Chris Helme

Chris Helme

Chris Helme is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in 1971. He is best known as the former frontman of The Seahorses, the post-Stone Roses band led by John Squire, and he also performs with The Yards, Morriss and Clark & Helme. He releases music on Little Num Num Music.

Career

Helme first comes to wider attention with The Seahorses, whose songs Love Is The Law and Blinded By The Sun become closely associated with Britpop. His later work includes acclaimed material with The Yards, and he continues as a solo artist alongside his band projects.

Solo work

In 2012, Helme releases a solo album recorded over nine days at The Rookery, a rural location in the Yorkshire Dales. The album is produced with Sam Forrest of Nine Black Alps. It features a blend of folk-based melodies, layered guitars, strings, Mellotron, feedback and orchestral vocals, with songs such as Darkest Days, Long Way Round, Pleased, Summer Girl and Daddy’s Farm. His voice remains a central part of his work, and his arranging is noted as an important element in the recordings.

Style and associations

Helme is associated with indie, acoustic and Britpop music. His writing and singing are linked to melodic, reflective songs with both light and dark tones, and his work is compared with folk and classic rock influences. His solo material is also described as drawing on traditional folk structures while using fuller studio arrangements.