Gene was a British alternative rock quartet that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s. Formed in 1993, they were popularly labelled as a Britpop band and often drew comparisons to The Smiths because of their Morrissey-esque lead singer, Martin Rossiter. Gene's music was influenced by The Jam, The Small Faces, The Style Council and The Clash.
Gene's origins lie in a previous band first called The Go Hole, named after a fictional "Beat" club in John Clellon Holmes' novel Go, and later renamed Spin. Vocalist/rhythm guitarist and songwriter Lee Clark, bassist John Mason, lead guitarist Steve Mason, and drummer Matt James were original members.
The band was formed by Clark (vocals/guitar) and Daz Walton (bass). John Mason took over playing bass and James joined on drums. A few years later, Clark, Mason and James recruited Mason's brother Steve Mason to play lead/rhythm guitar and free Clark's vocal style, which was limited by his mediocre guitar playing.
After performing in Woolwich, London for several years, Spin became a promising Stone Roses-like band that was involved in a serious road accident. John Mason suffered a serious head injury and went into an 11-day coma. Their road manager Walton retired as a result of the crash. The day prior to the accident, Clark (the main songwriter) had offered his resignation in a letter to the rest of the band, due to his dissatisfaction with the way the band and the record label Foundation were guiding its course. "The final straw for me," stated Clark, "was calling the Spin album In Motion - a play on word-association which was so naff, that it beggared belief."
Albums
* 1995 Olympian - #8
* 1996 To See The Lights - #11
* 1997 Drawn To The Deep End - #8
* 1999 Revelations - #25
* 2000 Rising For Sunset
* 2001 As Good As It Gets: The Best Of
* 2001 Libertine - #92
* 2006 The Collection
* 2006 The John Peel Sessions
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