Awesome story and photo! Great to learn more about your beginnings alongside the knowledge you share on the channel. You’re a class act, Sir!
5 days ago | 4
Great story, at least you got somewhere. For some of us, although in a band the music industry was as distant as Mars
4 days ago | 3
" ...perfect snapshot of a wild, brilliant time when everything seemed possible, and sometimes actually was." 👏👏
5 days ago | 7
Just seems like a perfect time for you to take us all back to the day. I was in NYC at the time trying to make it as a filmmaker. The people are different, but as some old guy once said, the song remains the same when you’re trying to make it any creative field. Thanks for the funny, poignant, heartfelt, and timely reminder. All the best from one of your channel followers.
5 days ago | 2
Stone the crows!!....so that's 90s Huart !!....now THAT'S a lad!. Nice back story for your band.
4 days ago | 1
It takes some consistent “partying” to get that exact shade of parchment you’ve got there Warren🤣
3 days ago | 0
In 1993 my band the Windowtribe won a spot on CFMI's (big Canadian radio station) homegrown album and they played us for a year and told everyone where we were playing. It was one of those moments when we could have launched but we all sat down in my friends basement one day and looked at our careers and wives and young kids and just didn't. i don't regret it as life is good but I often wonder if we had taken A and M up on their offer what would have become of us. Nothing but nothing beats sitting in the car with one of your non-musical friends and your kids and listening to yourself on the radio. That I will take to my grave as one of life's best moments. Good times.
5 days ago
| 2
Fantastic! I'd have never guessed that was you if you hadn't told me! Cheers Warren.
5 days ago | 1
Great Photo😎🤙...Really unbelievable that you have already worked with Don Smith what a legend! Would love to hear the songs😊🎧Have a beautiful Wee
5 days ago | 1
Aah I feel like you look more Johnny Rotten than boyband! Thats really a great photo
5 days ago | 3
"...And a frankly alarming amount of hair product...".... Brilliant... !
5 days ago | 1
Just gave "eating February" a spin! The only video I saw appears that you are on bass. Is that right? Lotsa overdubs on the guitar tracks. Did you have a hand in that?
5 days ago | 1
Produce Like A Pro
Bleach, BBC Radio 1 and dodgy sunglasses: the story of Star 69...
Here’s a blast from the past – me, a goofy kid with bleached blonde hair, caught forever in time thanks to a photo by the brilliant Julian Butcher. (Yes, that’s me second from the left, looking like I just missed the auditions for a Britpop boy band.) Honestly, I look like I was either about to join a punk band or sell dodgy knock-off sunglasses on Camden Market. Turns out it was the former – sort of, although I definitely bought a few dodgy pairs of sunglasses along the way.
Star 69 was a short-lived but memorable band formed in London in 1994, fronted by the magnetic singer-songwriter Julie Daniels. Julie, who at the time was married to musician Francis Dunnery, brought a sharp, heartfelt songwriting style that became the band's signature. She started the band with guitarist Richard Corden, who she’d recruited early on from an Ad in the Melody Maker.
The rest of the line-up came together through a mix of old friendships and good timing. My old friend Patrick Hannan 'Patch', best known as the drummer for The Sundays, signed on to handle drums for Star 69 and invited me to join soon after.
Our early days were spent shaping the band's identity at Studio Poisson, the recording space run by Patch’s brother Nick Hannan. Nick, a talented bass player and engineer in his own right, would later become a world-class front of house engineer, mixing for legends like Siouxsie and the Banshees. Back then, though, we were just a gang of hopefuls trying to bash out songs and get a decent cup of tea between takes.
We recorded a batch of demos at Studio Poisson that captured the raw energy and emotional punch we were chasing. Those recordings helped us land a deal with Organic Records, the independent label run by David Steele, formerly of Virgin Records. Our publishing connection through Chrysalis, and particularly the support of Jeremy Lascelles, played a major role in opening that door.
We released two singles in the UK, scored airplay on BBC Radio 1 (which felt like winning the lottery at the time), and even played the Reading Rock Festival – the kind of gig you dream about when you are sitting on your amp in a rehearsal room wondering if anyone will ever care.
In October of 1995, we packed our bags (and a frankly alarming amount of hair product) and headed to Los Angeles to record our debut album with legendary producer and engineer Don Smith, known for his work with Tom Petty, Keith Richards, and Cracker. Patch unfortunately had to stay behind in the UK to make another Sundays record, so we called in a bit of a drummer dream team: Brian MacLeod, Chad Fischer, and Denny Fongheiser all played on the album, each bringing their own magic.
Once tracking was done, the album was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge, who basically ruled alternative rock radio at the time, turning guitars and heartbreak into airwave gold. The final polish came courtesy of mastering wizard Eddy M Schreyer.
The album was funded by Chrysalis, once again with incredible support from Jeremy Lascelles. After a whirlwind of label meetings (and more bad coffee than I care to remember), we signed with Radioactive Records, the legendary label run by Gary Kurfirst, who had guided the careers of Talking Heads, Blondie, and The Ramones, to name a few.
Star 69’s story might have been short, but it was packed with great songs, endless laughs, a few questionable fashion choices, and a ton of heart. Looking back, it feels like the perfect snapshot of a wild, brilliant time when everything seemed possible, and sometimes actually was.
5 days ago | [YT] | 319