Neil Carlill (born 20 March 1967 in Ripon, England), is an English singer, lyricist, poet, composer, and musician. He is known for his work with experimental and alternative rock bands including 1990s UK acts Delicatessen and Lodger, and more recently with bands and collaborations including Vedette, Shoosh, 5 Little Elephants, Me Me the Moth, Chicanery, and Three on a Match. His lyrics reflect the influence of DaDa and James Joyce, and his voice has a unique, multifaceted, "strangely alluring" character.
Carlill founded the group Delicatessen in Leicester, England in 1993, and joined the British supergroup Lodger in 1998. Both groups charted in the UK, with Lodger's single, I'm Leaving, charting in the top 40. Lodger disbanded after one album, 1998's A Walk in the Park. Delicatessen, having released three critically acclaimed albums, broke up in late 2002.
During the late 1990s, Carlill also contributed to TV Mania, a side project of Duran Duran members Nick Rhodes and Warren Cuccurullo.
Having relocated to the United States in 2000, Neil Carlill temporarily slowed his musical output until, in 2004, he resumed working with Warren Cuccurullo, this time on the eponymous debut album from the project titled Chicanery. During this period he also founded the bands Vedette, Shoosh, 5 Little Elephants, Me Me the Moth, and Three on a Match through collaborations with numerous musicians in the US and Europe.
He has also developed a solo project dubbed Airport Studies, and performs live under the pseudonym Harvey Mapcase. As Airport Studies, Carlill contributed a song for the Fire Records James Joyce Tribute album, Chamber Music (James Joyce). Under his own name Carlill was a featured vocalist on Lost-Wax (2008 Plush) by Lena and the Floating Roots Orchestra. Some of Neil Carlill's written work was also published in 2007 in Galleon (Volume 1, Number 1), a literary journal that features adventurous short fiction.
Delicatessen
Delicatessen was formed by Neil Carlill (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Craig Bown (guitar, flute), Pete Capewell (bass) and Stuart Dayman (drums), taking their moniker from the 1991 French film. They started in Leicester, England in 1993 and while playing shows in London they were spotted by manager Tony Beard, and soon started to garner support from the Melody Maker and much of the UK music press. After signing to Starfish Records, the Indie offshoot of Jazz Summers' Big Life Publishing, their debut single Inviting Both Sisters Out To Dinner was released in October 1994, followed by the single C.F. Kane in April 1995. In a Melody Maker review of C.F. Kane, the reviewer placed Delicatessen in the class of bands that were "influenced by good books or good films, rather than just their late-Sixties record collections." Subsequently, their single, "I'm Just Alive" charted. Delicatessen also created the soundtrack to the Independent short film George and Ramona (starring Emily Dux and Gary Lydon, written by David Hill and Mika Kallwass) that was released in 1995.
The first album, Skin Touching Water, was released to stellar reviews in May 1995. Melody Maker called the band "The salvation of pop music". Early in 1995, bassist Pete Capewell left and was replaced by the multi-instrumentalist Will Foster. That summer saw Delicatessen headlining the 3rd stage at Reading Festival, and the addition of Jonny Wood on keyboards, percussion, backing vocals, and violin. With their live band complete, they toured in the Netherlands, Germany and France, and were featured at the Phoenix Festival in 1995. The second album Hustle into Bed, characterised as a darker, more orchestral work, was issued in 1996, produced by longtime Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and The Birthday Party producer/engineer Tony Cohen. After a great deal more touring there was a brief hiatus in which the Lodger 'supergroup' came about, and then Delicatessen reappeared in early 1998 with a new label, Viper Records, and a third album, There's No Confusing Some People. Carlill and Foster then continued with the Lodger project for the rest of 1998. Following Lodger's split, Carlill emigrated to the US, and despite attempts by him, Bown, and Dayman to keep recording, Delicatessen finally called it quits late in 2002.
Delicatessen recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show, both in 1995. The first was a four track studio session and the second six tracks recorded at the Reading Festival.
Lodger
After the completion of Delicatessen's second album, Neil Carlill and Will Foster joined forces with Pearl Lowe, who had fronted the Britpop band Powder, and Danny Goffey of Supergrass to form one of the most noteworthy of Britpop superbands, Lodger.