Grant nicholas feeder biography

Welsh indie rock band

Feeder are a Welsh rock band formed in Newport, South Wales in 1994. They have released 12 studio albums, 12 compilations, four EPs, and 43 singles while accumulating 25 top 75 singles between 1997 and 2012. At the peak of their commercial success, Feeder won two Kerrang! Awards in 2001 and 2003 and were inducted into their Hall of Fame in August 2019. Feeder are one of the prominent acts of the ‘Cool Cymru’ movement in Wales in the 1990s. Their 2024 album Black/Red debuted at number eight, three decades after the group formed, and 25 years after their first top 10 album Yesterday Went Too Soon. The band are also one of the most charted in UK sales history, with 40 Top 75 singles and albums combined across both charts.

The band was formed in 1994, although an earlier incarnation under the name of "Reel" was formed in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Grant Nicholas, drummer Jon Lee and bassist Simon Blight, three of the four members of Raindancer, after the departure of that band's other member, guitarist John Canham. However, Blight left Reel later in 1992, and the band played with many session bassists before hiring Taka Hirose in 1994 and re-establishing themselves as Feeder; that year, the band signed with The Echo Label.

Feeder garnered media attention in 2001 for their third album, Echo Park, and its lead single, "Buck Rogers", which later became a UK top five Platinum-selling single. Jon Lee died by suicide at his Miami home in January 2002, after which the remaining members began to record and play with former Skunk Anansie drummer Mark Richardson. They released their fourth album, Comfort in Sound, later that year; it touched on themes such as loss and coming to terms with death, while also exploring themes of positivity. Richardson was ultimately made an official member, remaining so until May 2009 when he returned to a reformed Skunk Ana

Feeder's debut EP, Two Colours, won them prestigious support slots with Reef and Terrorvision. Genuine hype would always elude Feeder - but criss-crossing the country, playing show upon show to provincial rock kids, they gradually began to build a strident fanbase.

1996 saw the release of the group's debut six-track mini album, Swim. It was a moderate success: a single from it, Crash, scraped the top 40 in August 1997. Feeder were swiftly moving into a new commercial realm, as defined by High - a bravely mainstream rock anthem recorded for the film Can't Hardly Wait, which crashed into the UK charts at number 24 in October.

High would later replace the ill-fated single Waterfall on reissued copies of the band's debut album proper, 1997's Polythene - but even without the chart hit, it was strong enough to be voted Album Of The Year 1997 by Metal Hammer magazine.

1999's Yesterday Went Too Soon drew a mixed response from fans, some of whom felt that Feeder's steps towards the pop mainstream were a little too eager and pronounced. But tracks like Tinsel Town and So Well saw Nicholas' songwriting progressing in leaps and bounds, inviting a subtlety and depth into the rocky Feeder sound.

The band's new commercial dawn came with Buck Rogers - a brash, technicolour pop song that hit the Top 5 in early 2001. It was the calling card for Echo Park, Feeder's accessible third album.

Feeder supported the Manics on their European tour and Stereophonics in the UK, and ended their most successful year to date with a re-recorded version of the absurdly catchy Just A Day. Its selling point was a video featuring Feeder's teenage fanbase air-guitaring their way through the track in bedrooms across the nation, and it saw the band wind up 2001 on a optimistic footing.

Sadly, the positive mood wasn't to last. Drummer Jon Lee was found dead in his Miami home on 7 January, 2002, following depression caused by marital problems. He had hanged himself u

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They're working on their 12th album

Feeder have been on the scene since the mid-90s, when indie rock really started to take off. After moving to London, Grant Nicholas met Taka Hirose after putting out an ad for a bass guitarist - and nearly 30 years later, they're still going strong.

With monolith hits like 'Just The Way I'm Feeling' and 'Buck Rogers' in their repertoire, it's no surprise that Feeder's 11th album 'Torpedo' made the Top 5 in the UK charts. Read on to find out more about the band's history...

Feeder the band: Members

Grant Nicholas is lead vocalist and lead guitarist in the band, and has been from the band's inception in 1994, and Taka Hirose has been on bass guitar and backing vocals since 1995. Original member Jon Lee played the drums in the band from its inception up until 2002, as he sadly passed away.

Skunk Anansie's drummer Mark Richardson stepped in to play drums from 2002 after Jon's passing until 2009, when Karl Brazil took over. Snow Patrol's Nathan Connolly played guitar as a touring member in 2016.

Where does Feeder the band name come from?

The band were originally called Reel up until 1994 when the line-up changed, and they renamed to Feeder after the name of Grant's pet goldfish, apparently.

Where are the band Feeder from?

Grant is from Newport in Wales, and moved to London so that the band - originally named Reel - could make it big. There, he met Taka, who is originally from Mizuho in Japan and moved to London in 1992 to be a graphic designer. He answered an advert in Loot - and the rest is history.

How did Feeder get famous?

Read through Feeder's career timeline.

Welsh musician

Musical artist

Grantley Jonathan Nicholas (born 12 November 1967) is a Welsh musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Feeder.

In 2014, Nicholas released his debut solo album Yorktown Heights. In the following year, a released a mini-album titled Black Clouds .

Nicholas has won two Kerrang Awards for Best British Live Act 2001 and Best British Band 2003.

Early years

Nicholas was born in Newport, South Wales, but grew up in Pwllmeyric near Chepstow. He was educated at Monmouth School. He performed in public for the first time at the age of 11 at school, and gained four O-levels (the predecessor to GCSEs), including an A grade in Art.

In school, Nicholas played the trumpet, and joined his first band, Sweet Leaf (named after a song by Black Sabbath, who were his favourite band in his school years, and the first he saw play live, at the Colston Hall in Bristol). He was promised his first guitar by his parents, as an incentive to pass his exams. He received the guitar, an Aron Les Paul copy after passing them.

Grant says he did not like the "cattle market" aspects of school and didn't work hard. His favourite bands at school included heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest and Black Sabbath.

Guitars

Nicholas' "signature guitar" is a 1967 Sunburst Fender Jazzmaster. In addition to this, he also owns a 1964 Silver Jazzmaster (often tuned differently when used live) and another Sunburst 59 Jazzmaster. He is using Fender Telecasters more and more and has a 73 Sunburst Fender Telecaster a 63 Black Telecaster and a Blue Standard Telecaster.

His other guitars include a Cherry Red Gibson SG, a Fender Bel