Linoleum (band)
Linoleum are a London-based indie–alternative musical group formed in 1994.
History
Caroline Finch and Paul Jones first met in 1991, and began writing songs together. Finch and Jones were joined in 1994 by Dave Nice, and in 1995 by Emma Tornaro, and the band signed a management deal with CMO at the end of 1995. The band set up their own Lino Vinyl label and all releases were on this label between 1996 and 1997. The first singles, "Dissent" and "Smear", came in sleeves made from linoleum.The band's debut album, Dissent, was released in 1997 on Lino Vinyl, and was released in the United States by Geffen Records. Dissent was recorded at Fort Apache Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts with Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade producing, whose previous efforts included projects with Radiohead, Hole and the Pixies among others. It received a mixed reaction and failed to make the breakthrough hoped for, leading to a change of label with Fierce Panda releasing later singles and second album The Race from the Burning Building. Jones left in 2000 to join Elastica; He was replaced by Gavin Pearce.
Linoleum played their final gig before splitting at the Union Chapel, Islington in 2001.
After Elastica split in 2001 Paul Jones went on to work in A&R for and formed Slogan Records, releasing his favourite band The Fall's Fall Heads Roll album to critical acclaim in 2005. In 2006 he sat on the judging panel for an X-Factor type competition run by MySpace shown on Channel 4.
He is currently the head of A&R at Rough Trade Records.
as well as managing the bands Black Midi and Shame with RT management
Since 2003, Caroline Finch has practised as a sound artist and composer and exhibited internationally under the name Caroline Devine. Devine’s site-specific sound installations explore hidden sounds, signals and voices and include ' for V&A Museum, London, ' for IKON Gallery, ' for Bletchley Park Codebreaking Centre and ' for Temple Contemporary, Philadelphia. In 2023 she created ' for the Monheim Triennale.
Devine's work, ', MK Gallery, 2011 is a 14 channel sound installation that appropriates a Linoleum recording contract, presenting spoken text extracts in the form of a vinyl disc surrounded by test tones, room resonances and vocals.
Devine’s work has featured on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and Resonance FM. In 2013, she was shortlisted for a BASCA British Composer Award in the Sonic Arts Category for 5 Minute Oscillations of the Sun and in 2014 for . Her audiowalk On Common Ground was shortlisted for an Ivor Novello award in the Sound Arts category of The Ivors Composer Awards 2020.
Dave Nice has played live a number of times with singer-songwriter Sid Stronach, playing guitar and bass as well as the drums. He is a member of Oblong, and plays on the album Indicator. He also plays guitar and provides some backing vocals on the Under Cambrian Sky album by Aberystwyth-based band The Lowland Hundred.
In 2010 the gallery opened online featuring works by Emma Tornero who is now working as an artist.