Tindersticks

Formed in Nottingham in 1992 following Asphalt Ribbons, Tindersticks was built around Stuart A. Staples, David Boulter, Neil Fraser, Dickon Hinchliffe, Al Macaulay and Mark Colwill, before several personnel changes gradually tightened the band's core. From the start, Tindersticks developed a blend of indie rock and chamber pop, marked by string arrangements, soul-tinged elements, a faint jazz inheritance and Staples’s deep voice at the center of often slow, restrained songwriting. The albums Tindersticks (1993), Tindersticks (1995) and Curtains (1997) established this aesthetic, before the band shifted to a more direct, soul-influenced sound on Simple Pleasure (1999) and Can Our Love... (2001). With Waiting for the Moon (2003) Tindersticks adopted a more stripped-back approach, then resumed regular activity after Stuart A. Staples’ solo interlude with The Hungry Saw (2008), Falling Down a Mountain (2010) and The Something Rain (2012). Their trajectory also includes sustained work for cinema, notably with director Claire Denis. Still active, Tindersticks later released The Waiting Room (2016), No Treasure but Hope (2019), Distractions (2021) and Soft Tissue (2024).