Emma, Dan and Andy are all from north Derbyshire. After practising in
Buxton for a couple of years the trio moved their rehearsals to Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield, in 2007. The band received their first national radio play in early 2008 after the
BBC's
Huw Stephens received a copy of their demo
Get On Board through the post. This was followed by them playing a showcase gig for
Huw Stephens a few months later at The Social in London. In summer 2008, Standard Fare were signed to
Thee SPC, an independent Sheffield label. A recording session followed and March 2009 saw the band's first release, a split single on 7” vinyl with Sheffield band Slow Down Tallahassee, featuring the song "Dancing". A second 7” single, "Fifteen" was released on
Thee SPC in January 2010. An agreement was signed with the Manchester-based label, Melodic to co-release the band's debut album
The Noyelle Beat. The album was released in both the UK and US in March 2010, with the US release under Bar None Records. This was followed by a 7” release of "Philadelphia".
The Noyelle Beat featured songs recorded at Stockport's LP Studios, and at 2Fly Studios in Sheffield with Alan Smyth. A second split single, this time with Boston-based band One Happy Island was released in January 2011. Standard Fare's second studio album,
Out Of Sight, Out Of Town, was released in December 2011. Reviews were positive, with the BBC's Darren Loucaidis describing the record as "clear cut fun", Drowned In Sound's Alex Yau noting the record's new found "maturity", and musicOMH's Helen Clarke claiming it to be "a late contender for indiepop album of the year". In January 2013, the band announced they were to split up, issuing a statement which said that "after nine years of playing together, we are finishing Standard Fare on a high". They also said they parted on friendly terms, and would play two final gigs in Sheffield and London in February and March. == Critical acclaim ==