The Seahorses = Stone Roses

The Seahorses were an English band of the mid to late 1990s, best known as the post-Stone Roses project of guitarist John Squire.

History

Formed in 1996, The Seahorses leaned more towards guitar-driven music than the dancehall rock of Stone Roses. The name of the band is an anagram of "He hates Roses," though it is unknown if this was intentional. For the band, Squire picked three unknowns. First to join was the bassist Stuart Fletcher who Squire saw standing in for a friend in a York pub band called The Blueflies, next was the lead vocalist Chris Helme (who a friend of Squire's had spotted busking outside Woolworths, also in York), with drummer Andy Watts, who also provided backing vocals, being the last to join after the band had auditioned numerous other drummers.

Squire, Helme and Fletcher rented a cottage in Coniston, Cumbria to write and rehearse in the summer of 1996. Soon after Watts joined, the band played two secret warm up gigs in Buckley and Greenock before the band headed to North Hollywood to record.

Their one and only album, Do it Yourself, was produced by Tony Visconti, for Geffen Records in June 1997, and received varied reviews. One of the songs on the album, "Love Me and Leave Me", was co-written with Liam Gallagher of Oasis, with whom the Seahorses toured in 1997.

Shortly before the release of the single "Love Me And Leave Me", it was announced that drummer Andy Watts was leaving the group to spend more time with his family. It was later brought to light in an online interview with Watts that he was asked to leave by the band's lawyers, on behalf of the band, because they didn't approve of the drummer's excessive behaviour on tour, and felt he didn't fit in with the desired image for the band. Watts was eventually replaced by Mark Heaney and played several secret gigs showcasing new material destined for a second album.

It was confirmed on the 23rd January 1999 that the band had split. It is believed Helme showed more interest in pursuing a solo career off the back of his involvement with Squire than working on the 2nd album, and John Squire walked out of the sessions. Working titles for the band's second album included "Minus Blue" and "Motorcade".

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