Blueboy

Reading, England-based Blueboy were the definition of the Sarah Records indie pop sound, with jangly guitars, hushed arrangements, and softly introspective lyricism, all wrapped in a dreamy melancholy. The band was formed in 1989 and was steadily active for ten years before splintering into various projects. In that time, however, Blueboy released three studio albums and seven singles and EPs, being part of the Sarah Records branch of twee pop where singles were intentionally kept in a separate arena from LPs. After their disbanding, multiple archival releases surfaced, including Peel Sessions recordings and 2023's Singles 1991-1998, the first release to compile all of Blueboy's songs from their numerous 7"s.

Blueboy was formed by singer Keith Girdler and guitarist Paul Stewart, who had previously played together in the little-known band Feverfew. Upon recording the first Blueboy demo in a friend's shed, the duo sent a copy of the song "Clearer" to the famed Sarah Records label, which agreed to release the track as a single in the fall of 1991; with the subsequent additions of second guitarist Harvey Williams (of Field Mice/Another Sunny Day fame), singer/cellist Gemma Townley, bassist Mark Cousens, and drummer Lloyd Haggar, the group returned in the middle of 1992 with their next single, "Popkiss," soon followed by the full-length album If Wishes Were Horses. Resurfacing the following year with the singles "Meet Johnny Rave" and "Some Gorgeous Accident," Blueboy issued their second LP, Unisex, in the spring of 1994; soon afterward, their line-up shifted, with Townley assuming bass duties and Martin Rose signing on to play drums for the 1995 single "Dirty Mags." When Sarah folded later that year, label co-owner Matt Haynes formed the new Shinkansen imprint, bringing Blueboy with him to release 1996's "Love Yourself." By this time the line-up was again reduced to the original duo of Girdler and Stewart, with vocalist Cath Close, bassist James Neville, and drummer Ian Gardner completing the six-piece for 1998's The Bank of England, the band's final studio album. Girdler and Stewart also recorded a handful of singles as Arabesque and later, three albums as Beaumont on the avant-garde, Madrid-based Siesta Records. It was also during this time they were invited to record eight pieces for US boutique brand Kate Spade culminating in a shop-only released CD and a two-week tour of their flagship stores across the States. Diagnosed with cancer in 2004, Keith Girdler died of the disease on May 15, 2007.

In 2021, Blueboy's Peel Sessions recordings were released on a double 7"through Precious Recordings of London, marking the first time these versions of the songs were available anywhere. In 2023, Singles 1991-1998 collected all the band's singles and their respective B-sides, for a total of 21 tracks all told.