Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps are a British trip hop band formed in Hartlepool, England, in 1994. They are best known for their first album, Becoming X (1996), and the singles "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". They took their name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.

The band's founding members were Liam Howe and Chris Corner, who then recruited Kelli Dayton (formerly of Lumieres, now recording under the name Kelli Ali) for vocal duties and long-time friend Ian Pickering to provide lyrics. After the first album, the band felt that demos for the second album (on which Corner provided the guide vocals) better suited his voice, especially in regard to the more raw, personal quality of the lyrics. Following the promotional tour for Becoming X, Kelli was dismissed from the group, and Corner became the singer.

In May of 2015, founding member Liam Howe hinted via Twitter that Sneaker Pimps would return to release their 4th album. It is unknown whether Chris Corner, co-founder and current frontman of IAMX, will feature on the new album.

6 Underground

"6 Underground" is a song by the English band Sneaker Pimps, from their 1996 studio album Becoming X.

First released as a single in the United Kingdom in September 1996, the song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart and had moderate radio airplay in the United States. After the song was used in the 1997 American film The Saint, radio stations began playing it more frequently; many stations continue to keep the song in their playlists. The single was re-released in the UK in May 1997, where it reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the song peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 7 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Originally, the song was a club hit in the UK. After the commercial success and popularity of the album version of the song, the group released several remixes, some of which became hits in dance clubs and radio stations with a dance format. The version most frequently heard on radio was the remix by Nellee Hooper (which appeared as a hidden track on the album).

Sneaker

Sneaker may refer to:

Sneakers are a type of casual shoes.

Sneakers may also refer to:

See also

Becoming X

Becoming X is the debut album from Sneaker Pimps released in 1996. The album was successful in the United Kingdom, while "6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar" would become hits in the US.

The album also marked the only appearance of Kelli Dayton as a vocalist for the group, before she was asked to leave the band. Chris Corner became the band's vocalist for subsequent albums.

"How Do", the last track on Becoming X, is a cover of the song known as "Willow's Song" featured in the movie The Wicker Man (1973). Sneaker Pimps' version begins with a short sound clip from the movie. It is in turn used in the movie Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes). Most recently, "How Do" was used during an intimate scene in the 2005 Eli Roth movie, Hostel.

The album later spawned a remix album Becoming Remixed with DJs such as Paul Oakenfold remixing tracks from Becoming X.

Fueled by the hit "6 Underground", the album spent 23 consecutive weeks on the US Billboard 200.

Track listing

All tracks by Chris Corner, Liam Howe and Ian Pickering unless otherwise noted.

Irving Plaza

Irving Plaza is a 1,025-personballroom-style music venue at 17 Irving Place and East 15th Street in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The three-level auditorium has served as a Polish Army veterans' headquarters, a swing music ballroom, a rock venue and has hosted church services as well. It is featured on the Complex City Guide list of "50 Best Concert Venues of America".

Polish Army veterans

In 1948 the building was purchased by the Polish Army Veterans of America District 2 and turned into a Polish-American community center. Generals and other distinguished Poles graced its stage including, in 1976, the future Pope John Paul II.

Rock venue

Thirty years later, in 1978, the hall was converted to a rock music venue by future Peppermint Lounge promoters Tom Goodkind and Frank Roccio, who after a year, began to share promotional efforts with a "Club 57" crew headed by Jane Friedman and Louis Tropia. Goodkind and Roccio brought in acts such as the B-52s, Talking Heads, the Ramones and, with Friedman and Tropia, a wealth of British bands, establishing the venue as a premier American location for punk and new wave.