On This Day 28/01/1996 Echobelly

On this day, 28 January 1996, rock band Echobelly played Cardiff University.

Debuting in 1994 with their album Everyone's Got One. They were often compared to Blondie and The Smiths; Morrissey becoming a fan of the group.

The most prominent part of Echobelly's success formula was vocalist Sonya Madan, who was also the group's lyricist.

Born in Delhi, India, before moving to England at the age of two, Madan had an unusual background for a pop star. Her upbringing made rock music an unusual choice for her as a youngster and she did not attend her first rock concert until she was in college.

In a radio interview with Janice Long, on BBC Radio Wales, in December 2017, she admitted that her parents had initially found it hard to accept her choice of career.

Madan's lyrics often ventured into the less explored side of life, addressed in songs such as King of the Kerb. and Dark Therapy. "I wanted to challenge myself as a lyricist on a different level on this album," Madan said in Rolling Stone. "I want people to tell me what they thought the lyrics are about. I'm not a politician. I'm not interested in changing everybody around me. I'm interested in myself."

Health and legal problems interrupted the success of Echobelly in 1995 and 1996. Madan had a serious thyroid problem during her world tour that was potentially life-threatening, but was later cured.

Bass guitarist James Harris joined after Alex Keyser defected because of personal and artistic differences. The group also had disagreements with Rhythm King after the label moved to Arista. The band chose to stay with Epic. In 1996, Madan also ventured away from the group when she sang on a recording of the club band, Lithium. Smith left the band before the release of the band's third album Lustra, which was produced by Gil Norton and issued in November 1997.