The Wave Pictures 'Instant Coffee Baby' album

The Wave Pictures are David Tattersall, Franic Rozycki and Jonny ''Huddersfield'' Helm. In 1998 Franic and David lived in a village called Wymeswold where they started playing music together, with Hugh J. Noble on drums. The band was called Blind Summit. When Hugh decided he didn't want to play drums he went to Exeter to study Philosophy instead. The band changed it's name to The Wave Pictures. Hugh was replaced by several drummers, until Jonny "Huddersfield" Helm became the permanent replacement.

For a few years The Wave Pictures have played sporadically in the UK, France and New York. During this time highlights have included playing at the Mofo Festival in Paris at the invitation of friends Herman Dune, and playing shows with Herman Dune and The Jeffrey Lewis Band. David also sang The Wave Pictures song "Dust Off Your Heart" with Herman Dune on a radio session for the great John Peel. The Wave Pictures have also served as backing band and co-songwriters for John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, the results featuring on a seven-inch single released by 4AD records.

Not only did I appreciate his take-no-prisoners musical stylings but also the imaginative lyrical ideas I found mighty refreshing. This is a man who clearly harbours no ambition to be seen hobnobbing with Dido at the Met Bar and has opted instead to plough a righteous but lonely furrow.

-Written by: Nick Lowe

biography
"The Wave Pictures may be on the cusp of a major breakthrough, and like all overnight sensations, it has taken them a long time to get there. This Loughborogh three-piece have gigged sporadically over the last decade, yet only now, on the eve of the release of debut album Instant Coffee Baby, are they attracting the kind of attention that means this last night of a four-week London residency is a torturously cramped affair. Their appeal is not hard to understand. They play charming, witty pop songs shot through with Jonathan Richman's gawky glee and Suede's doomed provincial romanticism. If Jarvis Cocker were to sing with the Modern Lovers, he might produce a song like Leave The Scene Behind, a piquant account of being brusquely rejected by a beautiful social climber. They are a sharp imaginative band, but The Wave Pictures are all about guitarist and singer David Tattersall, a waspish naif who wears his heart on his ragged sleeve. They owe a certain debt to the Smiths, and Tattersall has Morrissey's knack of marrying the ridicukous and the sublime in an exquisite, tautly turned phrase: "I've seen you selling shoes, but you've never heard me sing," he sighs on the bathetic but undeniably gorgeous Now You Are Pregnant. Similarly, We Dress Up Like Snowmen and I Love You Like A Madman are far more poignant than their throwaway titles would imply, and this packed indie sweatbox palpably throbs with entusiasm. The Wave Pictures will soon be playing far bigger venues than this - it was a privilege to see them here" Ian Gittins, Guardian Gig Review.

"Its a common complaint these days that the music biz doesn't give young bands enough time to fully gestate and develop their sound before strip-mining their musical assets. In this case, the fact that The Wave Pictures are only now coming to prominence is testament to the band's own long-eared jerboa-like shyness. Although the Wave Pictures have only recently released their first proper single, they're not really a new band, having been playing together in various incarnations since 1998. Even then, most of these have been backing for less camera shy outfits as Herman Dune and Jeffrey Lewis. Their forthcoming Moshi Moshi LP, ostensibly their debut, is in fact their sixth (or so) album, the others having been recorded on CD-R and sold at gigs, apart from 2006's "Sophie" which was roundly ignored due to being on the little heard-of Smoking Guns label. Oopsie - our bad. Still this apparent reticence to hop into the public eye belies their extroadinary musical and lyrical confidence. Although the two bands hardly sound alike, The Wave Pictures have something in common with Scotts rockers 1990s, an unselfconsciousness which comes with having been round the block a few times without any of the residents noticing. The Wave Pictures combine sounds because they fit together rather than to serve a particular agenda. Their sound is essentially a stripped-back rock n' roll owing debts of various denominations to Chuck Berry, Dick Dale and Johnathan Richman. Their lyrics are clever and witty without being annoying and smug, and they tell generally quite charming stories with lots of emotive lyrical imagery which sounds confessional even though they're just made up. The Wave Pictures recent four-week residency won them an army(or at least guerilla cell) of swooning fans and each show saw the band switch up the set, play new material, experiment with the old and generally charm the crowd with their ramshackle aceness. It wont be long before they're playing venues singnificantly more sizeable than this. If you can't make (or afford) tonight's show, don't worry, you'll have anoher chance to check them out when they play the next predictable fantastic Time Out On The Up show on January 29th". [Eddy Lawrence - Time Out]

Combine the song-writing genius of Jonathan Richman (plus a touch of his wondrous naivety), the lo-fi humility of Herman Dune and a few guitar moments that Springsteen himself would be proud of, and you get close to the underexposed marvels on display here. Imagination, humour, melodies and chords, twangy basslines of beauty. These things will make you grin. They are a loveable band. The kind of band whose songs you put on all mixtapes, who you urge your friends to listen to. The kind of band you send panties to...
Quote - Hywel's review of The Wave Pictures in ROKU DISTRO fanzine

The Wave Pictures are David Tattersall (guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass) and Jonny ''Huddersfield'' Helm (drums). During their career The Wave Pictures have played at The Mofo Festival in Paris, at various venues in New York and across the UK. Most recently the band toured Spain and Sweden in April, playing as both the support act and backing band for Darren Hayman, formerly of Hefner.

The Wave Pictures album "Sophie", recorded late in 2005, was released on Smoking Gun Records in 2006 gaining favourable reviews. In addition the band are currently recording songs for a release on Moshi Moshi records.

Guitarist David has toured with Herman Dune, and during this time accompanied them on a John Peel session where they covered The Wave Pictures song 'Dust Off Your Heart'. David and Franic also accompanied Herman Dune on their most recent Radio 1 session broadcast in March 2007. The Wave Pictures have also served as backing band for John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, the results featuring on a 7" single released on 4AD Records. Andre Herman Dune also recorded a whole album of covers of The Wave Pictures' songs. In response The Wave Pictures released ''Catching Light'', a covers album of Andre's songs.

The Wave Pictures formed in 1998 when Franic and David lived in a village called Wymeswold. The band played with several drummers until Jonny became a permanent member in 2003. In the beginning the band learned to play together by covering Jonathan Richman songs but soon David was writing lots of original material. These songs along with a few covers comprise the albums "More St. Less TV" and "Just Watch Your Friends Don't Get You", which were recorded at home over two days, using an old tape four-track. Following unsuccessful attempts to record in a studio with an unsympathetic producer, the band continued to record at home to keep a track of David's prolific output. These recordings formed the next three albums "The Airplanes At Brescia", "The Hawaiian Open Mic Night" and the recently released "Sophie".

The interest generated by these recordings has enabled The Wave Pictures to play shows all over the world with artists including Jeffrey Lewis and the aforementioned Herman Dune, who invited them to play at The Mofo Festival. Through playing gigs, sending CDs to people across the world, and word of mouth The Wave Pictures have gained a cult status and a small but devoted international following.

press quotes
Not only did I appreciate his take-no-prisoners musical stylings but also the imaginative lyrical ideas I found mighty refreshing. This is a man who clearly harbours no ambition to be seen hobnobbing with Dido at the Met Bar and has opted instead to plough a righteous but lonely furrow. - Nick Lowe

Nothing short of splendid, resplendent and heartbreaking. The future is now! - BSR Radio

Okay, you guys. This is the deal. The Wave Pictures are despairingly good. Despairingly because they ain't signed and they don't have a huge following who send them flowers, photographs and panties. They should. - Hywel's review of The Wave Pictures in ROKU DISTRO fanzine

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The Wave Pictures - Instant Coffee Baby