Biography
Oxford's The Bigger The God struggled to gain traction in the UK despite receiving some positive early coverage. The four-piece lineup—David Cowles-Hamar on vocals, Ellis James on guitar, Andy Smith on bass and Steve Brownsill on drums—kept going even as they found themselves pushed further toward the edges of the music business. That distance from major-label oversight ultimately granted them greater artistic latitude. Following the low-key but solid debut album Variety in 1996, along with its accompanying singles “Mum Steals Boyfriend” and “Miss Pritchard,” the band shifted away from their initial edgy, satirical pop sound and delivered the more fully developed yet awkwardly titled …and the Ugly in 1999. At this point they stand little chance of converting the British music press, especially after dropping most of their original pop ingredients. Even so, TBTG produced one of the strongest Oxford albums of the 1990s. Set against the decade’s local competition—Ride’s Nowhere, Supergrass’s In It for the Money, and Radiohead’s The Bends and OK Computer—the achievement carries considerable weight.
Albums
