Description
From experimenting with punk in Big in Japan to penning and recording new-wave tracks for Care, Ian Broudie found short-lived success in multiple bands early in his career. When these stints ended and with an independent record label in his name, he became a producer-for-hire, working on hit records for acts like Echo & the Bunnymen, the Fall, the Pale Fountains, Terry Hall, Wedding Present and the Coral.
But it was ten years on from the disbandment of Big in Japan that he returned to where it all began: his bedroom, tape recorder and guitar pick at hand. Originating as a one-man-band, the Lightning Seeds was born out of limitation and necessity when the opportunity arose to expand on Ian’s set of home recordings and press a few hundred copies of his debut. The record took off and his next three records received critical acclaim. So, sailing the wave of Britpop, he assembled a touring band to perform his songs live across the Atlantic.
Where the Lightning Seeds gave him success, though, football made him a legend. Together with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, Ian released the 1996 single ‘Three Lions’ to mark the England football team’s participation in that year’s Euros. It shot to number one in the UK and the refrain ‘it’s coming home’ echoed across stadiums and streets in celebration of England’s progress. The remake was released in 1998, ahead of the World Cup, and scored another UK number one. Since then, the original has topped the chart twice more, making it the only single in the chart’s history to reach the top spot four separate times.
Now, following the release of the Lightning Seeds’ long-awaited comeback album, Ian reflects on his illustrious career as one of our most critically and commercially revered artists.
