Thousand Yard Stare were formed in 1988 in the not so rural surrounds of Slough, Berkshire, cutting their teeth supporting touring bands at the nearby Old Trout venue in Windsor. TYS quickly built up a strong local following, leading to the the release of their debut EP Weatherwatching in 1990 on their record label Stifled Aardvark, with the NME nominating them as “brightest hope for the future” and gaining a solid reputation for energetic live performances in stark contrast to the rest of the emerging Thames Valley Scene.
In June 1991, the Keepsake EP reached the top spot in both the NME and Melody Maker Independent Charts. That summer, the band performed at the Reading Festival, further raising their profile and leading to a stint as support for James in October and November of that year. In the Autumn, the band began the sessions for their debut album, the first fruit of which was another EP, Seasonstream in 1991, headed by one of their signature tracks 0-0 a.e.t (No Score After Extra Time), featuring Martin Bell of The Wonder Stuff. This single again topped the Indie music charts, and reached number 65 in the UK singles chart, leading the band to sign to Polydor Records. Their next release - Comeuppance - reached No.37 in the UK singles chart, and signalled the release of their debut album Hands On, produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur).
Touring further afield followed, across Europe with Jesus & Mary Chain and the US with the Soup Dragons, a coveted slot at Glastonbury Festival, and graced the cover of the key music mag of the time, Melody Maker. The band bowed out in 1993 with the release of their second album Mappamundi,
They have since returned to the fold and their live shows are real celebrations
They will be joined by the excellent John Mouse.
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