Chris Acland
Christopher John Dyke Acland (7 September 1966 – 17 October 1996) was an English drummer and songwriter. He was the drummer of the London-based shoegazing and Britpop band Lush.
Chris Acland | |
|---|---|
 Chris Acland performing with Lush. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher John Dyke Acland |
| Born | 7 September 1966 Lancaster, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 17 October 1996 (aged 30) Burneside, England |
| Genres | Shoegazing, Britpop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1980–1996 |
| Labels | 4AD |
| Associated acts | Lush |
Early life
Acland was born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in Lancaster, Lancashire. He was the son of Oliver Geoffrey Dyke Acland and Judith Veronica Williams, and the great-grandson of Sir Francis Dyke Acland, the 14th Baronet Acland.[1] He studied at North London Polytechnic, where he met his future Lush bandmates Meriel Barham and Miki Berenyi, briefly dating the latter.[2]
Career
He played in a number of bands, including The Infection, Les Turds,[3] A Touch of Hysteria and Panic, before founding Lush in 1988 with Steve Rippon, Emma Anderson, Meriel Barham and Miki Berenyi. After personnel changes gave way to a stable lineup, Lush released their debut mini album, Scar, and developed a following as a live act. They would go on to release three albums and several singles and EPs and achieve critical success.
Personal life and death
Acland was a keen football fan and a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. He and members of Moose and the Cocteau Twins formed the band The Lillies and recorded a humorous flexi-disc entitled "And David Seaman Will Be Very Disappointed About That" following the team's victory over North London rivals Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-finals[4]
On 17 October 1996, after Lush had completed their tour and music festival appearances, and two days after Anderson announced a desire to quit the band, Acland died by hanging himself in his parents' garden in Burneside, Cumbria. His bandmates in Lush were devastated and disbanded after a period of mourning.[5]
References
- Burke's Peerage & Baronetage 104th Edition
- "Lush reunited: 'We were seen as a band who'd turn up to the opening of a packet of crisps'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "Les Turds | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- Perrone, Pierre "Obituary: Chris Acland. The Independent, Retrieved 11 July 2014
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas "Lush: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
