The Zutons
Background information
Origin	Liverpool, England
Genre(s)	Alternative Rock Indie Pop
Years active	2001–present
Label(s)	Deltasonic
Website	http://www.thezutons.com
Members
David McCabe Russell Pritchard Sean Payne Abi Harding
Former members
Boyan Chowdhury (2001-2007)

The Zutons are an English indie rock band from Liverpool.

Members

• Dave McCabe – lead vocals, guitar
• Russell Pritchard – bass guitar, vocals
• Sean Payne – drums, percussion, vocals
• Abi Harding – saxophone, vocals

Former Members

• Boyan Chowdhury – lead guitar, vocals (2001-2007)

History

The Zutons formed in Liverpool in 2001, taking their name from The Magic Band guitarist Bill Harkleroad, better known as Zoot Horn (or "Zuton") Rollo. Dave McCabe had previously been in Tramp Attack, and Russ and Sean were in The Big Kids (with Howie Payne of The Stands). Originally a four-piece, Sean's girlfriend Abi Harding began joining The Zutons on stage for a couple of songs mid-set, playing simple saxophone lines. She was very popular with the crowd. The other band members liked the way her saxophone enhanced their sound. Abi became a full member, contributing vocals and sax. Her trademark: she always performs barefoot on stage.

At first, the band had to battle comparisons to The Coral. Both bands were Merseyside bands prominent members of the Liverpool music scene, on the same record label, and they shared the same producer, Ian Broudie. The band's music has proved difficult to categorize, being described as "psychedelic cartoon punk" [1]. McCabe, who is also the lead songwriter, includes amongst his influences Talking Heads, Devo, Sly & the Family Stone, Dexys Midnight Runners and Madness.

The first record the band put out was the 3-track CD Devil's Deal, released in September 2002. The following spring they released Creepin' An' A Crawlin', and then the download-only single Haunts Me in November 2003. The band's "Z" logo was changed early in 2004 to avoid confusion with the Zenith logo.

The Zutons' debut album, Who Killed...... The Zutons? was released in April 2004, and initially reached #13 in the UK album chart. However, after nearly a year later, it managed to move up to #9 in early 2005. The LP had a specially printed 3-D cover and came with Zutons 3-D viewing glasses, which many fans then wore to their concerts. Early copies of the album also included a bonus 4-track CD of alternative versions of their songs. The album was critically acclaimed and was a nominee for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. The band themselves were nominated for the British Breakthrough Act award at the 2005 BRIT Awards. The album was later re-issued following the single Don't Ever Think Too Much, with that song being added as track 13. The track "Confusion" was used in an advert for Peugeots 307 car advert in the UK during 2004-2005.

The new album Tired of Hanging Around was released on April 17, 2006 and reached #2 in the UK album charts. The first single from the album "Why won't you give me your love" and the second single "Valerie" both peaked at 9 in the charts, a fair achievement considering their highest place previously had been with the single "Don't ever think too much" at 15. The band toured the UK in May 2006 following the release of this album. They played at the Jersey Live Festival on September 2, 2006 before their second UK tour which began in November 2006. In October 2006, they performed at the The Secret Policeman's Ball. On New Year's Eve 2006, the Zutons appeared on Jools Holland's annual Hootenanny on BBC television on which they performed their songs Valerie, Why Don't You Give Me Your Love? and It's The Little Things We Do.

As the November tour began, the band gave an interview to STV discussing songwriting, making videos and their American dates with The Killers. In a separate interview, Payne complained about the tendency of music writers and magazines to generalise a particular city as the breeding ground of new 'movements', "A lot of bands get lumped in when they’re in the same neck of the woods and journalists–especially in England–like to make a big deal out of that and make it into a scene, as if the individual bands aren’t good enough to write about."

The Zutons are about to embark on their third album with legendary producer Tony Visconti, at Allaire Studios in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York.

The band announced on July 13, 2007 that guitarist Boyan Chowdury has left The Zutons, citing "musical differences".

Live Recordings

The Zutons recorded a live session for Live From Abbey Road on 25th August 2006. Their performance was shown on Channel 4 in the UK and the Sundance Channel in the USA on an episode shared with Shawn Colvin, Nerina Pallot and Ray LaMontagne.

Discography

Albums