Beatnik Filmstars

by Stephen Cramer Bristol, Englands Beatnik Filmstars debuted on the indie rock landscape with the Maharishi album on Big Sky Records in 1991. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Andrew Jarrett, the band was instantly compared to some of the United States brightest indie rockers. After releasing a series of EPs, they returned to full-length form with 1993s Laid Back & English CD on Land Speed Records. 1994 saw the release of Astronaut House on La Di Da Records, and in 1995, Californias Slumberland Records joined with Mobstar Records to produce the Beezer album. 1997 saw the release of Phase 3 on Mobstar and No Life Records, as well as the release of the All Pop Stars Are Talentless Slags EP on Scratch Records. In 1997, the band signed to Merge Records and unveiled the In Hospitalable CD, followed by Boss Disque in 1998. On Boss Disque, the band used an ambitious amount of multi-tracking; resulting in the beginning of an inventive era in the bands history. Their regular release of EPs on a variety of labels kept the band in the public eye throughout their career.