View source for Theaudience

{{Short description|English rock band}}
{{about||this band's self-titled studio album|Theaudience (album)|the German band|The Audience (band)|other uses|Audience (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Theaudience
| image             =
| caption           = Band photo
| background        = group_or_band
| origin            = London, England
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Britpop]]|[[indie rock]]|[[alternative rock]]}}
| years_active      = 1996–1999
| label             = {{hlist|eLLeFFe|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]}}
| past_members      = * [[Sophie Ellis-Bextor]]
* [[Billy Reeves]]
* Kerin Smith
* Nigel Butler
* Patrick Hannan
* Dean Mollett
}}

'''Theaudience''' (styled as '''theaudience''') were an English rock band, formed in London in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/theaudience-mn0000755237/biography|title=Theaudience &#124; Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=21 December 2019}}</ref> They released one album and saw three singles enter the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book
| first= Martin C.
| last= Strong
| year= 2000
| title= The Great Rock Discography
| edition= 5th
| publisher= Mojo Books
| location= Edinburgh
| page= 980
| isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref> The band's lead vocalist [[Sophie Ellis-Bextor]] became a successful solo artist after the band's disbandment.<ref name="Larkin90">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0427-8|page=391}}</ref>

== History ==
theaudience were founded by guitarist [[Billy Reeves]], formerly of the [[indie (music)|indie]] group Congregation.<ref name="Larkin90"/> The group was fronted by [[Sophie Ellis-Bextor]] and included drummer/producer "Patch" Hannan (ex-[[The Sundays]]), keyboard player Nigel Butler (ex-The Bridge), guitarist Dean Mollett (ex-Porcupine) and bass guitarist Kerin Smith.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sophie-online.net/en/info/theaudience.php |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor - www.sophie-online.net • Your 24/7 resource for all things Sophie Ellis-Bextor |accessdate=2015-01-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224012354/http://sophie-online.net/en/info/theaudience.php |archivedate=2015-02-24 }}</ref> Their one, [[Theaudience (album)|self-titled album]] received critical acclaim and reached No. 22 in the [[UK Albums Chart]], with two of four singles released reaching the Top 40 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="Larkin90"/>

Reeves left the band in December 1998,<ref name="Larkin90"/> and although the remaining band members wrote and demoed at least 33 songs for a second album, it was rejected by record label [[Mercury Records]], who then dropped the band, which split in 1999.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Approximately half of these tracks were leaked onto the internet, and most of those appeared as a fan-made 14-track bootleg album in 2009 under the title ''Quiet Storm''.

Ellis-Bextor started a solo career in  [[major label]] artist-driven [[dance-pop]] music following the success of her collaboration with [[Spiller]] on "[[Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)]]" in 2000.

== Discography ==
{{Infobox artist discography
| Artist       = theaudience
| Image        = 
| Caption      = 
| Studio       = 1
| Music videos = 4
| Singles      = 4
}}

The discography of theaudience consists of one studio album, four singles and four music videos.  The album track ''Keep In Touch'' was earmarked as a potential fifth single.

33 songs were recorded as full band demos in 1998-1999 for a second album. Just over half of these circulate as bootleg/download tracks.  One such track, ''Out With The Old School'', was released contemporarily on [[NME]] sampler cassette "Wicked Women" in late 1998.

=== Studio albums ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:6em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Album details
! scope="col"| Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name=uk>{{cite web|url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_A.HTM |title=Chart Log UK: 1994–2010, A – Azzido Da Bass|website=Zobbel.de|accessdate=21 December 2019}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Theaudience (album)|Theaudience]]''
|
* Released: 17 August 1998
* Formats: [[Compact Disc|CD]], [[Compact Cassette|CS]], [[LP album|LP]]
* Label: [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
| 22
|}

=== Singles ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:30em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name=uk/>
|-
! scope="row" | "[[I Got the Wherewithal]]"
| 1997
| 170
|rowspan="4"| ''theaudience''
|-
! scope="row" | "[[If You Can't Do It When You're Young; When Can You Do It?]]"
|rowspan="3"| 1998
| 48
|-
! scope="row" | "[[A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed]]"
| 27
|-
! scope="row" | "[[I Know Enough (I Don't Get Enough)]]"
| 25
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{cite news
| first = 
| last = 
| author-link = 
| author = 
| title = Entertainment feature 
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/new_music_releases/151039.stm
| format = 
| work = 
| publisher = [[BBC News]]
| location = 
| id = 
| date = 16 August 1998
| accessdate = 25 May 2010
| language = 
| quote = 
}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090409150052/http://www.sophie-online.net/en/info/theaudience.php Theaudience page] at Sophie-Online.net
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980814/ai_n14172273 Album review]

{{Theaudience}}
{{Sophie Ellis-Bextor}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:English rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1996]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1999]]
[[Category:Alternative rock groups from London]]
[[Category:Indie rock groups from London]]
[[Category:Britpop groups]]
[[Category:Sophie Ellis-Bextor]]
[[Category:Female-fronted musical groups]]
[[Category:Mixed-gender bands]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]