The Montgolfier Brothers | Mark Tranmer | Official website
Official news, discography, live gigs, downloads, shop about The Montgolfier Brothers featuring musician and multi-instrumentalist Mark Tranmer and Roger Quigley
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The Montgolfier Brothers Biography
The Montgolfier Brothers were active from 1998 - 2014. They recorded the first album 'Seventeen Stars' in 1998, and released it in Spring 1999 on Vespertine records. Touring in Europe followed. Seventeen Stars was re-issued as the first release on Alan McGee's post-Creation label Poptones in 2000. Gigs in the UK, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Japan followed, featuring Otto Smart as an extra guitarist. 'Seventeen Stars' was also released as a CD on Epic/Sony Japan, with a lyric booklet, and as a CD by Trama Records in Brazil. Poptones released both a CD and an LP version in 2000. The album was re-issued by Caroline True on vinyl in 2019, featuring the original Vespertine Records artwork.
A second album, 'The World is Flat' was recorded in 2001, and released on CD via Poptones in 2002. Epic/Sony Japan also released a version of the 'The World is Flat' CD with two additional tracks.
The 'Journey's End' EP appeared as an enhanced-CD in October 2005, on Vespertine & Son. Alongside the four audio tracks on this EP are two slideshow videos. The title track of the EP was taken from the third album 'All My Bad Thoughts' which appeared as a CD release on Vespertine & Son later in 2005. Gigs and tours followed: in Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and at the Moscow International Book Festival in 2009, where they performed as a 4-piece with Sophia Lockwood on cello.
Roger initially released records from 1995 as Quigley - beginning with the 'A Kind Of Loving' CD-EP on the pre-Vespertine label, Croissant Neuf, in 1995. This was followed in 1996 by a set of songs on one side of the 10" 'Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year'. This 10", split with Lazerboy, was the first release on Vespertine Records. Taking the new name, 'At Swim Two Birds', Roger then released three albums 'Quigley's Point' (2003), 'Returning To The Scene of the Crime' [re-recordings of older songs] (2007), and 'Before You Left' (2009) - featuring musical contributions by Sophia Lockwood and Otto Smart.
Otto Smart has recorded as 'The Otto Show', and has released albums on Vespertine & son and Annika records of Spain. He has also performed live soundtracks for silent film screenings, and continues to write new material, some of which can be found on his Soundcloud page.
Mark Tranmer has released records in his own name, and also as GNAC. He has collaborated with Rome-based pianist Alessandra Celletti; with Ian Masters, ex- Pale Saints as "Wingdisk"; and with James Hackett of The Orchids - as "Vetchinsky Settings".
Roger Quigley died on 18th August 2020. Rest In Peace.
More Information:
Discography
The Montgolfier Brothers
- All My Bad Thoughts (Album, 2005, Vespertine & Son, five)
- The Montgolfier Brothers - Journey's End (Single, 2005, Vespertine & Son, four)
- The World Is Flat (Album, 2002, Epic Records International)
- Pro-Celebrity Standing Around / Between Two Points (Single, 2001, Poptones, mc5001s)
- Seventeen Stars (Album, 1999, Vespertine)
Related discography
Mark Tranmer
- Mark Tranmer - Claviature (VF1079)
- Mark Tranmer - Further Woodland (VF050)
- Mark Tranmer - How Scarlet The Leaves (VF007, 12"+ CD)
- Mark Tranmer and Alessandra Celletti - 'The Red Pages' / 'How Scarlet The Leaves' special 2 CD package [VF017]
- Mark Tranmer and Alessandra Celletti - The Red Pages (Album, 2010, Vertical Features, VF 001)
- Mark Tranmer - Scoop Of Ice-Cream Moon (Album, 2009 reissue) Vertical Features, VF 010 D
- Mark Tranmer - Scoop Of Ice-Cream Moon (Album, 2004) Kooky Records, kookydisc 017
- VF007X (Album compilation, 2012, Vertical Features, VF007X)
gnac
- The Unread Pages (MP3 Album, 2012, Vertical Features)
- Three Long Pieces (MP3 Album, 2012, Vertical Features)
- Gnac With Alessandra Celletti - The Red Pages (Album, 2010, Vertical Features, VF 001)
- The Arrival Of The Fog (Album, 2007, LTM, LTMCD 2491)
- Sevens (Compilation album, 2007, LTM)
- Twelve Sidelong Glances (Album, 2006, LTM, LTMCD 2446)
- Soviet Bureau (1997-2003) (Compilation album, 2004, Zakat, Soyuz Music, ZAKCD003)
- Biscuit Barrel Fashion (Album, 2001, Poptones)
- Gnac / (Smooth) Operator - In The Bumpy Air / Alaska (Split 7" single, 2001, Octane Grammophon, oct-2)
- Gnac - Friend Sleeping (Album, 1999, Vespertine, ves 010)
- Sevens (Compilation album, 1999, Rocket Girl)
- Eighteenth Century Quiz Show (7" single, 1999, Acetone Records, Solve 010 SC IV)
- Hennebert Sleeve (7" single, 1999, Liquefaction Empire, DUSKE 9)
- Matchmaker (Via Remixology) #2 (12" single, 1999, Fuzzy Box, Darla Records, FUZ-016, DRL-079)
- The Moustache / Armchair Thriller (7" single, 1998, Earworm, WORM 29)
- In Mauve EP (7" single, 1998, Amberley, amy 007)
- A Tangle With... (7" single, 1998, Kooky Records, kookydisc 007)
Vertical Features Catalogue
- VF001: The Red Pages (2XCD)
- VF001D: gnac with Alessandra Celletti - 'The Red Pages' (digital download)
- VF002 & VF003: Bad Dancers Collide - 'Glimpses' EP parts 1 & 2 (digital download)
- VF002+VF003: GLIMPSES: (2 X colour 7")
- VF004D: gnac - 'Three Long Pieces'(digital download: DELETED)
- VF005D: wingdisk - 'Time Is Running Out +' (11-track album; digital download: DELETED)
- VF006D: gnac - 'Second Scoop of Ice-Cream Moon' (2-track digital download: DELETED)
- VF007: Mark Tranmer - How Scarlet The Leaves (12"+ CD)
- VF007CD: Mark Tranmer - How Scarlet The Leaves (CD only in a clear plastic wallet with hand-written track listing on a locally-sourced postcard. 25 copies)
- VF007SE: Mark Tranmer - How Scarlet The Leaves (12" + 2XCD + Postcard. Special edition of 60. First CD is the album tracks on CD. Second CD (VF007X) contains 8 rare and unreleased guitar-based tracks)
- VF008D gnac - 'Mark Tranmer and Alessandra Celletti Live in Rome (2-track digital download: DELETED)
- VF009D gnac - 'The Unread Pages' (10-track digital album. Physical version available on CD2 of VF001)
- VF010D Mark Tranmer - 'Scoop of Ice-Cream Moon' (20-track digital download album)
- VF011D Mark Tranmer and Alessandra Celletti - 'The Red Pages' (25-track digital download album. Physical version available on CD1 of VF001)
- VF012D: Mark Tranmer - 'How Scarlet The Leaves (IV)' (1-track digital download single).
- VF017: Mark Tranmer & Alessandra Celletti / Mark Tranmer - 'The Red Pages' / 'How Scarlet The Leaves' (special 2CD packaging; 100 hand-numbered copies).
- VF444: Vetchinsky Settings 'Anymore' (7" white vinyl single)
Fully-illustrated discography coming soon!
