Supergrass

Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up has consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals), and Danny Goffey (drums, backing vocals). It was originally a three-piece, before Rob Coombes officially joined in 2002.

The band signed to Parlophone Records in 1994 and produced I Should Coco (1995), the label's best-selling debut album since the Beatles' Please Please Me. Their first album's fourth single, "Alright", was an international hit. The band went on to release five more albums: In It for the Money (1997), Supergrass (1999), Life on Other Planets (2002), Road to Rouen (2005) and Diamond Hoo Ha (2008), as well as a compilation called Supergrass Is 10 (2004). In August 2009, the band signed to Cooking Vinyl and began work on their seventh studio album, Release the Drones. The album remains unreleased and unfinished.

In April 2010, the band announced they were splitting up due to musical and creative differences. The group disbanded after four farewell shows, the final one at La Cigale, Paris, on 11 June 2010. The band reformed in 2019, initially to perform at Pilton Party followed by a "secret" show at Oslo in Hackney, London. The band made their final appearance of their first reunion with a performance in honour of Foo Fighters' recently deceased drummer Taylor Hawkins at his tribute concert in 2022, performing some of Hawkins' favourite songs from Supergrass's catalogue. Hawkins had previously expressed his love of the band, and had even made a cameo drum appearance at one of their concerts. The band announced a 2025 UK tour at the end of 2024 playing I Should Coco (for its 30th anniversary) in its entirety plus hits.

History

The Jennifers and formation (1990–1993)

At the age of 16 and 18 respectively and whilst attending Wheatley Park School just outside Oxford, Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey were playing in the Jennifers along with Nick Goffey and Andy Davies. Danny and Nick Goffey are the sons of former BBC Top Gear presenter and motoring journalist Chris Goffey.

The Jennifers began building a reputation in the Oxford indie music scene, influenced by Ride, the Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, the Kinks, the Who, and including traits of the shoegaze era. The band played gigs at various venues around Oxfordshire, often public houses and clubs, including the Jericho Tavern in Oxford.

They sold a demo tape recorded and produced by Nick Langston at Stargoat Studios near Banbury. The demo featured three songs: "Flying", which featured a 20-second countdown at the beginning, the recording of a rocket launch and then a fast guitar-based section which appeared to be influenced by the Stone Roses; "Inside of Me", mostly similar in style but with a slower, funk-inflected jam at the end; and a guitar-based ballad simply titled "(Slow Song)" on the tape. The band enjoyed enough success to release one single in 1992, "Just Got Back Today", on Nude Records, which is now a highly sought-after rarity. Second single, "Tightrope" was never released due to disagreements with Nude Records (but does appear on the compilation CD Days Spent Dreaming), the band split up soon after this in the fall of 1992. Andy Davies went off to university and Nic Goffey went on to form a directing partnership with friend Dom Hawley, later directing many videos for Supergrass.

When Coombes began working at the local Harvester, he befriended co-worker Mick Quinn. The two realised they had common music interests and Coombes invited Quinn to come and jam with him and Goffey. In February 1993 they formed a band named Theodore Supergrass "for about two months," according to Quinn, who explained, "[T]hen we realized that Theodore was a bit rubbish so we took that off."

Goffey claims that the name was his idea and says, "Although the others will dispute it, it was me. We were Theodore Supergrass and the idea was the band would be a little black character, and we wouldn't ever have to do interviews. We'd get the questions in advance, script the answers and then animate Theodore Supergrass answering them. But it cost too much money."

Gaz's brother, Rob Coombes, played flute for the band's début gig at the Co-Op Hall, Oxford in 1993. In January 1995 he first performed as keyboardist with the band for a live Radio 1 John Peel session. His role in the band progressed over the years, post–I Should Coco material is credited to "Supergrass and Rob Coombes", however, he was not introduced as a band member until almost a decade later.