Formed in Hounslow, London, England, in 1990, melodic guitar pop band the Bluetones spent the next four years practising in garages. Originally comprising Scott Morriss (b. 10 October 1973, England; bass), Eds Chesters (b. Edward Daniel Chesters, 24 October 1971, Durham, England; drums, ex-Soho), Adam Devlin (b. Adam Patrick Devlin, 17 September 1969, Hounslow, Middlesex, England; guitar) and Mark James Morriss (b. 18 October 1971, England; vocals, brother of Scott), their patience was rewarded in 1995 when they became the toast of the UK's music press. Mark Morriss said of their music: "What we do is a continuation of what went on in the 60s without the flower-power bullshit. Good tunes. And over-lapping melodies; the best lyrics in the world don't mean anything without a nice tune."
The Bluetones quickly established a strong fanbase - no less than three fanzines were dedicated to the band before they had released their third single. They contributed to a compilation EP, released on the Fierce Panda label, and this led to an appearance on Channel 4 television's The White Room. Superior Quality Records then signed the band and the Bluetones' debut single, "Are You Blue Or Are You Blind?", entered the UK Top 40 in June 1995. It was followed in October 1995 by "Bluetonic" (the track that had originally appeared on the Fierce Panda EP as "No. 11"), and the band completed its first headlining UK tour supported by their protégés Hooker. The band also joined the Cardigans, Heavy Stereo and Fluffy on the well-publicized New Musical Express Brat Bus Tour. The third single, "Slight Return", was their biggest hit, while Expecting To Fly (named after a classic Buffalo Springfield song), produced by Hugh Jones, reached number 1 in the UK album charts in February 1996.
Many pundits predicted greater things for the band, although ultimately their lack of originality would prove to be a stumbling block. The line-up was bolstered with the addition of Richard Payne (b. 1 January 1971, England; keyboards/guitar), and the band's second album Return To The Last Chance Saloon attempted to make a clean break from the style of their debut, but with limited success. The album was also met by a worryingly indifferent commercial response. Science & Nature (2000) and Luxembourg (2002) marked a more successful attempt to retool their sound, but by this point the band was playing for a small but devoted fanbase.
The Bluetones subsequently signed a new recording contract with the Cooking Vinyl Records, making their debut for the label in 2006 with a self-titled album.
