Originally formed by brothers Chris and Geoff Martyn along with friend and drummer Simon Jarvis in 1990, guitairst Andy Dunlop appeared shortly afterwards as did female vocalist Catherine Maxwell. Maxwell was ultimately replaced by untrained vocalist/art student Francis Healy and Neil Primrose took over the drumming reigns from Jarvis. With a completed lineup Fran Healy dropped out of art school to focus on songwriting, and Travis made their debut recording with the 1993 EP “The Glass Onion”, which was limited to 500 copies. A subsequent EP “All I Wanna Do Is Rock” was released following a move to London, capturing a heartfelt lyricism and distinctive tone of British rock. The group then signed to Sony Music Publishing who ultimately insisted on the removal of the keyboard player Geoff Martyn and his bassist brother Geoff, who was replaced by Healy’s friend Dougie Payne. Following nine months of hard graft, Travis issued their debut album “Good Feeling” in 1997, marked by its edgier, rockier, and more relevant sound. Featuring the singles “All I Want to Do Is Rock”, “U16 Girls”, “Tied to the 90s”, and “Happy”, the critically-acclaimed release peaked at No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart.
Travis’ sophomore album “The Man Who”, was produced by Nigel Godrich, and was marked by a slower, more melancholy tone than its predecessor. Debuting at No. 7, the album steadily slipped down the chart until the release of the seductive radio single “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?”, which markedly increased the band’s exposure. Following an apt performance of the song at the 1999 Glastonbury where the rain started to pour after the first line was sung, Traivs won the
2000 BRIT Award for Best Album and a pair of Ivor Norvello Awards. The band’s third album “The Invisible Band” was issued in 2001, named after the belief that Travis’ music was of greater importance than the band itself. Led by the summer hit single “Sing”, the album was once again produced by Nigel Godrich, and did wonders for the band’s popularity in the U.S.
Following drummer Neil Primrose diving head-first into the shallow end of a swimming pool and breaking his neck, the longevity of Travis was thrown into question. Primrose however made a full recovery and over a two-week period the band recorded the majority of their fourth album “12 Memories”. Released in October 2003, the record adopts much darker themes and lyrical content than previous albums and peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart. Reaching No. 41 on the Billboard 200, the album spawned the singles “Re-Offender”, “The Beautiful Occupation”, and “Love Will Come Through”. The compilation album “Singles” followed in November 2004 after which the group headlined the 2005 Isle of Wight Festival and Scotland’s T in the Park.
Travis’ fifth studio album “The Boy with No Name” arrived in 2007 earning disappointing reviews from the musical press. The full-length “Ode to J. Smith” followed in 2008 released on their own label Red Telephone Box, and led by the single “Something Anything”. The record earned a string of positive responses, and was succeeded by “Where You Stand” in 2013.
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Charli XCX
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