Biography
In 1995 Elastica’s short, jagged punk rock with its infectious melodies crossed the Atlantic and found large audiences on both continents. Drawing from the look and sound of new-wave and punk acts such as Adam & the Ants, Wire, the Buzzcocks, and Blondie, the band nevertheless favored stronger pop hooks, evident on the breakthrough single “Connection” from the self-titled debut album. When the follow-up The Menace made little commercial impact, the musicians parted company in 2001.
Guitarist and vocalist Justine Frischmann launched her professional career in the early ’90s by co-founding Suede with Brett Anderson. She supplied the band’s name, played original guitar parts, and remained after Bernard Butler joined as lead guitarist, yet she departed once her relationship with Anderson concluded. Frischmann assembled Elastica in 1991 and, after placing advertisements, brought guitarist Donna Matthews, drummer Justin Welch, and bassist Annie Holland into the group; the lineup stabilized in 1993. The band’s debut single, the roaring three-chord, two-minute punk rocker “Stutter,” appeared at the close of 1993 in a limited pressing that sold out rapidly amid strong radio support and enthusiastic notices. “Line Up” arrived several months later and also moved briskly, although some reviewers charged that its melody borrowed from Wire’s “I Am the Fly.” Throughout most of 1994 the musicians performed only sporadically while recording, yet Frischmann’s relationship with Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur, kept the group prominent in the British press. Issued in the autumn, “Connection” became their biggest hit to date but again drew accusations of appropriation, this time for lifting the keyboard riff from Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba.” Just before the March 1995 release of their first album, Wire’s publishers and those of the Stranglers took legal action, alleging that the new single “Waking Up” copied the riff from “No More Heroes”; both suits were resolved out of court ahead of the album’s arrival.
Entering the British charts at number one, Elastica became the fastest-selling debut album in U.K. history, surpassing the mark Oasis’ Definitely Maybe had set only seven months earlier. The record earned both strong sales and widespread critical acclaim. Like Oasis, the band scored an American hit with “Connection,” which dominated modern-rock radio and reached the Top 100 on the singles chart. Further U.S. exposure came when the group replaced Sinead O’Connor on the 1995 Lollapalooza tour, though Holland’s departure soon afterward dealt the lineup a setback. Work on a second album stretched across several years, prompting repeated media speculation about the band’s future; Matthews left in the spring of 1999, while Holland rejoined alongside new guitarist Paul Jones and keyboardists Dave Bush and Mew. A six-track EP finally surfaced late that summer. The long-delayed sophomore album The Menace appeared six years after the debut. Following another year of inactivity, the musicians issued a farewell single in England and confirmed that the breakup long rumored had become permanent.
Guitarist and vocalist Justine Frischmann launched her professional career in the early ’90s by co-founding Suede with Brett Anderson. She supplied the band’s name, played original guitar parts, and remained after Bernard Butler joined as lead guitarist, yet she departed once her relationship with Anderson concluded. Frischmann assembled Elastica in 1991 and, after placing advertisements, brought guitarist Donna Matthews, drummer Justin Welch, and bassist Annie Holland into the group; the lineup stabilized in 1993. The band’s debut single, the roaring three-chord, two-minute punk rocker “Stutter,” appeared at the close of 1993 in a limited pressing that sold out rapidly amid strong radio support and enthusiastic notices. “Line Up” arrived several months later and also moved briskly, although some reviewers charged that its melody borrowed from Wire’s “I Am the Fly.” Throughout most of 1994 the musicians performed only sporadically while recording, yet Frischmann’s relationship with Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur, kept the group prominent in the British press. Issued in the autumn, “Connection” became their biggest hit to date but again drew accusations of appropriation, this time for lifting the keyboard riff from Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba.” Just before the March 1995 release of their first album, Wire’s publishers and those of the Stranglers took legal action, alleging that the new single “Waking Up” copied the riff from “No More Heroes”; both suits were resolved out of court ahead of the album’s arrival.
Entering the British charts at number one, Elastica became the fastest-selling debut album in U.K. history, surpassing the mark Oasis’ Definitely Maybe had set only seven months earlier. The record earned both strong sales and widespread critical acclaim. Like Oasis, the band scored an American hit with “Connection,” which dominated modern-rock radio and reached the Top 100 on the singles chart. Further U.S. exposure came when the group replaced Sinead O’Connor on the 1995 Lollapalooza tour, though Holland’s departure soon afterward dealt the lineup a setback. Work on a second album stretched across several years, prompting repeated media speculation about the band’s future; Matthews left in the spring of 1999, while Holland rejoined alongside new guitarist Paul Jones and keyboardists Dave Bush and Mew. A six-track EP finally surfaced late that summer. The long-delayed sophomore album The Menace appeared six years after the debut. Following another year of inactivity, the musicians issued a farewell single in England and confirmed that the breakup long rumored had become permanent.
Albums
Singles
