Yan (Jan Scott Wilkinson) - Vocals, guitar
Noble (Martin Noble) - Guitar
Hamilton (Neil Hamilton Wilkinson) - Bass, vocals, guitar
Wood (Matthew Wood) - Drum
Phil Sumner - Cornet, Keyboards
Abi Fry - Viola
Yan, Hamilton and Wood are school friends from Kendal in Cumbria. They were in a number of bands together while at school, but after finishing his exams Yan moved to study at Reading University, where he met guitarist Noble. A few years later Hamilton and Wood moved down to join them and form a band.
They played some gigs and produced a 4 track demo in Reading as British Air Powers, before relocating to Brighton in search of a more vibrant music scene. "British Sea Power" was actually the name of one of these demo tracks, and was eventually reworked into Carrion. In Brighton, BSP amassed a strong local following, due mainly to their own club night called "Club Sea Power". The club nights featured many different support bands, and other forms of entertainment such as a 1930s fashion show, and were most frequently hosted at the Freebutt and the Lift (the latter has now closed down).
Their debut single, Fear of Drowning, was issued in limited numbers of their own Golden Chariot label. The artwork for the B side "A Wooden Horse" borrows heavily from the dust cover of the 1950 book "The Wooden Horse" that details the escape of Allied POWs during WWII. Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records saw the band live and in September 2001 signed them to his label. A number of singles were issued on the label, and Eamon (Eamon Hamilton) was recruited to play live keyboards in autumn 2002.
The Decline of British Sea Power, the band's debut album, was released in June 2003 to critical acclaim. A single from the album, "Carrion", became the band's first Top 40 single. The album only charted in the lower reaches of the UK Album Chart, but turned out to be a word of mouth success, shipping well over 60,000 copies over the following two years and allowing them to play sell-out UK tours to venues of over 1,000 people.
The follow-up, Open Season, was released in early April 2005, and also enjoyed wide critical praise. It showcased a more accessible, produced sound and charted at #13 in the UK Albums Chart. Lead single It Ended on an Oily Stage charted at #18 in the UK Singles Chart a week earlier.
British Sea Power have a reputation for elaborate and well-thought out live shows and won the 2004 Time Out London Live Band of the Year award. The stage is often decorated with foliage and plastic birds and sets generally finish with a semi-improvised song called "Rock in A", which sometimes lasts for over 20 minutes. Various members often climb riggings and tear down the foliage, Eamon walks around the audience beating his marching drum, and a ten-foot bear, Ursine Ultra, occasionally makes an appearance - often taking a beating from various band members. This has become one of the signatures of the band. Their tours often include unusual venues such as the Scillonian Club on the Isles of Scilly, Grasmere Village Hall, the St. John Boste Social Club in Kendal, Cumbria and Carnglaze Caverns in Cornwall.
The band have built up an eccentric image in interviews and press releases; some of which is based on fact, other times merely whimsical building of outward personas. This has included giving journalists grid references at which to meet them, and expressing obsessions with Field Marshal Montgomery and bird watching.
The band has a fiercely loyal and devoted hardcore fanbase, sometimes referred to as the Third Battalion.
At the beginning of 2006, it was announced that Eamon had left British Sea Power to concentrate on his own band Brakes. The group spent part of late 2006 working on new material in Montréal, and are preparing a DVD.
In 2007, American Laundromat Records announced that British Sea Power would record a version of the Pixies' "Caribou" for an album called "Dig For Fire - A Tribute To Pixies."
In October 2007, the band went on tour throughout the east coast of America to showcase their new 5-track EP, Krankenhaus EP. In November 2007, they toured a variety of unusual locations in the UK including a seaside cafe in Saltdean, East Sussex; a ferry across the River Mersey, Liverpool; the Tan Hill Inn, the UK's highest inn; All Saints Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne; and White Mischief, an indoor festival mixing live bands with unusual vaudeville acts.
Their Krankenhaus? EP was released digitally for purchasable download in October 2007 and was released on CD and vinyl on November the 20th. Their third album, Do You Like Rock Music? was released on 14th January 2008 in the U.K. and scheduled for release on 12th February 2008 in the U.S. Prior to their tour in support of Do You Like Rock Music? (visiting Ireland, UK, Belgium, Holland, Germany and US), Wood injured his back and had to be temporarily replaced by Tom White of Electric Soft Parade and Brakes fame.
In January 2008 the keyboard and cornet player ended up in hospital after being knocked unconscious when he attempted a stage dive. The crowd at Leeds Irish Centre failed to catch Phil Sumner, who jumped off a 12-foot PA system landing head first. The press department at Rough Trade Records reported "The impact knocked him out. Thankfully an ambulance was quickly summoned and he was whisked away, bloody and unconscious and despite a concussion, a broken molar and a maze of stitches in his chin, a very groggy Phil is expected to make a full recovery." In spite of this, he returned to the stage with the rest of the band a day later in Kendal.
In February 2008, the band appeared on Later with Jools Holland, playing Waving Flags, Canvey Island and No Lucifer. They were ably accompanied by a small number of the London Bulgarian Choir and a display of Cumbrian wrestling. The band are also scheduled to play at Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Latitude, T in the Park and Bestival.
In May 2009, British Sea Power released their fourth album, Man of Aran. Several tracks on this album are remakes of older songs, such as the main riff from North Hanging Rock which features in the new track Boy Vertiginous. The album comes paired with a DVD containing the Robert J. Flaherty film 'Man of Aran', a silent film with music from the album dubbed in.
In October 2010, British Sea Power released the seven track 'Zeus' ep and announced the release of their next album, 'Valhalla Dancehall' in January 2011.
In November 2011, the band started hosting a regular club evening in Brighton called "Krankenhaus" that recalled some of their Club British Sea Power events. DJ sets, friends of the band and general BSP hijinx.
On 9 August 2021, British Sea Power announced they were changing their name to Sea Power. In a statement the band explained:
"In recent times there’s been a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism that we don’t want to run any risk of being confused with. It’s become apparent that it’s possible to misapprehend the name British Sea Power, particularly if someone isn’t familiar with the band or their recordings. We’ve always been internationalist in our mindset, something made clear in songs like Waving Flags, an anthem to pan-European idealism. We always wanted to be an internationalist band but maybe having a specific nation state in our name wasn’t the cleverest way to demonstrate that. We very much hope the band’s audience won’t be affronted by this adjustment to the name. We’d like to make it clear that removing the word “British” does NOT indicate any aversion to the British Isles whatsoever. We all feel immensely fortunate to have grown up in these islands. Several or our songs are filled with love and awe for this place. We do love these lands. We all still live within the British Isles, but we are now just Sea Power. We feel the name change comes in part from the band’s audience – who at a good show will shout out, “Sea Power! Sea Power!” Maybe this name change has been there for years, shouted in our ears. It’s just taken us this long to realise – to hear what was there in front of us… "
A Trip Out
British Sea Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Set us a course
Pick up your sickle
Get on board
We're all going on a trip out
We're all going on a trip out
We're all getting, all getting out
Out with the daggers
Off with the gloves
There is so much
That you can loath
And I can't stop thinking about it
And I can't stop working it out
It doesn't come much bigger than this
You see a point and you make a wish
Everything tragic
Take it away
One fine day before the apocalypse
And I know it's not impossible
From a hill top
Worn out short grass
I don't know how long it can last
Up then toward the see saw
Up then toward the gibberish
Up then toward being a bore
Up then toward the apocalypse
Build us a vehicle
Set us a course
Pick up your sickle
Get on board
Lonely are the brave
There is a chance
Of happiness
Yeah, but it is over so fast
And I can't stop thinking about it
And I can't stop working it out
No la dee da
No picnickers
Just party, party in a tweety land
How long, how long, how long?
One fine day before the apocalypse,
And I know it's not impossible.
From a hill top,
Worn out short grass,
I don't know how long it can last.
Up then toward the see saw.
Up then toward the gibberish.
Up then toward being a bore
Up then toward the apocalypse.
The song "Trip Out A" by British Sea Power is a call to adventure, a journey into the unknown. The lyrics depict a desire to escape from the mundane aspects of everyday life and to discover something new. The opening lines, "Build us a vehicle, set us a course, pick up your sickle, get on board," suggest a sense of urgency to depart from the present and embark on a journey to find something more fulfilling.
The repetitive refrain, "We're all going on a trip out," emphasizes the communal aspect of this journey and suggests that the desire to explore is shared by everyone. The verses that follow offer a contrast between the frustration and negativity of current circumstances and the sense of possibility that comes with venturing into the unknown. The lines "Out with the daggers, off with the gloves, there is so much that you can loath" suggest a feeling of restriction and powerlessness in the present situation. However, this is countered by the idea that "everything tragic, [can be] taken away" through the act of taking risks and pursuing something new.
The references to an impending apocalypse throughout the song add a dark edge to the otherwise optimistic lyrics. The lines "One fine day before the apocalypse, and I know it's not impossible" suggest a sense of urgency and the need to act quickly before it's too late. The final lines, "Up then toward the see saw, up then toward the gibberish, up then toward being a bore, up then toward the apocalypse," reinforce the idea that the journey is more important than the destination and that even a potential disaster can be seen as an opportunity for growth and change.
Line by Line Meaning
Build us a vehicle
Create a means of transportation for us
Set us a course
Determine a direction for us to follow
Pick up your sickle
Take your tool for cutting
Get on board
Join us on the journey
We're all going on a trip out
We're embarking on an adventure
We're all getting, all getting out
We're leaving our current situation behind
Out with the daggers
Let go of the hostility
Off with the gloves
Drop the pretenses
There is so much that you can loath
There is a lot of negativity to focus on
And I can't stop thinking about it
I'm unable to stop pondering
And I can't stop working it out
I'm persistently attempting to solve the issue
It doesn't come much bigger than this
It's an enormous situation
You see a point and you make a wish
You spot an opportunity and hope for the best
Everything tragic
All things that are catastrophic
Take it away
Remove or eliminate it
One fine day before the apocalypse
Before the end of the world scenario happens
And I know it's not impossible
I'm certain it's achievable
From a hill top
From elevated terrain
Worn out short grass
Dried up, low vegetation
I don't know how long it can last
I'm uncertain how much time is left
Up then toward the see saw
Ascending towards the up and down apparatus
Up then toward the gibberish
Going up towards the nonsense language
Up then toward being a bore
Climbing towards being tedious or uninteresting
Lonely are the brave
Those who are courageous often face isolation
There is a chance
There's still an opportunity
Of happiness
To find joy
Yeah, but it is over so fast
However, it doesn't last long
No la dee da
Without any fancy extras
No picnickers
Without leisurely excursionists
Just party, party in a tweety land
Just celebrate in a frivolous, fanciful world
How long, how long, how long?
How much more time can we continue like this?
Up then toward the apocalypse
Climbing toward the catastrophic world event
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAN WILKINSON, JAN SCOTT WILKINSON, MARTIN NOBLE, MATTHEW WOOD, MATTHEW JAMES WOOD, NEIL WILKINSON, NEIL HAMILTON WILKINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind