British Sea Power

British Sea Power

British Sea Power are a Brighton-based UK alternative rock band formed in 2000 and still active under the name Sea Power since 2021. The group’s line-up includes Yan, Martin Noble, Hamilton, Matthew Wood, Phil Sumner, Abi Fry and Eamon Hamilton. Three of the members come originally from Kendal in Cumbria: Yan, Hamilton and Wood. The band’s music combines indie rock with art rock, experimental rock and post-punk, and it is described as moving between sweeping guitar-led songs and more angular, esoteric textures.

Formation and early development

Yan, Hamilton and Wood are school friends from Kendal and played in several bands together while at school. After Yan went to Reading University, he met Noble there. Hamilton and Wood later moved down to join them, and the group formed after a period of playing gigs and recording a four-track demo under the name British Air Powers. The name British Sea Power comes from one of those demo tracks and is later reused, in altered form, for the song Carrion.

Recordings and releases

The band releases material on Rough Trade Records and also issues early work on its own Golden Chariot label. Their debut single, Fear of Drowning, appears in limited numbers on Golden Chariot. Their debut album, The Decline of British Sea Power, releases in 2003. Carrion, one of its singles, becomes the band’s first Top 40 hit. The album sells through word of mouth and helps the group build a following large enough for UK tours in venues of more than 1,000 capacity.

Open Season follows in 2005 and reaches number 13 on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single, It Ended on an Oily Stage, reaches number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The band’s third album, Do You Like Rock Music?, appears in 2008. Their fourth album, Man of Aran, follows in 2009 and includes reworkings of earlier material; it is issued with a DVD containing Robert J. Flaherty’s silent film Man of Aran, with the album music dubbed in. In 2010 the band releases the seven-track Zeus EP and announces Valhalla Dancehall for 2011. The group also records the Pixies song Caribou for the tribute album Dig For Fire - A Tribute To Pixies. The Krankenhaus EP is released in 2007.

Live reputation and presentation

British Sea Power develop a reputation for elaborate live performances. Their stage setups often include foliage and plastic birds, and shows frequently end with a semi-improvised piece called Rock in A, which can run for more than 20 minutes. During performances, members sometimes climb rigging and tear down the stage decoration. Eamon Hamilton walks through the audience playing a marching drum, and a ten-foot bear called Ursine Ultra sometimes appears and is often struck by members of the band. Their live history also includes unusual venues such as the Scillonian Club on the Isles of Scilly, Grasmere Village Hall, the St. John Boste Social Club in Kendal and Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall.

The band also develops a distinctive off-stage image through interviews and press releases, including giving journalists grid references for meetings and referring to interests in Field Marshal Montgomery and bird watching. Their fans are sometimes called the Third Battalion. In 2004, the group wins Time Out London Live Band of the Year.

Broadcasts, touring and name change

The band appears on Later with Jools Holland in 2008, performing Waving Flags, Canvey Island and No Lucifer with the London Bulgarian Choir and Cumbrian wrestling. At different points they are associated with festivals including Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Latitude, T in the Park and Bestival. In 2021 the group changes its name to Sea Power while explaining that it wants to avoid confusion with nationalist ideas and to reflect its internationalist outlook.