Lamb

From a demo to Gorecki

Lamb is a Manchester electronic duo associated with the Bristol trip hop scene. Andy Barlow was a sound engineer and producer; Lou Rhodes, born Louise Ann Rhodes in Manchester and raised around the English folk scene, recorded a demo with him that led to a six-album Mercury deal in 1995 on the strength of three songs, according to Wikipedia. Arctic Reviews says she was working as a photographer while Barlow was establishing himself as a producer. The debut Lamb came out on Fontana on September 30, 1996, with the single "Gorecki" following on March 17, 1997. Fear of Fours (1999) reached 37 in the UK, What Sound (2001) 54 and Between Darkness and Wonder (2003) 96. "Gabriel" (2001) was a number one in Portugal.

A last live appearance at Paradiso in Amsterdam in September 2004 was billed as the end, and the Best Kept Secrets compilation came out in 2004. They reunited in February 2009 and played the Big Chill in August; the album 5 (June 9, 2011, Strata) was self-funded, Backspace Unwind followed on October 13, 2014, and in late 2017 a 21st anniversary tour played the debut in full, with a double set at Manchester Cathedral recorded as Live at Manchester Cathedral. The Secret of Letting Go (April 26, 2019, Cooking Vinyl) is described by Wikipedia as the seventh and final studio album. Rhodes told Entertainment Voice the title came from a creative impasse, when they thought about dropping the whole thing, and that the exercise of letting go helped them carry on.

Wikipedia's infobox ends activity in 2024, but setlist.fm lists shows at Glastonbury and Brighton in June 2022, and dates announced for 2026 and 2027, so that end year is contradicted. Setlist.fm counts 1,348 attendances logged. Rhodes made solo records including Beloved One (2006) and One Good Thing (2010), and Barlow produced David Gray's Mutineers.