Embrace

Embrace originated in Bailiff Bridge, West Yorkshire, in 1990, with brothers Danny McNamara on vocals and Richard McNamara on guitar. They began by writing songs with a cassette recorder and later incorporated a drum machine. Mickey Dale joined on keyboards, and after numerous auditions, Mike Heaton became the drummer. The band performed under various names from 1992 before officially settling on ‘Embrace.’ Richard McNamara secured permission to use the name from Ian Mackaye of the American band Embrace. Steve Firth completed the current five-piece lineup in 1996.

In 1997, Embrace released their first single, “All You Good Good People,” on Fierce Panda Records. This was followed by “Fireworks” and “One Big Family,” which helped build their early following. Their debut album, “The Good Will Out,” released on June 8, 1998, quickly reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart. It achieved gold status on its first day and sold over 500,000 copies domestically, establishing them as a prominent British act. This success was followed by “Drawn from Memory” in 2000, which reached number 8 in the UK chart, and “If You’ve Never Been” in 2001, charting at number 9. These albums were supported by international tours across Europe, the US, and Australia.

A significant career turning point occurred when Embrace signed with Independiente Records, releasing “Out of Nothing” in 2004, which returned them to the number one spot in the UK. The album was preceded by the hit single “Gravity,” written by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, which charted at number seven. In 2006, their fifth studio album, “This New Day,” also topped the charts. That same year, Embrace was chosen to record England’s official World Cup song, “World at Your Feet,” which reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. After an extended hiatus, the band returned in 2014 with their self-titled album, “Embrace,” reaching number 5, followed by “Love Is a Basic Need” in 2018 and “How to Be a Person Like Other People” in 2022, both charting within the UK Albums Chart Top 10.