The Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols’ continued existence must be a heartening one to see for any band, since they show that one hit can essentially set a band for life commercially and creatively. With “Bohemian Like You”, the Warhols found a devoted fanbase that can keep them thriving without ever needing to compromise their artistic vision. Which, I think you’ll agree, is not bad considering that the Warhols are formed for no loftier reason than because the band members “needed music to drink to”.

The band was formed by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and lead guitarist Peter Holmström. After hiring Eric Hedford as their drummer, the band experimented with a number of different bassists, including Taylor-Taylor’s girlfriend, and none of them worked out. The band were at a loss for what to do until Taylor-Taylor saw Zia McCabe working in a Coffee Shop. He immediately asked if she was musical, and when she replied that she had a background in dance and performing arts, Taylor-Taylor took that to be good enough and put her on keyboards.

McCabe took to the instrument like a duck to water and the band immediately began gigging around the bars and clubs of Portland. At their very first gig they were spotted by Tim/Kerr Records, who offered to finance the recording of a full length album. The band eagerly accepted this and by 1995, their debut album “Dandy’s Rule OK” was released, which was enough of a hit under and overground that they were able to catch the attention of Capitol Records, who signed them to release their second attempt at a follow up, 1997’s “…The Dandy Warhols Come Down”.

Their first attempt at their sophomore record was canned by Capitol for “not having any hits”, clearly the band took that to heart as “…Come Down” had three songs that entered the UK Top 40 and saw them poised to become the world’s newest rock superstars before The Strokes had even thought of ripping off Tom Petty’s “American Girl”. Nothing could stop them, not even the departure of Hedford in 1998 over a dispute about royalties, as Taylor-Taylor’s recruited his cousin Brent DeBoer to fill in for him, a role which he still has to this day.

2000 was the year that their momentum capitalised. Their album “Thirteen Tales Of Urban Bohemia” was released and suddenly they became the hottest new band on the planet. “Bohemian Like You” went to number 5 in the UK on the back of a Vodaphone ad campaign. They played a set at Glastonbury Festival which the actual David frickin’ Bowie watched and became an avid fan afterwards. The band were later personally asked by The Dame to support him on his 2003 world tour and their follow up album “Tales From The Monkey House” was produced by Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes.

Ever since then, the band have become cult icons in their own right. Known and loved for their spectacular live shows and idiosyncratic, sometimes hilarious lyricism (“I Never Thought You’d Be A Junkie / Because Heroin Is So Passé, indeed). The casual observer might write them off as a bunch of one-hit wonders but they are so much more than that, and they come highly recommended because of it.