Seafood

British indie rock quartet Seafood initially drew notice from the music press through limited-edition singles issued on the independent Fierce Panda and Kooky labels. The group formed in 1996 once bassist Kevin Hendrick and drummer Caroline Banks answered a classified newspaper advertisement placed by vocalist/guitarist David Line and guitarist Charles McLeod. Fierce Panda offered a short-term contract after the quartet’s fourth gig in 1997. Two U.K. tours followed the release of the singles “Scorch Comfort,” “Psychic Rainy Nights,” and “Porchlight,” after which the Messenger in the Camp compilation appeared in late 1998.

A permanent Fierce Panda deal arrived in 1999 and yielded the full-length debut Surviving the Quiet. Tours supporting Llama Farmers and Idlewild preceded the band’s American debut at the CMJ Festival in New York. The follow-up singles “This Is Not an Exit,” “Belt,” and “Led By Bison” reached the U.K. Top 100 as Seafood steadily expanded its audience.

In 2001 the quartet recorded its second album in New York with Girls Against Boys’ Eli Janney producing. When Do We Start Fighting... earned strong reviews from the U.K. music press. Further intensive touring included support dates with Placebo and My Vitriol. America first heard the album via its April 2002 Nettwerk release. A later tour with Dashboard Confessional and European shows alongside Ash and Jimmy Eat World coincided the band’s stance inside the press.