The High Llamas

For the uninitiated, The High Llamas have exerted a significant influence on left-of-centre pop music worldwide since their inception in 1991. The founding members Sean O'Hagan, Jon Fell and Rob Allum were joined by Californian Anita Visser and Marcus Holdaway. The Idea was to make melodic pop in opposition to the dull grunge obsessed UK and US orthodoxy of the early 90's. Drawing their own influence from The Beach Boys, Robert Wyatt, French pop, Tropicalia and other Brazilian musical forms, their melodic but gently psychedelic pop has rubbed off, whether indirectly or through hands-on production, remixing or arragement work by members of the band, on music by Stereolab, Doves, Super Furry Animals, Cornelius, The Boo Radleys and Turn Brakes, amongst others.