| Ou Est Le Swimming Pool | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Camden, London, England |
| Genres | Synthpop, indietronica |
| Years active | 2009–2010 |
| Labels | Stiff, Fire & Manouvre |
| Past members | Caan Capan Charles Haddon Joe Hutchinson |
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool was an English synthpop group from Camden, London, made up of Caan Capan, Charles Haddon, and Joe Hutchinson.
The band name is an amalgamation of French (où est le: where is the) and English (swimming pool) and is inspired by a line from French teacher Mrs. Crabbe (played by Pam Ferris) in the television series Hardwicke House. They released four singles.
History
In 2009, the band released and re-released their debut single, "Dance the Way I Feel", before supporting La Roux on their UK tour. In 2010, the band released the singles "These New Knights", "Jackson's Last Stand" and "The Key" as well as their debut album The Golden Year.
The band played at Glastonbury Festival and Bestival in 2009 and supported La Roux on their tour in early 2010. In May 2010, they played at Evolution Festival and in July at Global Gathering, along with a series of festivals all over Europe throughout the summer of 2010.
They appear on Tiësto's fifth album A Town Called Paradise on the song "The Feeling".
Charles Haddon's death and disbandment
On 20 August 2010, Charles Haddon, the lead singer of the band, died after a performance at Pukkelpop, Belgium. He died by suicide in the backstage artists' parking area. Haddon was reported to have been distressed after he feared he had seriously injured a young girl earlier after a stage dive. Haddon was 22 years old.
On 3 October 2010, the remaining Ou Est Le Swimming Pool members arranged a festival, billed as Chazzstock, in honour of Haddon at Koko in Camden, London. The Kooks, Mr Hudson, Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, Man Like Me, Daisy Dares You, Kissy Sell Out, Tribes, Ollie Wride and The Horrors performed at the event. The event raised more than £8,000 for charities Mind and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). Faris Badwan of The Horrors also dedicated his side-project Cat's Eyes' debut album Cat's Eyes to Haddon's memory.
Discography
Album
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| The Golden Year |
|
15 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certification | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UK Ind. |
AUS |
BEL (FL) |
NZ | ||||
| 2009 | "Dance the Way I Feel" | 110 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 20 |
|
The Golden Year |
| 2010 | "These New Knights" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Jackson's Last Stand" | — | — | 79 | — | — | |||
| "The Key" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart or has not been released | ||||||||
References
- Ou Est le Swimming Pool Allmusic Ou Est Le Swimming Pool biography
- "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Interview". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- Hugh Montgomery (8 October 2010). "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool:The Golden Year". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- "Live Review: La Roux and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool at Bristol O2 Academy – Monday 10 May 2010 | There Goes The Fear Music Blog". Theregoesthefear.com. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- "Tiësto releases fifth album A Town Called Paradise on June 16". Archived from the original on 30 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool singer Charles Haddon found dead in Belgium". The Guardian. London. 21 August 2010.
- Michaels, Sean (25 August 2010). "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool singer 'injured fan before killing himself'". The Guardian. London.
- "Tony Hadley performs at Chazzstock". Female First. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- ^ Peaks in Australia:
- "Dance the Way I Feel": "Discography Ou Est Le Swimming Pool". Hung Medien. australian-charts.com. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- "Jackson's Last Stand": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 210.
- "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool to release debut album following singer's death | News". Nme. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- "Ou Est Le Swimming Pool album to be released as planned | Ministry of Sound Australia". Ministryofsound.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- "Discography Ou Est Le Swimming Pool". Hung Medien. ultratop.be. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- "Discography Ou Est Le Swimming Pool". Hung Medien. chart.org.nz. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 September 2022.