Nightnurse

Nightnurse was an indie rock band from London, UK, who had some success in the late 1990s. They released three singles, with their second "Skirt" reaching no. 11 in the UK independent singles chart in February 1998. A subsequent album was recorded but never released when the label Better Records folded in 2000.

History

Formed in 1996 by lead singer and previous Sister George front-woman Ellyott Dragon, Nightnurse's original line up consisted of Ellyott Dragon on guitar and vocals, Charlotte Hatherley on guitar, Ben Drakeford on bass guitar and Alex Lutes on drums. After playing only 6 gigs together the band were signed to ex Creation Records boss Tim Abbott's Better Records label. In 1997 the band's profile was raised considerably after winning the NME new bands award that same year after only being together for a few months. They achieved some success with debut single "Golem" which received a small amount of radio play on BBC Radio 1 and video play on MTV Europe but did not chart. Shortly after the release of this single Charlotte Hatherley left the band to join fellow indie rockers Ash.

After working with a number of guitarists including Debbie Smith (Curve, Echobelly) and Charley Stone (Gay Dad), new guitarist Matt Platts recorded a second single with the band called "Skirt", which charted at No. 11 in the independent singles chart in 1998. The single was XFM's 'single of the Week'. The band subsequently toured on the success of the single, supporting other 1990's UK indie bands including Rachel Stamp, Jolt, Snow Patrol, Monsoon Bassoon, Cay and Seafood.

A follow up single was double A-side 'IDF/Big Sleep' released on a white label limited edition 7" vinyl through S16 Records. This pressing was deleted on the day of release and the band made history by self-releasing the UK's first ever official mp3 format single, getting 30,000 downloads from their website in a week.^[1]

After the release of their third single 'IDF', Nightnurse were signed by Sanctuary management and went on to record 4 new demo tracks at Trident studios in South London. The company, suffering from financial problems, were unable to support the band who now remain on hiatus.

Line Up

2006
Ellyott Dragon lead vocals / guitar
Matt Platts guitar / backing vocals
Ben Drakeford bass guitar
Dicki Fliszar drums

1997
Ellyott Dragon lead vocals / guitar
Debbie Smith guitar
Charley Stone (Gay Dad) guitar
Matt Platts guitar
Alex Lutes] drums

1996 - original line up
Ellyott Dragon lead vocals / guitar
Charlotte Hatherley guitar
Ben Drakeford bass guitar
Alex Lutes drums

Singles

Golem (1 April 1997) CD single / 7" vinyl - Better Records
Skirt (12 January 1998) CD single / 7" vinyl - Better Records
IDF (26 October 1998) ltd 7" vinyl / MP3 - S16 Records / Nightnurse

Album

In late 1997, Nightnurse recorded their debut album at the Blackwing Studios in London. However, after severe financial difficulties, the band's label Better Records fell into liquidation and so the album was never released.

A message posted on the band's official Myspace page in 2006 confirms that the album is now set for re-mastering and will be released at some time in the future. A date has yet to be announced.

References

1. ^ MODERN MEDICINE FOR THE SINGLE BLUES | Nightnurse are the first British band to make an MP3 single release over the Internet...NME September 9, 1998

External links

• Nightnurse on Myspace
• Charlotte Hatherley Official website
• Interview with Nightnurse by Sarit Michaeli
• Nightnurse at BBC Music
• Nightnurse at LastFM