Bob Tilton

So named in honor of the infamous American televangelist, British emo outfit Bob Tilton was formed in Nottingham in 1993 by singer Simon Feirn, guitarist Neil Johnson, bassist Mark Simms and drummer Alan Gainey. Debuting early the following year with an untitled EP for the Subjugation label, the group became an underground sensation on the strength of their acclaimed live dates, and in early 1995 earned further notice for the EP Songs of Penknife and Pocketwatch. Bob Tilton's steadfast "no interviews" rule — combined with Subjugation's "no promos" policy — of course intrigued the same media outlets the band wished to avoid, and after obtaining a copy of Penknife and Pocketwatch, NME named it their Single of the Week; outside of a John Peel session, little was heard from the group in the months which followed until the mid-1996 release of their debut LP, Crescent. Upon completing 1999's Leading Hotels of the World, Bob Tilton disbanded.