Daisy

Daisy is a Finnish rock band from Finland, active since 1999. The line-up includes Thomas Lilley.

Formation and early activity

The band takes shape in its present form in 1999, when Matti Ikonen joins on keyboards. Thomas handles vocals and guitar, but leaves for England to study soon afterwards, which slows the group down for a period of about three years. During that time the band develops new material in holiday sessions and records a set of songs in its studio.

Style and recordings

The group’s early music draws on a wide mix of influences, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bowie, Bolan, Stevie Wonder and 1970s prog rock. One of its songs, Five Days, is played on Radio Mafia, which helps lead to a recording contract with Warner in 2002.

Daisy records its debut album, A Girl’s Best Friend, in its own studio, Hutt Sound System, with the band handling recording and mixing itself. The album appears in 2003, after a slow recording process.

Shows and later events

After the debut album, Daisy plays live around Finland and opens for The Crash on the Melodrama tour. The band also appears on the television programmes Bettina S. and Sessions. It continues working on new songs in 2004, though some material is lost when the recording computer fails.

Later in 2004, the band is dropped by Warner after presenting ideas for a new album. Soon afterwards, its rehearsal space in Piispanristi is destroyed by fire, along with most of its equipment and studio. After insurance issues, the group gets replacement gear and rehearses in a room in an old meat-packing factory, using a practice space provided by The Crash for a time.

By the end of that period, Daisy is still working on a follow-up record, having abandoned the songs lost in the fire and begun writing and recording new material.