The Beautiful South

Play Radio
Listen to The Beautiful South Radio, featuring artists like The Housemartins, Paul Heaton, Kirsty MacColl, Deacon Blue and more…

3,656,269 plays (289,262 listeners)

Send The Beautiful South Ringtones to Cell
Buy
Add to my Library

Hull, England (1989 – 2007)

The Beautiful South were a British pop group formed in 1989, from the ashes of Hull, England group The Housemartins. The band was put together by lead singer, Paul Heaton, and drummer, Dave Hemingway. They were joined by sean welch (Bass), Dave Stead (Drums) and Dave Rotheray (Guitar). Rotheray also co-writes the songs with Heaton.

In The Beautiful South, Heaton shared the lead singer’s role with Hemingway and female singer Briana Corrigan to create a trio of lead vocalists. This set-up helped to characterise the bittersweet kitchen sink dramas played out in Heaton’s often-barbed songs.

The band’s music might sound like bubbly, catchy, lightweight pop but Heaton’s sour, savage and amusing worldview on everything and anything (alcoholism, religion, sex, politics and, mostly, the down side of relationships) is always lurking beneath the surface of the quirky melodies. The tastes and smells of the local pub are never far away either, with the band gaining a reputation for boozing. The band’s first album was Welcome To The Beautiful South (1989) and spawned the hits Song For Whoever and You Keep It All In. The release of 1990’s Choke album saw the band claim its only Number 1 hit to date, A Little Time. 0898 followed in 1992, with hits including Old Red Eyes Is Back.

In 1994, after Corrigan quit the band when she saw Paul’s lyrics for the forthcoming album Miaow, St Helens supermarket shelf-stacker, Jacqui Abbott, was brought on board to fill in. Heaton had heard her sing at an after show party in St Helens and remembered her vocal talents.
Read more… Edit bio

Popular tags: , , , ,  See more

Share this artist:

Top Albums

See more

Top Tracks

1
552
2
406
3
376
4
363
5
357
6
327
7
237
8
198
9
169
10
166
11  
164
12
131
13
113
14
111
15
109
Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

  • marksplace2008

    Great band, should have more plays on here.

    last week

  • obscure9999

    Still love their cover of Don't fear the reaper

    February 2012

  • clarky212

    the an.....orexic chicks x

    February 2012

  • Assembly-LSpa

    http://www.facebook.com/leamington.assembly?ref=ts#!/events/140118322764422/ Dave Hemingway and Ali Wheeler loved the songs and life on the road too much to just muse on past glories, and so The South was formed. Playing an intimate show at the bespoke art deco music venue The Assembly in Leamington Spa February 23rd 2012

    December 2011

  • sdlffff

    Completely underrated band. I've been trying and trying to get people to listen but they won't give them the time of day. I absolutely adore them, brilliant collection of music. I can listen to 'Welcome to the Beautiful South' over and over, day after day and not even start to get bored.

    December 2011

  • smarshal

    Vastly underrated. Welcome to.. and Miaow are genius.

    November 2011

  • sarahbianeck

    omg i just heard this band and i already love it!

    October 2011

  • lodewijkvv

    Rotterdam dan!

    July 2011
See all 149 shouts

Videos

See more

Listening Now

Top Listeners

See more

More Information

Links
Band Members
Labels

Email Newsletter

Universal Music Group Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on The Beautiful South from Universal Music.