Republica
{{Short description|English alternative rock band}}
{{about|the English rock band}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Republica
| image = Republicagf.JPG
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Republica at Guilfest 2012
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = Windsor, Berkshire, England
| genre = {{hlist|Alternative rock|alternative dance|synthpop|dance-punk|breakbeat|electronic|Britpop{{Cite web|url=https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/17427726.republica-announced-jack-summer/|title=Republica announced for Jack Up The Summer|website=Isle of Wight County Press|date=12 February 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/whats-on/bish-bash-republica-are-ready-to-go-for-saturday-night-9068630/|title=Bish Bash: Republica are Ready To Go for Saturday night|website=Bishop's Stortford Independent|date=30 April 2019 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.acm.ac.uk/saffron-republica/|title=ACMers get 'Ready To Go' for Live Performance with Saffron|date=3 April 2017|website=ACM}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.albawaba.com/entertainment/ready-to-go-to-barasti-republica-britpop-90s-back-to-dubai-620231|title="Ready to Go" see Republica? Britpop group will bring the 90s back to Dubai|website=Al Bawaba}}}}
| years_active = {{hlist|1994–2001|2008–present}}
| label = {{hlist|Deconstruction|Sony BMG|Armalyte Industries}}
| website = {{URL|republicamusic.co.uk}}
| current_members =
- Saffron
- Tim Dorney
- Johnny Male
| past_members =
- Pete Riley
- Andy Todd
- David Barbarossa
- Alix Tiernan
- Mick Pirie
}}
Republica are an English alternative rock band formed in 1994.{{cite book| first= Martin C.| last= Strong| year= 2000| title= The Great Rock Discography| edition= 5th| publisher= Mojo Books| location= Edinburgh| page= 812| isbn= 1-84195-017-3}} They reached the height of their popularity from 1996 to 1999. The band went on hiatus in 2001 and reunited in 2008.
The Republica sound was described by the band as "technopop punk rock". The current line-up consists of Saffron (vocals), Tim Dorney (keyboards) and Johnny Male (guitar).
History
=1994–1997: Beginnings, debut album and international success=
Former Flowered Up keyboard players Tim Dorney and Andy Todd founded Republica. They recruited singer Saffron, who was an actress at one point, performing for two years in London's Starlight Express. She also appeared in the video for the Chesney Hawkes' hit "The One and Only" and in the video for N-Joi's single "Mindflux". She was also lead vocalist on N-Joi's hit "Anthem" in 1990.
Republica released the first single "Out of This World" in 1994, followed by the single "Bloke" in March 1995. In April 1996, their single "Ready to Go" became their first to chart on the UK Singles Chart, when it reached Number 43. Their debut album Republica was released in the United States in July 1996 and reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart after being released there in 1997. The band added Johnny Male,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/whats-on/bish-bash-republica-are-ready-to-go-for-saturday-night-9068630/|title = Bish Bash: Republica are Ready to Go for Saturday night|date = 30 April 2019}} formerly of early 1990s One Little Indian{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27006/soul-family-sensation/|title=SOUL FAMILY SENSATION | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company|website=Official Charts}} act Soul Family Sensation,{{#tag:ref|also known as Sensation when their singer, The Shamen's{{Cite web|url=http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/artist/jhelisa|title=JHELISA|website=JazzMusicArchives.com}} Jhelisa Anderson,{{Cite web|url=https://intothepopvoid.com/2015/04/30/soul-family-sensation-the-day-you-went-away/|title = Soul Family Sensation – the Day You Went Away|date = 30 April 2015}} left the bandSensation – Burger Habit 1993 One Little Indian catalogue number TPLP45CD|group="nb"}} as an official member on guitar, with "Ready to Go" remixed as more a rock-sounding dance track. This version became their signature single and reached No. 13.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/32741/republica/|title=REPUBLICA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company|website=Official Charts}} The fourth single, "Drop Dead Gorgeous", reached No. 7.
The group attracted positive press coverage. Emerging after a wave of female-fronted rock bands (such as Elastica, Lush, Sleeper, Echobelly and Kenickie), they had, like Curve and Garbage, a notably more aggressive and electronic sound. In 1997, they contributed a cover of "Are 'Friends' Electric?" to the Gary Numan tribute album Random. That same year, Saffron performed vocals for the Prodigy's "Fuel My Fire" from their album The Fat of the Land.
=1998–2001: ''Speed Ballads'' and dissolution=
The band's second album, Speed Ballads, was released in 1998 and reached No. 37 in UK Albums Chart. Its lead single, "From Rush Hour With Love", peaked at No. 20 in UK Singles Chart. The band suffered when their label, Deconstruction Records, folded shortly after the release of Speed Ballads. Deconstruction's back catalogue was swallowed up by BMG and Speed Ballads was never released in the United States. In 2001, Republica went on hiatus. On their official site it was posted the message "Republica are not recording at this time".{{Cite web|url=http://www.republica.com/welcome.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011117192046/http://www.republica.com/welcome.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 November 2001|title=R E P U B L I C A|date=17 November 2001}}
=2002–2009: Hiatus=
In 2002 BMG released the compilation Ready to Go: The Best Of against the band's wishes. After the band went on hiatus, Saffron worked with the Cure, appearing on the single "Just Say Yes" from their Greatest Hits album. She also collaborated with Junkie XL for his 2003 album Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin. In September 2008, Republica reunited at Windsor at a Contra Mundum concert. They played "Ready to Go", "Drop Dead Gorgeous" and a cover of "You Got the Love".{{Cite web|url=http://www.windsorfringe.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:republica-reunion&catid=1:whats-on&Itemid=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206110241/http://www.windsorfringe.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:republica-reunion&catid=1:whats-on&Itemid=16|url-status=dead|title=Windsorfringe.co.uk|archive-date=6 December 2013}}
=2010–2020: Reunion, sporadic performances and new material=
In early 2010, Republica performed a string of gigs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/republica-1302478|title=Republica to reform for gigs and 'Ready To Go' reissue|first=Matt|last=Wilkinson|date=26 April 2010|website=NME}} They also issued a remixed version of "Ready to Go" entitled "Ready to Go 2010". In June 2010 the remix was released and reached No. 1 on the Upfront Club chart. The track has been produced by Andy Gray and Alan Moulder. In October 2010, the band performed a comeback gig at O2 Academy Islington followed by several dates in Eastern Europe and the Middle East in 2011. They performed at GuilFest in July 2012.
The band released a new EP, Christiana Obey, and also recorded a session for Brentwood radio station Phoenix FM in April 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.phoenixfm.com/2013/04/14/2013-creative-sessions-republica/|title=2013 Creative Sessions: Republica|date=14 April 2013}} A joint 20th anniversary tour with the band Space took place in the spring of 2014. In October and early November 2014, Republica toured the UK in support of the Boomtown Rats "Ratlife" tour and took the opportunity to premiere some new material. Friday 29 May 2015 saw the public debut of more new material when Republica performed at the "Under The Bridge" venue in Chelsea, London, with support from Tenek and Kenelis. A deluxe edition of Republica was released on 28 February 2020 on Cherry Red Records.
=2021–present: ''Damaged Gods''=
The band released a new single, "New York" in November 2023, from their upcoming studio album Damaged Gods scheduled to be released in the spring of 2025, their first in 27 years, on Armalyte Industries.{{Cite web|url=https://jammerzine.com/an-exclusive-interview-with-republicas-saffron-new-single-video/|title=An Exclusive Interview with Republica's Saffron + New Single & Video|date=14 November 2023}} The second single off the album, "Hallelujah", was released 28 June 2024.
In June 2024, Saffron announced that Steve Hewitt, former drummer of Placebo and Six by Seven, had joined Republica as the band's live drummer.{{Cite web |date=30 June 2024 |title=Important announcement !!! |url=https://www.facebook.com/saffron.sprackling/posts/pfbid02ZE2QucCQDqfzG3amkEW52W5e9CVYiyUPGch8K3UbVXM7jefs49tWZPUWgH9tczCrl |access-date=11 October 2024 |website=Facebook}}
Notes
{{reflist|group="nb"}}
Members
=Current members=
- Saffron – lead vocals, tambourine, guitar (1994–2001, 2008–present)
- Tim Dorney – keyboards (1994–2001, 2008–present)
- Johnny Male – guitar, bass (1995–2001, 2008–present)
=Current touring members=
- Steve Hewitt – drums (2024–present)
=Former members=
- Andy Todd – keyboards, guitar, bass (1994–1997)
- David Barbarossa – drums (1994–1997)
- Alix Tiernan – percussion (1994–1995)
- Mick Pirie – bass (1994–1995)
=Former touring members=
- Pete Riley – drums (1998–2001)
- Nigel Champion – drums (2008–2012)
- Conor Lawrence – drums (2012–2024)
- Timm Hamm – bass (2013–2015)
=Timeline=
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:100 top:10 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:03/01/1994 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1995
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1995
Colors =
id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion
id:touring value:yellow legend:Touring_member
id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album
id:EP value:gray(0.6) legend:EP
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
LineData =
layer:back color:studio
at:07/30/1996
at:10/01/1998
color:EP
at:03/14/2013
BarData =
bar:Saffron text:Saffron
bar:Male text:Johnny Male
bar:Pirie text:Mick Pirie
bar:Hamm text:Timm Hamm
bar:Dorney text:Tim Dorney
bar:Todd text:Andy Todd
bar:Barbarossa text:David Barbarossa
Bar:Riley text:Pete Riley
bar:Champion text:Nigel Champion
bar:Lawrence text:Conor Lawrence
bar:Hewitt text:Steve Hewitt
bar:Tiernan text:Alix Tiernan
PlotData =
width:11
color:lvocals
bar:Saffron from:start till:11/17/2001
bar:Saffron from:09/15/2008 till:end
color:guitar
bar:Male from:03/01/1995 till:11/17/2001
bar:Male from:09/15/2008 till:end
color:bass
bar:Pirie from:start till:03/01/1995
bar:Hamm from:01/01/2013 till:12/01/2015
color:keys
bar:Dorney from:start till:11/17/2001
bar:Dorney from:09/15/2008 till:end
bar:Todd from:start till:03/01/1997
color:drums
bar:Barbarossa from:start till:03/01/1997
bar:Riley from:01/01/1998 till:11/17/2001
bar:Champion from:09/15/2008 till:03/01/2012
bar:Lawrence from:03/01/2012 till:06/30/2024
bar:Hewitt from:06/30/2024 till:end
color:perc
bar:Tiernan from:start till:03/01/1995
width:3
bar:Todd from:start till:03/01/1997 color:guitar
bar:Male from:03/01/1995 till:11/17/2001 color:bass
bar:Male from:09/15/2008 till:end color:bass
bar:Riley from:01/01/1998 till:11/17/2001 color:touring
bar:Hamm from:01/01/2013 till:12/01/2015 color:touring
bar:Champion from:09/15/2008 till:03/01/2012 color:touring
bar:Lawrence from:03/01/2012 till:06/30/2024 color:touring
bar:Hewitt from:06/30/2024 till:end color:touring
width:7
bar:Todd from:start till:03/01/1997 color:bass
}}
Side projects and collaborations
- Saffron performed vocals for the Prodigy's "Fuel My Fire" from their 1997 album The Fat of the Land.
- Saffron wrote and performed vocals for Deepsky's "Smile" from their 2002 album In Silico.
- Saffron recorded the songs "Crusher", "Spirits" and "Beauty Never Fades" on Junkie XL's 2003 album Radio JXL: A Broadcast from the Computer Hell Cabin.
- In 2001 Saffron worked with the Cure on the single "Just Say Yes" for their Greatest Hits. She also featured in "Just Say Yes" video.
- Dorney briefly reunited with fellow former Flowered Up band member Liam Maher, but they split up in late 2002. Flowered Up tried to re-form in 2007 but Dorney refused, causing the cancellation of a planned reunion tour. He worked as a painter and decorator and on Contra Mundum with Male releases in 2008 on the White Label.
- Male co-wrote tracks for Lipslide, the 1997 solo album by Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne. He has also featured in cult band Go Kart Mozart.
- Todd continued as a songwriter and co-wrote "Reach" by S Club 7, and has also worked with Kylie Minogue. He now operates between his recording studios in London and the Caribbean.
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Compilation albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Title
!Release date !Label |
|---|
| scope="row"| Ready to Go: The Best Of
| align=center|May 2002 | Camden |
=Live albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Title
!Release date !Label |
|---|
| scope="row"| Live at the Astoria
| align=center|March 2013 | Independent |
=Extended plays=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Title
!Release date !Label |
|---|
| scope="row"| Christiana Obey
| align=center|March 2013 | Independent |
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Year ! colspan="10" | Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications ! rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| style="font-size:small;"
!style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|UK
!style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|AUS
!style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|GER !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|IRE !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|NED !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|NZ !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|SCO
!style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|SWE !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|SWI !style="width:3em;font-size:90%"|US |
| scope="row"| "Out of This World"{{efn|Was later re-mixed and re-named Out of the Darkness for the band's self-titled album}}
| 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | {{n/a|align=left|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Bloke"
| 1995 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |rowspan=4 style="text-align:left;"|Republica |
| scope="row"| "Ready to Go" (original mix)
| 1996 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | 59 | — | — | — | |
| scope="row"| "Ready to Go" (remix)
| rowspan="2"| 1997 | 13 | 40 | 33 | 26 | 25 | 42 | 12 | 40 | 34 | 56 | |
| scope="row"| "Drop Dead Gorgeous"
| 7 | 131 | 90 | — | — | 30 | 8 | — | — | 93 | |
| scope="row"| "From Rush Hour with Love"
| 1998 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | | style="text-align:left;"|Speed Ballads |
| scope="row"| "Ready to Go" (remix with Tomcraft)
| 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | style="text-align:left;"|For the Queen (Tomcraft album) |
| scope="row"| "Ready to Go 2010"
| 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | {{n/a|align=left|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "New York"
| 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"|Damaged Gods |
| scope="row"| "Hallelujah"
| 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
{{notelist}}
==Promotional singles==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| style="width:8em;"| Title
! Year ! Album |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Holly"
| 1995 | style="text-align:left;"|Republica |
| scope="row"| "Try Everything"
| 1998 | style="text-align:left;"|Speed Ballads |
{{notelist}}
=Music videos=
- "Bloke", 1995
- "Ready to Go" (original mix), 1996
- "Ready to Go" (Ben Grosse mix), 1997
- "Drop Dead Gorgeous", 1997
- "From Rush Hour with Love" (version 1), 1998
- "From Rush Hour with Love" (version 2), 1998
- "Try Everything", 1998
- "Christiana Obey", 2013
- "New York", 2023
- "Hallelujah", 2024
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons|Republica (band)}}
- {{Official website|http://www.republicamusic.co.uk/}}
- [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/republica-p160340 Allmusic entry for Republica]
- [http://www.redpenguin.net/16-03-2013-republica-tenek-tunbridge-wells-forum.php Photos from 2013 tour]
{{Republica}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Alternative dance musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1994
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2001
Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2008
Category:Alternative rock groups from Berkshire
Category:English alternative rock groups
Category:English synth-pop groups
Category:English dance-punk musical groups
Category:Female-fronted musical groups