- country:USA
- region:New York City
- style(s):Hip Hop, Rock
- label:Di Fontaine Recordings
- type:Band
- gender:male, female, child
- instrumentation:rock band
- artist posted by:Dark Independent Bookings
Line up
- Brian Fast Leiser (lead vocals, bass, keys, horns, harp and programmi)
- Frank Benbini (drums, percussion and vocals)
- Naim Cortazzi (guitar and vocals)
Links
Fun Lovin' Criminals are set to tour with charismatic founding member Brian Fast Leiser taking over lead vocals alongside Frank Benbini on drums and new guitarist Naim Cortazzi, formerly of the Happy Mondays.
Multi-instrumentalist Fast, who already plays keys, bass, harmonica and trumpet during a live show and has written and produced all Criminals’ tracks, has become frontman after BBC Radio's Huey Morgan quit the band last year.
The band, whose breakthrough came in the 90s with the massive hit Scooby Snacks, which sampled dialogue from the Tarantino films Reservoir Dogs and Scooby Snacks, are preparing to tour again for the first time with a new lineup.
Fast said: “There was only really one person who could perform these songs after Huey decided to quit. That’s me.
“They are songs that I wrote and songs I love to perform.
“Huey wouldn’t play many of our back catalogue live and we spent almost 10 years playing the same set to our fans.
“We got bored and some fans got bored too. It was one of the reasons cracks began to appear in our relationship.
“Huey decided to leave to pursue his radio career and we wish him the best of luck with that.
“But Frank and I want to continue playing to our fans and we are going to play songs that haven’t been played live for 20 years - as well as our fan favourites.”
BBC Radio’s Huey Morgan sensationally quit the band in November last year. He and Fast founded the band in 1993 at the notorious Limelight Club in Manhattan.
The former friends worked at the club and began writing songs together, filling in as a replacement band when booked acts failed to show up.
In 1996, Fun Lovin’ Criminals rollicking debut album Come Find Yourself was released to critical acclaim. The album was certified Platinum in the UK and Gold in the Netherlands.
In July this year, the British Phonographic Society certified the song Silver in recognition of more than 200,000 streams and sales.
The band have released six studio albums, a three CD live album, and seven compilation albums. Fast and Frank are working on a new album due for release in 2023.