Starlings

Starlings is the name used by at least two acts, including a London alternative rock band formed in 1989 and a Sheffield electronic pop and Balearic beat quartet formed in 2009. The name is also associated with a UK electro act.

London alternative rock band

The London group forms around Chris Sheehan, who also uses the name Chris Starling. Sheehan is a New Zealand-born musician who first appears as a teen star in New Zealand before moving to Britain. He fronts Starlings in London and later works under his solo name.

The band forms in 1989 and releases five EPs, followed by the albums Valid in 1992 and Too Many Dogs in 1994. Their recordings appear on Warner Brothers. The group is described as a vehicle for Sheehan’s songwriting and performance.

The Starlings’ sound is associated with dark, cynical and misanthropic material, and the albums are noted for their bleak subject matter, including heroin, self-loathing, murder and suicide. The band is also linked with a post-grunge style in some descriptions and is compared at times with The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Chris Sheehan / Chris Starling

Sheehan later records solo material as Chris Starling. His 2000 album Planet Painkiller is self-written, self-recorded and self-produced, and it appears on his own label. The record mixes acoustic songs with modern beats, sampling, programming and other electronics, while retaining a dark lyrical focus. It includes songs such as “Bobby Slaughter Saw The Light”, “Saved Up”, “Rawhide Baby”, “Mouths & Brains”, “Charles Mantra Overboard”, “Bonehead”, “The Word”, “Tender” and “Clouds”.

Reviews describe the album as a solo debut made after he retreats to Devon, where he lives and works from a secluded base. Later descriptions place him in North Devon and, by 2003, in Spain. He is also described as releasing his own music through his own label and website.

His second solo album, Sounds Like Chris Starling, follows in 2002/2003 and is also recorded and produced by him. It is quieter and more introspective, using acoustic guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocal layering and drum-machine patterns. Tracks mentioned include “Wendy May”, “Lost And Found”, “Took A Trip”, “Bar In A Boat” and “Still She Can’t”.

Across this work, Sheehan is repeatedly associated with comparisons to Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Lou Reed, Shawn Mullins and Jason Pierce, though the title Sounds Like Chris Starling reflects his dislike of being reduced to those comparisons.

Other work

Before and alongside Starlings, Chris Sheehan plays guitar with a number of other acts, including Curve, Sisters of Mercy, Bob Dylan, Babylon Zoo, Gabriel and The Mutton Birds. He is also linked to Belinda Carlisle and Dave Stewart’s Anxious label in later accounts. Some descriptions refer to him as a former member of Dance Exponents, also called The Exponents.

Production on Starlings-related work is associated with Alan Moulder, who is named in connection with the band’s recordings. Sheehan’s later solo music is described as drawing on rock, country, folk, electronics and neo-psychedelia, with an atmosphere that ranges from bleak and ominous to restrained and reflective.

Sheffield electronic pop quartet

A separate Starlings act forms in Sheffield in 2009 as an electronic pop and Balearic beat quartet. It is produced by Richard Norris, known for work with The Grid, Time & Space Machine and Beyond The Wizards Sleeve.