Biography
In 2002 the group that would later become the Neins Circa first assembled under the name The Neins and rapidly built an audience through shows at small clubs in and around Vancouver, Canada. Their debut EP, The Neins, appeared the following year and sold out almost immediately, chiefly through sales at the band’s high-energy concerts. Over time the constantly shifting roster settled around guitarist and singer Cameron Dilworth. That development drew the notice of New Pornographers frontman Carl Newman, who invited the Neins to support his 2004 solo tour across North America. Reduced to a four-piece unit, the band played 25 dates in Canada and the United States, creating substantial interest through their upbeat performances and unconventional songwriting. After returning home they had to abandon the original name because another act already held rights to The Neins, and mounting internal friction caused most members to depart. Dilworth nevertheless continued writing and formed a fresh lineup that recorded the album Sunday Anthems for release on Carl Newman’s Blue Curtain label. Canadian broadcaster CBC subsequently invited them to tape a Radio 3 Studio Session modeled on the BBC’s historic John Peel sessions. Energized by the exposure, the band cut a second album, Please Feel Free to Enter the Tipi, which was issued independently in Canada and quickly gained airplay on CBC Radio 3, bringing the Neins Circa and their stylized alternative pop sound to a nationwide audience. Vancouver-based Copperspine Records soon signed the group and reissued the album under the new title Sleeves and Wigs in May 2007. The lineup at that stage consisted of Cameron Dilworth on vocals and guitar, Sean Gilhooly on drums and vocals, Erin Jane on keyboards and vocals, and Elaine Fung on bass and vocals. A series of local Vancouver shows helped solidify their following before Dilworth announced plans to relocate the Neins Circa to the U.K. for a year beginning in the fall of 2007.
Albums