friend" was the band's best known song, having support from a music video, and this led to a Top of the Pops performance. In 1997 the band supported a number of popular American bands, including Red Hot Chili Peppers at Wembley Arena, The Foo Fighters, Deftones and No Doubt at Brixton Academy, where Cummins' stage antics caused him to dislocate his leg. The following year the band toured the United States on the Warped Tour with Bad Religion, NOFX and Rancid.[5]
Their debut album On The Outside was released in May 1998.[2] By the end of 1999 the band had left Infectious Records. After supporting Metallica at the Milton Keynes Bowl in 1999, Symposium released the "Killing Position" EP. By early 2000 the band had developed musical differences and broke up.
William McGonagle and Joe Birch formed the post-hardcore band Hell Is for Heroes,
Wojtek Godzisz went solo and signed to Tigertrap Records in 2006. His eponymous debut album was released in 2009.
Hagop Tchaparian went on to work with the band Hot Chip. He is a consultant to the music industry. Tchaparian released his debut album Bolts in October 2022.[6]
Ross Cummins collaborated in 2000 with the acoustic duo “Pooka” and played several solo shows around the UK and Europe.
2002-2005 Ross sung for the post punk band “Paper Cuts”.
2024 Ross announced his alt rock solo band “BigSpin” confirming the release of an album due in 2025.
2022-onwards
editOn 22 April, 2022, an update was made via the Symposium facebook page, the band announced that their albums (One Day At A Time, and On The Outside) are now available on all streaming websites. With the added bonus of a compilation album "Do You Remember How It Was?" due out for 11 November, 2022. Ross, Wojtek, Will and Joe will be participating in a Q&A at Signature Brew in Haggerston on 19 May, 2022, hosted by Kerrangs!'s Phil Alexander. There was also a promise of a live show announcement coming soon. It has since been announced that they will play for “one night only” at Islington Assembly Hall in November 2022.
2023 the band played 2 sold out shows:
16/11/23 Manchester Club Academy
18/11/23 London Electric Ballroom
Members
edit- Ross Cummins – vocals
- Wojtek Godzisz – vocals, bass
- Hagop Tchaparian – guitar, occasional backing vocals
- William McGonagle – guitar
- Joe Birch – drums
Discography
editAlbums and EPs
editInfo[7] | Track listing |
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One Day at a Time 8-track mini-album Year:1997 Format: CD / 12" Label: Infectious Records UK Albums Chart Position: #29
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On the Outside Year: 1998 Format: CD / 12" / Cassette Label: Infectious UK Albums Chart Position: #32
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On the BBC Live Compilation Year: 1999 Format: CD Label: Strange Fruit
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Singles
editYear | Title | Album | UK Singles Chart [7] |
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1996 | "Drink the Sunshine" | One Day at a Time | 113[8] |
1997 | "Farewell to Twilight" | 25 | |
"The Answer to Why I Hate You" | On The Outside | 32 | |
"Fairweather Friend" | One Day at a Time | 25 | |
"Drink the Sunshine" / "Fizzy" (Limited) | 101[8] | ||
1998 | "Average Man" | — | 45 |
"Bury You" | On The Outside | 41 | |
"Blue" | 48 | ||
1999 | "Killing Position" | — | 176[8] |
References
edit- ^ Chris Lockie, "Old London Music: Seven Britpop Bands Who Didn't Make It", Londonist. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5666th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 961. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ^ Sinclair, David (29 November 1997). "London Pride" (books.google.com). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media. p. 40. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Pride, Dominic (29 November 1997). "Camden Town: Hot Spot For U.K. Up-And-Comers" (books.google.com). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 48. Nielsen Business Media. p. 76. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Symposium Strikes Classic Rock Moves 'On The Outside'". MTV. 6 August 1998. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ Goldner, Sam (26 October 2022). "Hagop Tchaparian: Bolts Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 544. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c "UK Chartlog". zobbel.de. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
External links
edit