Sneaker Pimps

Although trip-hop remains the genre most frequently tied to Sneaker Pimps, the path toward wider recognition may have been smoothed by fellow British acts such as Massive Attack, Tricky, and Portishead; nevertheless, the group carved out its own identity by weaving pop, glam, and dark post-punk textures into its music. Core members producers Liam Howe and Chris Corner, working alongside debut vocalist Kelli Ali, secured repeated U.K. Top 40 placements, most notably the number nine hit “6 Underground,” the standout track from their gold-certified first album Becoming X (1996). After issuing two subsequent Sneaker Pimps LPs fronted by Corner—Splinter (1999) and Bloodsport (2002)—Howe and Corner pursued an array of other studio projects across the following two decades, only to reactivate the band with vocalist Simonne Jones for the fourth Sneaker Pimps album Squaring the Circle (2021).

Howe and Corner first collaborated under the production aliases Line of Flight and F.R.I.S.K. In 1994 they established Sneaker Pimps, adopting the name from a Beastie Boys phrase for someone hired to secure high-end sneakers. Operating from Hartlepool, the duo recruited vocalist and songwriter Kelli Ali (then billed as Kelli Dayton), aided by fellow songwriter Ian Pickering, drummer David Westlake, and bassist Joe Wilson. Early 1996 brought the group’s debut single “Tesko Suicide,” followed months later by “Roll On.” That August they released Becoming X, whose profile was elevated by the next pair of singles. The deceptively mellow “6 Underground,” built around a John Barry sample and later energized by a Nellee Hooper remix, reached number nine on the U.K. chart after its re-release. “Spin Spin Sugar” advanced to number 22. Backed by Virgin, Becoming X climbed to number 27 on the U.K. album chart and eventually earned gold certification; in the United States it positioned just outside the top half of the Billboard 200 while topping the Heatseekers chart for emerging artists.

Becoming Remixed, a limited-edition collection featuring reworkings by Paul Oakenfold, Armand Van Helden, and Roni Size, appeared in 1998. Despite commercial gains and support from prominent club producers, Howe and Corner chose a different course for the proper follow-up. After deciding that new songs written with Pickering suited Corner’s voice more effectively, they parted ways with Kelli Ali. Consequently, the independently released second album Splinter (October 1999) adopted a darker emotional tone that aligned the group more closely with Garbage, Placebo, and Death in Vegas. Lead single “Low Five” reached number 39 in the U.K. and propelled the album to number 80. January 2002 saw the arrival of Bloodsport, issued on Tommy Boy, a dramatic collection that sampled Bill Withers, Iggy Pop, Ultravox!, and Visage; the set peaked at number 16 on Billboard’s Top Electronic Albums chart. By then Ali, who had appeared on tracks by Marc Almond and Satoshi Tomiie, among others, had also issued her debut solo album in 2002.

Following several abandoned projects, Howe and Corner stepped away from Sneaker Pimps yet remained active as writers, producers, and studio collaborators. They contributed, individually or jointly, to recordings by the Zip and Ultrafox—both of which also involved Joe Wilson—as well as Corner’s solo project IAMX. Howe proved especially prolific, assisting with writing or recording sessions for Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Adele, Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds, and Foxes, while Corner continued as a frequent IAMX participant. In the mid-2010s Howe and Corner relaunched Sneaker Pimps; vocalist, writer, and producer Simonne Jones joined the lineup, and the trio completed Squaring the Circle, slated for release in 2021.