XC-NN

This Leeds-based band of electro industrial rockers was formed as CNN by ex-Sisters Of Mercy guitarist Tim Bricheno (b. 6 July 1963, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England) with vocalist/guitarist David Tomlinson and drummer Neill Lambert. They made their debut on 1992’s Hot Wired Monstertrux compilation with ‘Looking Forward To The Day (I Stop Breathing)’, a quirkily upbeat yet lyrically nihilistic song, with a bizarrely borrowed Buddy Holly lyric in the pre-chorus setting out the band’s humorous stall. The Young, Stupid & White EP followed with a publicity campaign encouraging fans to nominate celebrities whom they thought fitted that particular bill, with weekly winners featuring on that week’s advertising. ‘Looking Forward To The Day’ was re-recorded for the Copyright EP with a sampled intro from 2 Unlimited’s ‘No Limits’, bringing legal action from producer Pete Waterman, but the legal muscle of the American news channel CNN proved rather more threatening, enforcing a name change - although the band retained a sense of identity by becoming XC-NN. They finally recruited a bass player in Nick Witherick, having previously played with sampled bass lines as a three-piece, before recording XC-NN. The debut’s diversity and quality surprised many people who regarded XC-NN as nothing more than a frivolous gimmick band, with inventive songs ranging from the pop accessibility of ‘1000 Easy’ to industrial guitar-based blasts. The band’s live performances continued to be exhilarating, but lack of commercial success led to their break-up. Bricheno and Tomlinson formed Tin Star.