Biography
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Years Active
1994 – 1998 (3 years)
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Founded In
Camden Town, Camden, London, England, United Kingdom
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Members
- Chris Gentry (1994 – 1998)
- Johnny Dean (1994 – 1998)
- Matthew Everitt (1994 – 1995)
- Simon White (1994 – 1998)
- Stuart Black (1994 – 1998)
Menswe@r were a short-lived Britpop band in the mid 1990s from Camden in London. They signed their record deal after their fifth gig, appearing on the cover of Melody Maker (in an article about Camden club night Blow Up) before they had recorded a note. They were featured in a Select article about the mod revival when the project was still purely in the imaginations of Chris Gentry and Johnny Dean. Their dress sense was Mod (tight fitting suits etc) whilst their music was influenced by both Blur's second album Modern Life Is Rubbish and Elastica.
They generated so much publicity that they appeared on Top of the Pops a week before their first single had even been released. This made them the first band to appear on the show without releasing a record. Their first single I'll Manage Somehow was a minor hit, and their second single Daydreamer peaked at number 14 in the UK charts.On the one hand, the band was criticised by the British music press for allegedly having success based on good-looks and charm rather than musical talent. On the other, this helped Menwear appeal to readers of both the NME and Smash Hits.
The band released their debut album Nuisance in 1995. Menswear played at the Glastonbury Festival the same year and released another single "Stardust" at the end of 1995. It reached the top twenty, as did follow-up single "Sleeping In". A fifth single, "Being Brave" gave them their first and only top ten hit.
As the popularity of Britpop faded, so did that of Menswear. In 1997 they parted company with London Records after delivering their country-rock tinged second album Hay Tiempo!. The record was released in Japan in 1998 but did not get a release anywhere else in the world. They played their last live show at London's Camden Palace the same year.
Guitarist, Simon White, went on to manage the bands Bloc Party, The Pigeon Detectives, Fields, and Les Savy Fav. Guitarist Chris Gentry is the lead guitarist of Vatican DC. He also manages new acts Noah and the Whale, who are signed to Mercury Records, and Tommy Sparks a solo artist recently signed to Island Records. Drummer Matt Everett went on to work on the news team at Radio station 6Music. The details of Stuart Black's (bass) post Menswe@r career are currently unknown.
From 2013 onwards, singer Johnny Dean has reformed the band with a new line-up, releasing a re-working of B-Side 'Crash' as a single on June 2nd 2014.
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