Ooberman

indie pop

Ooberman is an English band with strong indie, folk and progressive influences first formed in 1997. The band split up in 2003, shortly after the release of their second album Hey Petrunko, reformed in April 2006 and began releasing music again. Ooberman founders Dan Popplewell and Andy Flett met over a piano at their school in Bradford, 1988. The first band they set up was The Forestry Commission, with Andy's younger brother Steve Flett on bass. The band's life soon ended when Popplewell moved to Liverpool, but the three friends kept in touch. Steve Flett moved to Liverpool in 1992, and Andy Flett later joined him in 1997. Ooberman was then born, complete with Sophia Churney (keyboards and vocals) and Alan Kelly (drums). The first Ooberman gig was in June 1997, and their eccentric live shows and quirky demos won them the 1997 BT Merseyside Arts Award for Best Newcomers. Their first release was the Sugar Bum single, a 7 on Graham Coxon's Transcopic label. They then released the critically acclaimed Shorley Wall EP on Tugboat Records. The band then whipped up a major deal with Independiente, on which they released their first proper single; the Top 40 hit Blossoms Falling. By spring 1999, the band had finished work on their debut album, The Magic Treehouse. The album got great reviews, including an 8/10 in the hard-to-please NME. The reviews sadly didn't turn into sales, though, and after a few singles missed the Top 40, Independiente and Ooberman parted company. The band...