While at art college in Reading, Liam met David Westlake and Joe Wilson, who would both contribute to the first three albums and join the band on tour. When F.R.I.S.K. performed a gig with this line-up they later recorded some demos with Chris singing - these were considered the next stage in the evolution of Chis and Liam's professional partnership; another in an ever-improving set of smaller projects intended for a few thousand records at most. Drafting in Ian Pickering in 1995 to help with lyrics, they recruited Kelli Dayton for vocal duties after seeing her singing in a pub in Reading. The name 'Sneaker Pimps' itself was taken from a Beastie Boys article about a man they hired to track down classic shoes.
The first single Roll On preceded the first album, followed by Spin Spin Sugar, Post-Modern Sleaze, 6 Underground and Tesko Suicide. The album contains a myriad of 90s pop-culture references (such as film Thelma and Louise) coupled to dark double entendres and puns on drug taking and suicide. It was wildly successful everywhere: in America it remains their only real hit. In 2005, the song "Post-Modern Sleaze" (from the Becoming X album) was used as the theme song for Matroesjka's, an acclaimed Flemish drama series about Eastern European prostitutes and Belgians involved in the related sex trade.
Becoming X was "toured to death" over two years, particularly in America where the toll on Chris led to mental instability chronicled in the song Low Five. Depending on who you believe, Kelli Dayton left the band in 1998 or was sacked, going on to a solo career as Kelli Ali. The band trialled new vocallists, demoing some new songs with Icelandic chanteuse Emilíana Torrini, but coupled with the feeling that these demos fit Corner's voice better, and the fear of being identified with the fad for trip-hop acts, Corner became the singer. The Line of Flight studio was moved from Hartlepool to London and production on the next album started immediately.
1999's Splinter features the back of Chris' head, symbolizing the break with Kelli and his not feeling up to the responsibility of being a 'front man'. Dayton's departure, while lamented by many, was positively received by some critics who felt that it gave the band a more honest, emotional timbre and a more uniquely identifiable sound, especially with regard to the rawer and more personal quality of the lyrics. The album's production retains the sampled style of Becoming X while being edgier, less beat-driven, and at times more psychedelic. Due to wrangles with Virgin Records, the album was self-released on their own Clean Up label and not released in the US. Without significant promotion, and the lack of obvious singles that Becoming X had shown, the album was not as successful, but the favourable critical response led the band to set up their own club night in London. Called 'Home Taping' and hosted at the [venue]ICA[/venue], it invited celebrities and musicians to submit their own cassette mixes for the night's entertainment, and the odd live set by the band. Allegedly, one was even received by Madonna.
For 2002's Bloodsport, the band decamped to France and Germany, recording in a farmhouse while capturing the trans-European essence of Berlinesque "new-wave punk". Liam Howe was unavailable, so long-term associate and friend Chris Tate was brought in for synthesizer duties. The album was a glossier affair than before and included Flood on production duties rather than the band. On Bloodsport's release (including this time the US via Tommy Boy Records) the album was a comparative flop, but made the Austrian top twenty. Its singles were more successful in both the UK and Europe.
Sneaker Pimps recorded demos, previewed live in Russia and on European radio in 2003 for an unknown movie soundtrack and a fourth album tentatively titled 'Recall' or 'Songs of Imaginary Beings'. The album was never released; Chris and Liam purportedly shelved the tracks as a Sneaker Pimps album for several reasons. One, they contained some very emotional songs penned by Corner that were felt to be more suitable for a solo project, and two, in some cases were simply not being good enough to be released. The band eventually drifted apart during protracted sessions for the 4th album: many of the 'SP4' demos leaked and have been rereleased by Chris Corner's solo project IAMX on 2004's Kiss and Swallow and 2006's The Alternative. Another solo project, not including Corner or Howe, was the nu-rave and Madchester influenced Trash Money.
In late 2006, it emerged that seven new demos had been found and leaked from a portable music player left in a Russian bar. The demos, including "Rush", "Samaritan", "Sun Ate The Moon", "The Shutdown" and "Satellite" all sung by a new female singer believed to be Paris Hampton and referred to by fans as 'SP5. The band did not comment on the leaking of this material until 2015 when Liam Howe confirmed that "the Magnificent 7" had been recorded by Sneaker Pimps exploring a new, poppier sound.
Joe and David left the band to work in film production and academia. Liam Howe went on to have a successful career in music production, while Chris moved to Berlin and later Los Angeles as IAMX enjoyed a sustained alternative career, releasing Kingdom of Welcome Addiction in 2009, Dogmatic Infidel Comedown Ok in 2010, Volatile Times in 2011, The Unified Field in 2013, Metanoia in 2016, Everything is Burning in 2017, Unfall in 2018, Alive in New Light in 2019 and Echo, Echo in 2020. Ian Pickering launched his new project The Noise who Runs in 2020.
Chris and Liam continued to tease working together on new projects throughout various IAMX eras, including a session initially planned as Sneaker Pimps material becoming the Liam-produced IAMX mini-album "Everything is Burning".
In 2019, singer Simonne Jones was confirmed as the new featured singer of Sneaker Pimps which then began recording their new album together in earnest. Finally in May 2021, 18 years after their last album was released, the Squaring the Circle era was announced with two new singles, "Fighter" and "Squaring The Circle," which were released in July.
A remix album 'Rework Collection 1' was released in August, and their fourth full studio record 'Squaring The Circle' was released on September 10th, 2021 on Chris Corner's label UNFALL Productions. 'Squaring The Circle' features material recorded with both Simonne and Chris on lead vocals.
More remix albums and a re-release of the band's older records is also planned, with the band regaining copy and distribution rights of 'Becoming X' and 'Splinter' via One Little Independent Records and the ongoing negotiations of a re-release of 'Bloodsport' with Tommy Boy Records.
Becoming X
Sneaker Pimps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Incomplete, I only talk when you can hear me, keep dreaming
Can't wake up until I'm sleeping, lost on me, close to something I'll never be
Close to something I'll never be
If I just stay here, close my eyes can you still see me ?
Obsolete, very nearly something to see
Incomplete, very nearly something to be
Very nearly something to be
You can keep trying, drown in sleep to be flying
See for miles, something that I wanted to be
I can't wake this dream, prototype ends up has been
Incomplete, the consequence of something to be
The lyrics to Sneaker Pimps's song Becoming X are about the struggle of self-identity and trying to become something that you are not. The singer in the song is incomplete and only falls when their desired person is near them. They only talk when that person can hear them, and they keep dreaming about becoming something they are not. The lyrics suggest that the singer is lost, and they are close to something they will never be.
The singer is asking if their desired person can still see them when their eyes are closed because they feel obsolete, and they are very nearly something to be seen. The singer is trapped in a dream, and they feel like their potential is limited because they are incomplete. The song suggests that the consequence of trying to become someone you are not is incompleteness.
The lyrics to Becoming X are cryptic and can be interpreted in many ways. They suggest that the singer is struggling with their identity, and they seek validation from their desired person. The song's hypnotic beat reinforces the feeling of being trapped and incomplete.
Line by Line Meaning
You can keep breathing, I only fall when you are near me
I only feel alive when I'm close to you, and when you're gone, I lose my sense of self.
Incomplete, I only talk when you can hear me, keep dreaming
I feel like a part of me is missing and I only find my voice when I know you're listening. I'm holding onto a dream of something more.
Can't wake up until I'm sleeping, lost on me, close to something I'll never be
I'm stuck in this dream-like state and can't seem to come back to reality. I'm chasing an ideal that's just out of reach.
If I just stay here, close my eyes can you still see me ?
I'm hiding from the world, hoping to disappear, but I still want to be seen and recognized for who I am.
Obsolete, very nearly something to see
I feel like I'm becoming irrelevant, but I still want to be noticed and appreciated for what I'm worth.
Still see me, I can't wake up for sleeping
I'm lost in my own thoughts and can't seem to find my way back to reality. I'm holding onto a hope of being seen and understood.
Incomplete, very nearly something to be
I feel like there's a part of me that still needs to be filled, but I'm close to finally achieving that sense of completeness.
You can keep trying, drown in sleep to be flying
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my dreams, even if it means losing touch with reality and risking everything.
See for miles, something that I wanted to be
I have a vision of who I want to become and what I want to achieve, and I'm willing to do anything to make that a reality.
I can't wake this dream, prototype ends up has been
I'm so invested in my dream that I can't let go, even if it's not what I expected it to be. I'm willing to risk everything to see it through.
Incomplete, the consequence of something to be
I may not be perfect, but I still have the potential to achieve great things. My flaws are just a stepping stone to something greater.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRIS CORNER, LIAM COVERDALE-HOWE, IAN PICKERING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind