Babybird

Babybird is an English indie/alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1995 by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones. The group became one of the more unusual success stories of the Britpop era, combining lo-fi home recordings, dark humour, and emotionally raw songwriting with occasional chart success. Before forming the full band, Jones had spent years recording hundreds of songs alone on cheap home equipment while living in Sheffield. In 1995 he began releasing these recordings under the name "Baby Bird" through his own label. The early albums — including I Was Born a Man, Bad Shave, Fatherhood, The Happiest Man Alive and Dying Happy — were extremely lo-fi and became cult favourites in the UK indie scene.

To tour the material, Jones assembled a band (listed below). The band name became "Babybird". In 1996 they signed to Echo Records and released the album Ugly Beautiful. The record mixed reworked versions of Jones’s home demos with new recordings including the hit singles "Goodnight", "Candy Girl", "Cornershop" and especially "You’re Gorgeous", which became a huge international hit in 1996, reaching No. 3 in the UK and turning Babybird into a mainstream name almost overnight. Their later albums, including "There’s Something Going On" (1998) and "Bugged" (2000), were darker and less commercially successful. The single "The F-Word" later became well known as the theme to Gordon Ramsay’s TV programme of the same name.

After poor sales and label problems, the band split in 2000. Jones continued recording prolifically under various names including Black Reindeer, Trucker, Deluder and Arthritis Kid, while also writing fiction and film music. Babybird reformed several times. Later albums showed Jones continuing to experiment musically. Actor Johnny Depp appeared on some recordings and directed the video for "Unloveable". In recent years, Stephen Jones has maintained a strong cult following through Bandcamp, where he releases a remarkable amount of music independently. Babybird continue to tour intermittently, often featuring original members Luke Scott and Robert Gregory.