Supergrass

Supergrass are an alternative rock band from Oxford, United Kingdom. The group forms in 1994 and is active until 2010, with later reunion shows in 2019. Its line-up includes Gaz Coombes on guitar and lead vocals, Rob Coombes on keyboards, Mick Quinn on bass and backing vocals, and Danny Goffey on drums and backing vocals.

Career

The band first releases Caught By The Fuzz in 1994 on the small Oxford label Backbeat, with Strange Ones on the B-side. The single performs well, leading to a Parlophone signing and a later reissue. In 1995 the band releases Mansize Rooster and then Lenny, before issuing its debut album I Should Coco. That record is the only Supergrass album to make an impact in the United States.

Supergrass follows with In It for the Money in 1997, which brings further acclaim and strong critical and commercial success, although its darker sound divides some listeners. The 1999 self-titled album, often called the X-Ray Album by fans, is similar in style to the previous record and is less well received. After a three-year break, the band returns with Life on Other Planets in 2002. Although it does not perform strongly commercially, it is praised by critics. It is also the first Supergrass album to name Rob Coombes as an official member.

The compilation Supergrass Is 10 appears in 2004 and becomes the band’s best-selling release. The fifth studio album, Road to Rouen, is released in 2005 after delays connected to Danny Goffey’s tabloid controversy and the death of Gaz and Rob Coombes’ mother. The album is well received and marks a change in direction that surprises some fans. The sixth studio album, Diamond Hoo Ha, is recorded between 2007 and 2008 in Berlin and New York and is released in 2008. It is criticised by some as formulaic, but is also noted for its strong songwriting.

In 2010 the band announces that it will disband and plays farewell shows in June. An unfinished seventh studio album, Release the Drones, remains unreleased.

Style and classification

Supergrass is associated with alternative rock, britpop, glam rock, indie rock, neo-psychedelia and pop punk.