Gene | Artist

Gene was a British rock band formed 1993 in London by Martin Rossiter (vocals, keyboards), Steve Mason (guitar), Kevin Miles (bass) and Matt James (drums). Rising to prominence in the mid-1990s, they were popularly labelled as a Britpop band and often drew comparisons to the Smiths because of their Morrissey-esque lead singer, Martin Rossiter. The band got their breakthrough when two NME journalists Keith Cameron and Roy Wilkinson were so impressed by the band they formed an independent record label Costermonger, solely for the purpose of promoting Gene to a wider audience. Their double A-sided debut single "For The Dead" & "Child's Body" was released on Costermonger in May 1994. The limited edition of 1,994 copies sold out in two days and received a great deal of attention from the music press, in particular from NME. Their next break came when they supported Pulp at their London gigs, then followed three more singles: "Be My Light Be My Guide", "This Is Not My Crime" and "I Can't Help Myself" which won them a national audience. The band released four studio albums and one excellent live album before splitting in 2004. Standout releases include Olympian, Drawn to the Deep End, Libertine and the live album Rising For Sunset. Since the band split, Rossiter has released two solo albums.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Gene_(band)

Featured Albums: Gene

Related Artists: Martin Rossiter