Saloon

Multi-instrumentalists Adam Cresswell and Michael Smoughton assembled the Reading quintet Saloon toward the close of 1997, completing the roster early the next year. The duo recruited Alison Cotton along with lead singer Amanda Gomez and guitar player Matt Ashton via classified notices, enabling the ensemble to begin performing live inside four weeks. Blending inspirations from both electronic and guitar-driven artists, Saloon crafted a futuristic pop aesthetic that featured Cotton’s viola work, Cresswell’s fascination with Moog synthesizers, Ashton’s feedback-tinged guitar approach, plus samples and rarer tools including stylophone and glockenspiel. A home-recorded four-track demo of four songs earned praise in fanzines, prompting the independent release of “Lisa Millennium/Conquistador” on the band’s own Belmondo label by year’s end. The 1999 split 7" “Futurismo” with Lazer Guided drew the notice of DJ John Peel, who began supporting Saloon and its ensuing singles. As the group toured the live circuit, the quintet emerged as favorites within the U.K. independent scene, leading Saloon to start tracking its debut album in 2001; (This Is) What We Call Progress appeared in April 2002.