- (This page concerns the indie band. For the Jamaican Dancehall singer of the same name, see Tiger. For the Trinidadian calypsonian, see Tiger(3)).
Tiger were an English indie rock band from Princes Risborough and London who were formed in 1996. Tiger quickly got British press attention after their debut single "Shining in the Wood" was played on BBC Radio 1. The musical climate of the time was dominated by Britpop and retro bands influenced by Oasis. Tiger, who were characterised by fuzzy guitars and multiple keyboards, were quickly held up as part of a new alternative. The band had two keyboardists using Moog synthesizers and used droning song structures similar to Stereolab and Neu!, but with a stronger pop element.
The band recorded and released their 1996 debut album We Are Puppets less than a year after they first formed. The album's singles, "Race", "My Puppet Pal", and "On The Rose" were minor successes although only "Race" reached the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. NME invited them to perform on their annual Brat Bus Tour in 1997 and their performances were generally held to be a success. In late 1998 they supported Pulp, but any impetus had been lost by this point and they were dropped from their record label shortly after. Their Stephen Street-produced second album Rosaria eventually appeared on the Tugboat label in 1999, but shortly afterwards they split up.
Links To Peel[]
Peel liked the band's material and invited them for two sessions for his show in the late 90's, where they each played four tracks. Listeners of Peel's show voted 'Race' in the 1996 Festive Fifty at number 41, however the group's longevity did not last very long and the band split before the end of the decade.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1996 Festive Fifty: Race #41
Sessions[]
1. Recorded: 1996-11-03. First Broadcast: 16 November 1996
- She's Ok / Icicle / Ray Travez / Where's The Love
2. Recorded: 1998-10-13. First Broadcast: 25 November 1998
- Bottle Of Juice / Candy & Andy / God It's Good / Sea Shandy
Other Shows Played[]
Tiger - Race
- 1996
- 09 June 1996: Shining In The Wood (7") Fierce Panda NING 22
- 16 June 1996: ‘Where’s The Love? (7 inch – Shining In The Wood )’ Fierce Panda
- 08 December 1996: ‘Depot (CD - We Are Puppets )’ Trade 2
- 21 December 1996: 'Race (CD-We Are Puppets)' (Trade 2) FF#41
- 1997
- 27 November 1997: Friends (CD Single) Trade 2
- 1998
- 16 July 1998: Friends (7") Island
- 30 September 1998 (BFBS): 'Girl From The Petrol Station (CD-Rosaria)' (Tugboat)