A are a British alternative rock band from Suffolk, England, which formed in 1993. They have released 4 studio and 2 live albums, including their debut How Ace Are Buildings and the UK top 20 album Hi-Fi Serious. Single releases have also achieved chart success, with one UK top 10, four UK top 40 and seven UK top 100 singles.
Shortly after releasing their fourth album, Teen Dance Ordinance, in 2005, the band briefly split. In 2007 'A' reunited for a one-off gig, and have been touring sporadically ever since including playing the main stage at Download Pilot on June 19, 2021. They have not released any further albums since 2005.
History
Formation, How Ace Are Buildings and A vs. Monkey Kong (1993–2000) The band began in Suffolk in the mid 80s as Grand Designs, named after the song by Rush. The founder members were twins Jason and Adam Perry and their friend Mark Chapman, with bassist Stevie Swindon and the twins' younger brother Giles Perry. They cited Rush, the Beach Boys, Van Halen and the Beastie Boys among their influences.
After changing their name to A in 1993, and abandoning their early progressive rock-inspired sound for a more punk rock style, they signed a European recording contract with Warner Bros. Records UK in 1996 and released their debut LP How Ace Are Buildings in 1997. Also in 1997, the band briefly appeared in the music video for "Anthem" by the Wildhearts. A found a healthy underground reception and even had a couple of low-charting singles in the UK.
Although A achieved some recognition with How Ace Are Buildings, bassist Stevie Swindon left the band. He was replaced in 1997 by bassist and future BBC Radio 1 Rock Show DJ Daniel P Carter. Swindon went on to establish the award-winning community arts charity, TAPE Community Music and Film in 2008.
A licensing agreement for the American music market was reached with the North Carolina-based Mammoth Records. Future releases would be distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Mammoth.
A's second album A vs. Monkey Kong followed in 1999. The band then toured the world and enjoyed a small degree of success worldwide, especially in Germany. They released a live album, Exit Stage Right in 2000.
Hi-Fi Serious and commercial success (2002) Hi-Fi Serious was their third album, released in 2002 and is certified Silver in the UK having sold over 60,000 copies. It was preceded by their biggest single "Nothing", which became the band's first and only top ten hit when it reached number 9 in the UK singles chart. "Nothing" was followed by top 20 hit "Starbucks", named after the coffee chain.
The tour following Hi-Fi Serious saw the band playing their largest venues to date, headlining the 5,000 capacity Brixton Academy as part of their Inner-City Sumo Tour. At the end of the year they won the Kerrang! award for Best British Band.
In 2004, their single "Nothing" appeared on Beyblade's Let It Rip! official soundtrack. In 2007, "Something's Going On" and "The Distance" appeared on the Surf's Up video game soundtrack.
Teen Dance Ordinance and hiatus (2005) A released their fourth album, Teen Dance Ordinance (TDO), on 27 June 2005. The album had been recorded two years earlier, but was heavily delayed due to Jason Perry's illness and disputes with the record company. It featured a more straight rock sound and displayed an almost complete absence of the keyboards and sampling that marked the early sound of the band. Unlike their last two albums, Teen Dance Ordinance was not released in the US. Hollywood Records agreed early on to release it in the US, but ultimately did not.
Following the release of Teen Dance Ordinance in 2005, the band worked on other projects. Jason Perry spent time writing, recording, and touring with Matt Willis, formerly of Busted, and has now become a Grammy award winning producer, working with the likes of the Blackout, Kids in Glass Houses, and McFly. Adam Perry and Daniel P Carter briefly became full-time members of the Bloodhound Gang: Perry replaced drummer Willie the New Guy in 2005, and Carter replaced guitarist Lupus Thunder in 2009.
Carter continued writing material with Jason Perry and artists such as McFly, and has hosted BBC Radio 1's Rock Show since 25 September 2006.
Mark Chapman went into teaching, and has played in the bands Malpractice, alongside drum'n'bass producer Adam F, and 'MiLLS,' fronted by former Cable drummer Richie Mills. Giles Perry went on work for the BBC, and has also produced videos for Hundred Reasons and Biffy Clyro.