Murry The Hump

:(This page is about the Welsh band. For the English band of the same name, see Keys(2). For the American group of the same name, see Keys(3)).
Murry The Hump were a Welsh indie rock and "urban folk" band. They were active from 1999 until 2001. Since then they have continued to release music under the name The Keys (or simply Keys). The band was formed in Aberystwyth, Wales in the late 1990s by singer Matthew Evans, guitarist Gwion Rowlands, bass guitarist Curig Huws, and drummer Bill Coyne, taking their name from the gangster Llewellyn Morris "Murray The Hump" Humphreys.
Early on in the band's career, they competed in a Battle of the Bands contest against Muse. Garnering early interest by way of indie singles "Green Green Grass of Home" (an NME "Single of the Week", and a song about marijuana rather than a cover of the song made famous by Tom Jones) (Blue Dog/V2) and "Thrown Like A Stone" (Shifty Disco).
In 2000 the band signed to Too Pure, whereupon they joined new label mates Hefner on a whistle-stop tour of the UK. The band then began work ontheir debut album, Songs of Ignorance, and performed some of the new material for Radio 1's One Live in Cardiff. Curig was replaced by new bassist Siôn Glyn.
A second single for the label, "Don't Slip Up" and the debut album Songs of Ignorance followed. The band announced that they had split up in September 2001. Evans stated in 2003 "it stopped being fun and we found we had to promote things and that's when things started getting quite tense. "Evans, Rowlands, and Glyn re-remerged in 2002 as The Keys, after asking fans to choose a name for the new band, and were described as "Duane Eddy jamming with the Jesus and Mary Chain". The band released a self-titled debut album in 2003, two EPs in 2009 and their second album as The Keys, Fire Inside, in 2010. A third album, Bitten by Wolves, was released in 2011. The band, now also known simply as Keys, released the albums Ring the Changes in 2014, Bring Me the Head of Jerry Garcia in 2019. and Home Schooling Album in 2020.
==Links to Peel==
Peel discovered the band after Damon Albarn of Blur recommended him their single, Thrown Like A Stone, which JP mentioned on his 21 September 1999 show. The band later did two sessions for Peel's programmes and their song Thrown Like A Stone entered at number 9 in the 1999 Festive Fifty. After the group split and remerged as the Keys in 2002, Peel kept his support of the band's new name and continued playing their material, including having them to do a session for his show. Their song, Strength Of Strings, was one of Peel's singles of the month for June 2003 (Peel's Record Box) and it also entered the 2003 Festive Fifty at number 41.
==Festive Fifty Entries==
;Murry The Hump
*1999 Festive Fifty: Thrown Like A Stone #09
;Keys
*2003 Festive Fifty: Strength Of Strings #41
==Sessions==
;Murry The Hump
1. Recorded: 1999-09-26. First Broadcast: 01 December 1999
*Cracking Up / One Fine Day / Five / Kebab Or Shag
2. Recorded live from Peel Acres. First Broadcast: 21 December 2000
*Walking In A Winter Wonderland (sung in Welsh)
;Keys
1. Recorded: 2003-07-09. First Broadcast: 09 September 2003. Repeated: 13 November 2003
*From Tense To Loose To Slack / Girlfriend / Feel A Whole Lot Better / Love Your Sons And Daughters
==Live==
;Murry The Hump
*Live from Union Chapel, London. First Broadcast: 29 March 2000
#Cracking Up
#Don't Slip Up
#Booze And Cigarettes
#Five
#Kebab Or Shag
*Live at Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff for One Live. First Broadcast: 25 October 2000
#Elle Nico
#Pigs On Parade
#Thrown Like A Stone
#The House That Used To Be A Ship
#Five
#Booze & Cigarettes
#Kebab or Shag?
==Other Shows Played==
;thumb|250x250pxMurry The Hump
*21 September 1999: Thrown Like A Stone (CD single) Shifty Disco
*26 September 1999 (BFBS): 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*30 September 1999: Thrown Like A Stone (CD single) Shifty Disco
*September 1999 (FSK): Thrown Like A Stone (CD Single) Shifty Disco
*01 October 1999 (BBC World Service): Thrown Like A Stone (single) Shifty Disco
*10 October 1999 (BFBS): 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*13 October 1999: 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*21 October 1999 (Radio Eins): 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*25 October 1999 (BFBS): 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*27 October 1999: 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*October 1999 (FSK): Thrown Like A Stone (CD Single) Shifty Disco
*11 November 1999: 'Colouring Book (CDS)' (Malthouse)
*17 November 1999: 'Kebab Or Shag? (live) (CDS-Colouring Book EP)' (Malthouse)
*25 November 1999 (Radio Eins): Colouring Book (EP) Malthouse
*09 December 1999 (Radio Eins): 'Colouring Book (CDS)' (Malthouse)
*29 December 1999: 'Thrown Like A Stone (CD single)' (Shifty Disco) FF #09 (JP: 'Well, I'm willing to bet that that's the first Aberystwyth area band to feature in the Festive Fifty.')
*05 January 2000: 'Kebab Or Shag (live) (EP-Colouring Book)' (Malthouse)
*09 January 2000 (BFBS): 'Colouring Book (CDS-Colouring Book EP)' (Malthouse)
*20 January 2000 (Radio Eins): 'Colouring Book (CDS-Colouring Book EP)' (Malthouse)
*06 April 2000: 'Silver Suit (7")' (Prim & Proper)
*09 April 2000 (BFBS): 'Silver Suit (7")' (Prim & Proper)
*11 April 2000: 'Silver Suit (7")' (Prim & Proper)
*27 April 2000 (Radio Eins): 'Silver Suit (7")' (Prim & Proper)
*03 May 2000 (Radio Eins): 'Silver Suit (7")' (Prim & Proper)
*09 May 2000: Silver Suit (7”) Prim & Proper
*06 July 2000 (Radio Eins): 'Thrown Like A Stone (CDS)' (Shifty Disco)
*27 December 2000: 'The House That Used To Be A Ship (split 7 inch with Hefner)' (Too Pure)
*25 January 2001: The House That Used To Be A Ship (7" split with Hefner - Half A Life / The House That Used To Be A Ship) Too Pure
*January 2001 (FSK): The House That Used To Be A Boat (shared 7" with Hefner - Half A Life / The House That Used To Be A Ship) Too Pure
*07 February 2001: Cracking Up (EP – Cracking Up) Too Pure
*13 February 2001: Cracking Up (CD Single) Too Pure
*14 February 2001: Green Green Grass (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*15 February 2001: Valley Girl (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*25 February 2001 (BBC World Service): Cracking Up (single) Too Pure
*February 2001 (FSK): Valley Girl (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*07 March 2001: Booze And Cigarettes (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*08 March 2001 (Radio Eins): Cracking Up (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*08 March 2001 (Radio Eins): Green Green Grass (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*14 March 2001: Five (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*15 March 2001 (Radio Eins): Don't Slip Up (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*20 March 2001: Green Green Grass (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*29 March 2001 (Radio Eins): Green Green Grass (CD - Songs Of Ignorance) Too Pure
*25 April 2001: 'Green Green Grass (CD-Songs Of Ignorance)' (Too Pure)
;thumb|250x250pxKeys
*18 December 2002: Gurl Next Door (CD Single) Boobytrap
*01 January 2003: Gurl Next Door (CD Single) Boobytrap
*09 January 2003 (Radio Eins): Girl Next Door (CD Single) Boobytrap
*08 May 2003: Strength Of Strings (7" single) Too Pure
*15 May 2003: Strength Of Strings (7" single) Too Pure
*22 May 2003: 'Strength Of Strings (7")' (Too Pure)
*22 May 2003 (Radio Eins): Strength Of Strings (7" single) Too Pure
*30 May 2003 (BBC World Service): Strength Of Strings (7" single) Too Pure
*11 June 2003: Strength Of Strings (7") Too Pure
*June 2003 (FSK): Strength Of Strings (CD Single) Too Pure
*17 July 2003: Love Your Sons & Daughters (single) Too Pure
*31 July 2003: Love Your Sons & Daughters (7") Too Pure
*13 August 2003 (Radio Mafia): Love Your Sons & Daughters (7") Too Pure
*23 August 2003 (BBC World Service): Love Your Sons & Daughters (7") Too Pure
*28 August 2003: 'Love Your Sons & Daughters (7")' (Too Pure)
*28 August 2003 (Radio Eins): 'Love Your Sons & Daughters (7")' (Too Pure)
*August 2003 (FSK): Love Your Sons & Daughters (CD - The Keys) Too Pure
*18 September 2003: Driving School (CD - The Keys) Too Pure
*02 October 2003 (Radio Eins): Driving School (CD - The Keys) Too Pure
*25 November 2003: From Tense To Loose To Slack (LP - The Keys) Too Pure
*27 November 2003: 'Tense To Loose To Slack (LP: The Keys)' Too Pure
*04 December 2003 (Radio Eins): 'From Tense To Loose To Slack (CD-The Keys)' (Too Pure)
*05 December 2003 (BBC World Service): 'From Tense To Loose To Slack (CD-The Keys)' (Too Pure)
*24 December 2003: 'Strength Of Strings' (Too Pure) FF #41 (JP: 'I think that would be higher in my Festive Fifty, but I don't even get a vote.')
*24 February 2004: From Tense To Loose To Slack (Single - From Tense To Loose To Slack) Too Pure
*09 March 2004: From Tense To Loose To Slack (Single - From Tense To Loose To Slack) Too Pure
*19 March 2004 (BBC World Service): From Tense To Loose To Slack (Single - From Tense To Loose To Slack) Too Pure
*March 2004 (FSK): From Tense To Loose To Slack (CD Single) Too Pure
== See Also ==
* April 2000 (Peel's Record Box)
*December 2000 (Peel's Record Box)
*January 2001 (Peel's Record Box)
*February 2001 (Peel's Record Box)
*June 2003 (Peel's Record Box)
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs (Murry The Hump)
*Discogs (Keys)
Category:Artists