Press Release from 'Portrait Records' (1986)

 

 

BIOGRAPHY

HOW WE LIVE comprises Steve Hogarth and Colin Woore. They make music that is melodic, romantic and eclectic. Their lyrics are a collection of true stories and true emotions made in simple human terms.

Steve and Colin met for the first time on Shepperton railway station. Colin had made the journey to meet Steve after talking on the phone in his quest to find a keyboard player for the band which was about to become The Europeans.

It was a natural pairing. Steve wrote the lyrics, Colin the music. They discovered they had similar tastes in music, from The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Joni Mitchell and early Bowie and Alice Cooper, Steely Dan etc.,

Coincidences between the two began early in their childhood. They had both bought The Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' as their first record; Steve got his first record player the same day Colin got his first guitar.

STEVE HOGARTH: was born in Kendal in Cumbria on the 14th May. He grew up in the industrial mining town of Doncaster. Steve left school and started working as a cable layer digging trenches all day. He decided to go to college and obtain a degree in Electronics. However, when he met the people on the course, he quickly went off the idea and resolved to start work at an electrical design company where he designed control systems for industrial machinery.

Steve started playing the piano at the age of 17 on an old piano his parent found going cheap in the local paper. He taught himself to play, eventually abandoning the day job to follow his passion to work as a musician full time. Part time work as a greengrocer and graphic artist was to sustain him on the way to carving a living from music.

COLIN WOORE : was born in Glasgow on the 16th May. He was given his first guitar for his sixth birthday. However, it wasn't until he was nine years old that he had learnt how to tune it! He joined the local school band when he was fourteen and then played locally in groups for another four years. Colin left schools and spent two years at college studying Accountancy. Working in an office proved a futile existence and Colin too got fed up with the attitude of the people there and left nine months later.

 

 

 

He was a founder member of The Europeans who went on to sign with A&M Records. The group toured extensively and achieved seven major tours before they ended up being strangled by record company politics. They decided to quit while they were ahead and Steve and Colin teamed up to become the nucleus of HOW WE LIVE.

Portrait Records heard their early demos and quickly signed them up. In 1986, they commenced working at Crescent Studios in Bath with David Lord producing, borrowing equipment from Peter Gabriel and XTC. They worked with Tears for Fears drummer Manny Elias, who played on three tracks, 'Working Girl', 'Games in Germany' and 'All The Time In the World.' Hugh Masekela's percussionist Francis Fuster played Congas and Talking Drum.

 

 

Steve and Colin still enjoy collaborating with other musicians; Steve Played piano with The The on their latest album 'Infected', sang with Julian Cope on 'St. Julian' and Colin Played guitar on the P.I.L 'This Is What You Want' album.

Meanwhile the fruition of their labours can be heard on their own debut album 'DRY LAND' which features such haunting tracks as 'Working Town' depicting the industrial decay of Steve's hometown when he returned several years later to discover many of the factories where he had worked had closed down; 'Games in Germany' is based on the exploits of one of Steve's best friends who was stationed there in the army, and died tragically in the Middle East. 'Working Girl' was inspired by a letter they received from a German female taxi driver who drove her cab through the night. She wrote to him describing how she was much out of phase with reality, and the relief she experienced when, driving home, she would watch the traffic, jamming the city-bound roads, queuing to start the working day.

 

 

HOW WE LIVE release their debut single 'All The Time In The World' on the 29th April on Portrait Records.

HOW WE LIVE speak through their music with energy, drive, honesty and spontaneity with a refusal to compromise. They have a challenging and heartfelt artistry that will be around for a long time to come.

 

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