They formed in 2002, taking their name from a Boards Of Canada song and had early UK-only single releases Decisions Decisions and Cut It both just sneaked into the UK top 100.
Their 2004 debut album, Pearl Necklace, was highly praised both in UK music press and online, and helped to expand the group's international fanbase. Despite supporting acts such as Idlewild, Biffy Clyro, Silverchair and Placebo and playing festivals in Japan and Europe in 2003-2004, the quartet's album did not perform as well as they had hoped for.
Single releases following the album's launch included download-only Italics, The Exile EP and A Pearl Necklace For Her Majesty.
Bass player Thom Craigen left the band to pursue other interests in early 2005, and was replaced by the band's guitar technician, Mike Newsham. However, following a short European tour, Colour of Fire split after playing Download Festival in 2005.
The band reformed in 2022 with their original line-up, and have been working on new material. They are set to play their first gig in 18 years in December 2023.
Band members:
Owen Richards (guitar, vocals)
Stuart Jones (guitar, vocals)
Matt Lunn (drums)
Thom Craigen (bass 2002-2005, 2022-)
Mike Newsham (bass - 2005)
Where are they now:
Owen went on to form several Leeds-based bands: Grammatics (2006-2010), Department M (2011-2016), and his current band (aside from CoF), Too Much Future.
Stu has several ongoing projects, including die Zerstörten and House Of Spiders.
Matt Lunn worked with Placebo and Shed Seven's Rick Witter, as well as joining Yorkie electro outfit The Officers.
Thom continues to write and play with new band, Modern Day Chicane.
Images
Colour of Fire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I doubt you want me to have these anymore,
I've got photographs, I've got letters too,
I've got images, images of you.
Maybe a rainy day, I'll pull them right out
And show all your friends just what your about
Yeah, I've got photographs, I've got letters too,
I've got images, images of you.
Like a memory they'll fade,
I slipped the negatives their way.
The lyrics to Colour of Fire’s “Images” are a haunting reflection of a past relationship. The song is about a person who is holding on to memories of someone they used to be close to. The first line of the song, “I’ve got pictures of you hidden away in a draw,” sets the tone for the rest of the song. The persona is holding onto memories in the form of photographs and letters, perhaps as a way of coping with the end of the relationship. However, they acknowledge that the other person would likely not want them to have these mementos anymore.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant. “Take these photographs away, like a memory they’ll fade,” suggests that the persona is aware that holding on to these images is only prolonging the pain of the break-up. They know that the only way to move on is to let go of the past. However, despite this realization, they still find themselves unable to let go completely. The final line of the song, “I slipped the negatives their way,” implies that the persona is making a conscious decision to rid themselves of the physical memories of the relationship, but that emotionally they are still holding on.
Overall, “Images” is a sad but relatable song about the difficulty of letting go of a past relationship. The singer’s struggle to move on is something that many people can relate to, and the lyrics capture that struggle in a raw and honest way.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got pictures of you hidden away in a draw,
I possess pictures of you that I have kept concealed in a drawer.
I doubt you want me to have these anymore,
I have suspicions that you no longer want me to retain these pictures.
I've got photographs, I've got letters too,
Along with the pictures, I have also kept letters and photographs.
I've got images, images of you.
I hold several mental pictures of you in my mind.
Maybe a rainy day, I'll pull them right out
Perhaps on a dreary day, I will bring them out of hiding.
And show all your friends just what your about
I could display them to your companions, to show them who you really are.
Yeah, I've got photographs, I've got letters too,
Once again, I want to emphasize that I am in possession of photographs and letters.
I've got images, images of you.
The same recurring thought of having several mental images of you still lingers on.
Take these photographs away,
I request that these photographs be removed.
Like a memory they'll fade,
Much like faint memories, they will disappear with time.
I slipped the negatives their way.
I have already given away the negatives, just so that the images could be destroyed.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mathew Laurence Lunn, Owen Brinley Richards, Stuart Steven Jones, Thomas David Craigen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind