Act
formed in 2008 by Andy Ure (vocals, ex-Strands), Andrew
Douglas (guitar,
also with Ross
Fairweather & The Billy Shears),
Davey Horne (keyboards / guitar, ex-Ice Cold
& Alex, also with The
North Country Ramblers), Chris Jackson (guitar,
ex-Strands),
Billy Kay (bass, also with Ross
Fairweather & The Billy Shears) & Lee Burgoyne (drums,
also with Ross
Fairweather & The Billy Shears).
The
band were named in honour of a band that Kay's father used to be in.
After three months of rehearsal they
played their debut date at Nice 'n' Sleazys, Glasgow, supporting The Right Ons,
after which they were managed by Diane Stephenson. In summer 2008 the band advertised
in the Falkirk Herald for a couple of go-go dancers to compliment their live show,
before parting company with manager, Stephenson. In her place were recruited King
Tut's promoter Craig McGee & former manager of The Law, Paul Grieve. Their
impact was felt immediatly, with the band playing the Wickerman Festival and supporting
Sergeant at the Garage, Glasgow. The band then supported The Automatic & Alphabeat in Glasgow, and began a heavy gigging schedule in the autumn, including a date at Alan McGee's "Death Disco" clubnight in London. The year continued with a date at the Carling Academy, Glasgow, supporting The Alabama 3, and a headline at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.
At about this time the band also featured on a full page advert in the NME for the website Popmorphic. The year ended triumphantly with a date at Glasgow's George Square on New Year's Eve in front of 16,000 people, an event that was also covered on STV. The other acts on the bill were Idlewild & Paolo Nutini.
2009 started at the same pace, with the band invited back to "Death Disco" every eight weeks, and being named one of the tips for the year in the News Of The World. Spring saw them extensively touring the UK in support of their debut single, "Tales From Vicar Street", including a date supporting The Bluetones in Glasgow and a performance on the main stage at Big In Falkirk. Around this time they completed a session for Vic Galloway on BBC Radio One, and supported The Pigeon Detectives in Glasgow. Summer 2009 saw the band release their second single, "The Shepherd", with a launch date at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow. The single reached number 8 in the Scottish charts, and the band also played at T In The Park that summer, without Billy Kay who was in England at the time. His place for the date was taken by Stevie Black (of The Doledrums). The constant gigging continued until the end of the year, by which time the band released their third single, "Zagora Road". The year ended with more live dates, including a support to The Saw Doctors at the Glasgow Barrowlands.
Live work continued into 2010, whilst being nominated for Best Live Act at the Alternative Scottish Music Awards. February saw them supporting Kassidy on their Scottish tour, after which they went into the studio for a couple of months to record their debut album, only emerging to headline King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. May saw the band re-emegre with dates in Manchester and London, rounded off with a support to The Charlatans in Glasgow. Whilst the band put the finishing touches to their album over the summer, they found time to play the T In The Park and Rockness festivals. In August they released their new single, "Heshka Rashka" with a support slot in Edinburgh to Doves. Late in the year, Horne started to play solo dates under the name Dr Foghorne & The Golden Pipes, whilst March 2011 saw Kay help out Glasgow act Kassidy on their UK tour supporting Primal Scream.
2011 started quietly for the band as they prepared for the release of their debut album in April, "Russian Tearooms". This was followed by an extensive Scottish and English tour in April and May, kicking off at a date in Behind The Wall, Falkirk. The band played a few final dates at the end of August, including a headline at the Dennycassim Festival, before going into a period of hibernation. By this time, Horne had gone solo and recruited Kay, Burgoyne & Douglas to back him. Jackson, meanwhile, formed his own act, The White Vinyl Collective.
RELEASES:
"Tales From Vicar Street" (Internet single, 2009)
"The Shepherd" (Internet Single, 2009, Scottish Chart #8)
"Zagora Road" (Internet Single, 2009)
"Heshka Rashka" (Internet single, 2010)
"Russian Tearoom" (CD / Internet album, 2011)
WEBSITE:
http://www.myspace.com/theraysummers