Warm Jets - Future Signs (1997)

A British indie rock band were formed in 1995 by Louis Jones, Paul Noble and Ed Grimshaw and signed to This Way Up records in early 1996. They recruited former Pale Saints, Parachute Men and erstwhile Rialto member Colleen Browne on bass guitar duties. After the release of their debut EP “Autopia” the band received some positive press and played some prestigious support slots and festival appearances including an arena tour with Blur. The band appeared on NME’s annual tour of up and coming bands in early 1998. Their only album “Future Signs” was released in 1998, mixed by Glyn Johns. The band had top forty hits in Britain with “Never Never” and “Hurricane”. The group’s name derives from Brian Eno’s 1973 album, “Here Come the Warm Jets”.

The band had some short lived tabloid fame when singer Louis Jones had a relationship with DJ Zoe Ball. They were also often namechecked by Jones’ friend / media buddy Paul Kaye under his famed Dennis Pennis alter ego. Soon after their brief dalliance with the charts and a moderately successful tour in 1998 to support the “Future Signs” album, Paul Noble (previously a guitarist with late 80s indie rockers Eat) departed from the band.

The remaining trio then recruited former Strangelove and Blue Aeroplanes guitarist Alex Lee as a temporary replacement, but from that point onwards very little was heard of the band’s further activities with regard to recording any new material. Unsurprisingly, the enforced silence was made permanent when the group decided to disband quietly without any fanfare shortly after Island Records dropped them.