1993 First Cut In 1993, after the release of the single Inertia which sold well in
Bristol record shops, Airbus won
ITV's
First Cut competition. This was broadcast on the television and the filmed live performances gave the band a lot of exposure in the
South West of England. The £5,000 cash prize allowed the band to invest in recording equipment and set up their own recording studio. In 1993, Airbus were approached by
Geoff Barrow of the band
Portishead and asked to record a B-side for their first single, "
Sour Times". The band members had been friends with Barrow since school. He gave them a tape with a click track on it and
Beth Gibbons’ vocal, refusing to play them the full song until they had written and recorded the music. The Airbus Reconstruction was released as a
B-side on a British CD release of "Sour Times", gaining Airbus more good exposure.
Gravity (1997) Between 1993 and 1997, Airbus worked hard touring and improving their studio recordings, which were self-produced. This culminated in the recording of the EP
Gravity which was released on the band's own record label, Spira Records. The EP generated a lot of interest from independent and major record labels and Airbus signed a contract with
BMG Music Publishing), they set about recording the album,
Ghosts. The album was released in 2000 and an extensive UK tour followed.
2002 disbanding In 2002, Airbus disbanded so the members could pursue their own personal projects. Nick Davidge and James Childs both settled in Los Angeles. Nick works in a creative agency and James plays in a variety of bands and regularly tours all over the world. Simon Hedges now works in television production in the UK. Chris Fielden works at a digital marketing agency in Bristol, England and, through writing fiction, runs a popular writing blog. Nick, James, Simon and Chris still record together, working on old and new Airbus material that is made available on their website.
2017 reforming The band has re-formed in 2017 for a gig at the Bristol BierKeller. ==Discography==