The Hour of Bewilderbeast
2000XL Recordings
Mercury Prize winner. Once Around the Block and The Shining are career highlights.
Badly Drawn Boy
All Artists
Indie Folk / Alternative
Badly Drawn Boy
The Hour of Bewilderbeast is one of the great British debut albums. Damon Gough's woolly hat is as distinctive as his music.
Bolton, EnglandFormed 1997Active
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Biography
Badly Drawn Boy
Badly Drawn Boy is Damon Gough — a Bolton songwriter who spent several years releasing music on his own label before signing to XL Recordings. His debut album 'The Hour of Bewilderbeast' (2000) was an immediate phenomenon — a sprawling, melodic record of extraordinary warmth and invention that won the Mercury Prize.
The album showed a songwriter of genuine originality — Gough's music drew on folk, pop, and orchestral music in ways that felt completely personal. 'Once Around the Block', 'The Shining', and 'Pissing in the Wind' were all excellent. The Mercury Prize win was one of the most popular in the award's history.
Gough has continued to record and tour with remarkable consistency. 'About a Boy' (2002) — the soundtrack to the Nick Hornby adaptation — introduced his music to a wider audience. 'Have You Fed the Fish?' (2002) was a strong follow-up. He remains one of the most distinctive and underrated British songwriters of his generation.
My Take
Here's a funny one. Earlier that day I'd met Badly Drawn Boy at a record store, where he played a bunch of acoustic songs and couldn't have been nicer. That night I ended up front row, with Damon Gough right in front of me. I'd put my drink on the stage — and in the middle of a song he kicked it over. No worries from me! He handed me his own drink instead. I had no clue what was in it, though I'd heard he was a Jack and Coke man — it was more Jack than Coke. I drank it and enjoyed the show. But it gets better: during one song, he held my hand the entire time and sang it right to me. What a night!
Discography
The Albums
About a Boy
2002XL Recordings
The soundtrack album. Silent Sigh is one of his finest songs.
Have You Fed the Fish?
2002XL Recordings
A strong follow-up. Born Again and You Were Right are among his finest songs.
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