Ballboy

Ballboy is a Scottish indie band from Edinburgh. Formed in 1997, the band has released a total of five albums (one being a compilation of EPs in 2001) up to their most recent in 2008. Beginning as a four-piece comprising Viv Strachan (vocals), Gordon McIntyre (guitar), Nick Reynolds (bass), and Alexis Beattie (drums), Ballboy played gigs around Edinburgh for a few years, and recorded tracks for the Edinburgh indie compilation it's a life sentence..., released by the newly formed SL Records label in 1997. By 1999 Gordon, the band's main songwriter, had taken over vocal duties. Katie Griffiths had joined on keyboards and Gary Morgan had taken over the drums. The band signed to SL Records that year, and released a series of EPs showcasing their catchy new pop tunes, complete with alternately humorous and mournful lyrics. The tracks of these EPs were collected on 2001's Club Anthems. Their 'proper' debut album, A Guide for the Daylight Hours, was released the following year, featuring artwork by Glasgow based artist David Shrigley. This was quickly followed in 2003 by the acoustic and often melancholy The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories, virtually a solo record by Gordon. In 2004 ballboy returned to full band mode, with the addition of a new keyboard player (Alexa Morrison) and their third album, The Royal Theatre. It took a change of record label (to their own, Pony Proof Records) and another four years before the 4th ballboy album was released, entitled I Worked on the Ships in August 2008. Gordon McIntyre has a side project called Money Can't Buy Music who released their debut album in September 2009, The Universe for Beginners. Their official Website is at www.ballboymusic.com. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.