Llama Farmers

In 1997 guitarist William Briggs and drummer Brooke Rogers launched the Llama Farmers, a grunge-pop quartet from Greenwich, England. After dismissing their first frontman and bassist, the schoolmates brought in vocalist Bernie Simpson and his sister Jenni on bass; all four members were still teenagers when the band supported the Foo Fighters and cut its debut Radio 1 session for Steve Lamacq one week later. The group’s first single, “Paper Eyes,” surfaced in spring 1998 and was followed that summer by “Always Echoes.” Beggars Banquet released the debut album Dead Letter Chorus in 1999, with El Toppo arriving two years afterward.