republica

History

Republica was started by former Flowered Up keyboardist Tim Dorney and Andy Todd, and quickly came to popular attention with their debut single "Ready To Go" and its follow-up "Drop Dead Gorgeous". The lead singer, Saffron, was previously a lead vocalist on N-joi's rave crossover pop hit, "Anthem", in 1990.

The Republica sound was described by Saffron as "techno-pop punk rock", although Melody Maker took to calling it "electronica". The band's self-titled debut album was released in July 1996 and reached #4 in the album charts. However, their follow-up 1998 albums Speed Ballads and its lead single "From Rush Hour With Love" only reached #37 and #20 respectively. The group is rumoured to have dissolved shortly afterwards but have never officially stated this. The last message to fans in late 1999 via their official website stated "Republica are not recording at this time" - which may mean they will one day return to the music scene together.

The band suffered when their label, Deconstruction Records, folded shortly after the release of Speed Ballads. Deconstruction's back catalogue was swallowed up by BMG, who released a Best Of Album. On finding out about the release of Ready To Go - the best of Republica, Saffron promptly posted a statement on her new band's website that said "To all the fans, don't be fooled by this shoddy release. It's completely unofficial, the band had no dealings whatsoever with its release, we were not even informed. The track listing isn't one we'd have picked, the cover photos are so way out of date, poor in quality and overall it won't contribute to us bringing out a brand new album".

During its lifetime, the group and attracted much positive press coverage. Emerging after a wave of female-fronted rock bands (such as Elastica, Lush, Sleeper, Echobelly, and Kenickie), they had, like Garbage, a notably more aggressive and electronic sound.

Saffron was born in Nigeria and claims Portuguese, Chinese and English ancestry. Outside of the band, she was also the featured vocalist on The Prodigy's "Fuel My Fire", from their 1997 album The Fat of the Land.

Members

• Saffron - (born Samantha Sprackling, 3 June 1968, in Ibadan, Nigeria) - vocals
• Tim Dorney - (born 30 March 1965, in Ascot, Berkshire) - keyboards
• Andy Todd - keyboardist
• Johnny Male - (born 10 October 1963 in Windsor, Berkshire) - guitar (formally of One Little Indian Records's Soul Family Sensation and Sensation)
• Pete Riley - drums
• David Barbarossa - drummer (formerly of Bow Wow Wow, and Adam & the Ants)

Former members' later projects

• Saffron recorded the songs "Crusher", "Spirits", and "Beauty Never Fades" on Junkie XL's 2003 album Radio JXL: a broadcast from the computer hell cabin.
• As of 2005, Saffron is working on a new band called Swarm Swarm.
• Keyboardist Tim Dorney briefly reunited with fellow former Flowered Up band member Liam Maher, but they split up in late 2002.
• The Republica website states that Johnny is now part of a band called Cheap Glue, but no more details have emerged. Johnny also co-wrote tracks for Lipslide, the 1997 solo album by Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne.

Discography

Albums

1. Republica (Deconstruction - 5 October 1996)

1. Republica - Limited Edition 2 Disk Set (Live Versions) (Deconstruction - 1998)

1. Speed Ballads (Deconstruction - 30 July 1998)

1. Ready To Go: The Best Of (Camden - 27 May 2002)

Singles

1. "Out Of This World" (1994)
2. "Bloke" (1994)
3. "Ready To Go" (1996)
4. "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1997)
5. "From Rush Hour With Love" (1998)
6. "Try Everything" (1998)

See also

• Sneaker Pimps
• 1990s music groups
• List of alternative music artists

External links

• Official website
• Fanclub Republica website
• All Music Guide entry for Republica