Murry The Hump was formed in Aberystwyth in the late 1990's by singer Matthew Evans, guitarist Gwion Rowlands, bass guitarist Curig Huws, and drummer Bill Coyne, taking their name from the gangster Llewellyn Morris "Murray The Hump" Humphreys, and early on in their career they competed in a Battle of the Bands contest against Muse. Garnering early interest by way of indie singles 'Green Green Grass Of Home', which was an NME "Single of the Week", and a song about marijuana rather than a cover of the song made famous by Tom Jones, and 1999's 'Thrown Like A Stone' on Shifty Disco, they gained support from BBC Radio 1 DJs Steve Lamacq and John Peel, recording three sessions for the latter, and securing an appearance at industry showcase In The City. A publishing deal from Townhill Music swiftly followed, and the band were heralded as the best new band in Wales, and by Alex James of Blur as the best new band in Britain. In fact, James, artist Damien Hirst and the late Joe Strummer preferred Murry The Hump over Coldplay when they saw both acts perform at a record label showcase gig. In 2000 the band signed to Too Pure, whereupon they joined new label mates Hefner on a whistle-stop tour of the UK, after which they began work on their debut album, 'Songs Of Ignorance', and they performed some of the new material for Radio 1's One Live in Cardiff.
The band's first release for Too Pure was a split single with Hefner, featuring their 'The House That Used To Be A Ship', and they followed this with the Guardian Guide single of the week 'Cracking Up', gaining much support from Xfm with a John Kennedy Session. A second single for the label, 'Don't Slip Up', preceded the debut album, which was described by Andy Gill in The Independent as displaying "a warmth and charm to the group's jangly indie-pop that's entirely engaging". Despite seeming to be on the verge of mainstream success, in September 2001 the band announced that they had split up, although they played one final concert in October that year as part of the BBC Radio 2 Live in Cardiff festival. Evans, Rowlands, and Glyn re-remerged in 2002 as The Keys, after asking fans to choose a name for the new band, and they were described as "Duane Eddy jamming with the Jesus and Mary Chain". The new band released a self-titled debut album in 2003, two EPs in 2009 and their second album 'Fire Inside', in 2010. They have released a further four albums and numerous singles since then, and so it does seem that calling a halt to Murry The Hump was the right decision, but I still cherish those early singles, and 'Songs Of Ignorance' makes a regular return to the decks. As a reminder of the band here is a collection of rare singles, b-sides and John Peel sessions, including the live one from The Union Chapel in London in 2000.
Track listing
01 Blue Bottle (from the 'Colouring Book' EP 1999)
02 Pussy Willow (from the 'Colouring Book' EP 1999)
03 One Fine Day (John Peel session 1999)
04 Silver Suit (single 2000)
05 Cracking Up (John Peel session 2000)
06 Don't Slip Up (John Peel session 2000)
07 Booze And Cigarettes (John Peel session 2000)
08 Five (John Peel session 2000)
09 Walking In A Winter Wonderland (John Peel Xmas session 2000)
10 Pigs On Parade (b-side of 'Don't Slip Up' 2001)
11 Kebab Or Shag (b-side of 'Don't Slip Up' 2001)
12 No Girl No Sex (b-side of 'Cracking Up' 2001)
13 Travel (b-side of 'Cracking Up' 2001)
