Chris Acland

Christopher John Dyke Acland (7 September 1966 – 17 October 1996) was an English drummer and songwriter. He was the drummer of the London-based shoegazing and Britpop band Lush.

Chris Acland
Chris Acland performing with Lush.
Background information
Birth nameChristopher John Dyke Acland
Born7 September 1966
Lancaster, Lancashire, England
Died17 October 1996(1996-10-17) (aged 30)
Burneside, England
GenresShoegazing, Britpop
Occupation(s)Drummer
InstrumentsDrums
Years active1980–1996
Labels4AD
Associated actsLush

Early life

Acland was born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in Lancaster, Lancashire. He was the son of Oliver Geoffrey Dyke Acland and Judith Veronica Williams, and the great-grandson of Sir Francis Dyke Acland, the 14th Baronet Acland.[1] He studied at North London Polytechnic, where he met his future Lush bandmates Meriel Barham and Miki Berenyi, briefly dating the latter.[2]

Career

He played in a number of bands, including The Infection, Les Turds,[3] A Touch of Hysteria and Panic, before founding Lush in 1988 with Steve Rippon, Emma Anderson, Meriel Barham and Miki Berenyi. After personnel changes gave way to a stable lineup, Lush released their debut mini album, Scar, and developed a following as a live act. They would go on to release three albums and several singles and EPs and achieve critical success.

Personal life and death

Acland was a keen football fan and a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. He and members of Moose and the Cocteau Twins formed the band The Lillies and recorded a humorous flexi-disc entitled "And David Seaman Will Be Very Disappointed About That" following the team's victory over North London rivals Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-finals[4]

On 17 October 1996, after Lush had completed their tour and music festival appearances, and two days after Anderson announced a desire to quit the band, Acland committed suicide by hanging himself in his parents' garden in Burneside, Cumbria. His bandmates in Lush were devastated and disbanded after a period of mourning.[5]

References
  1. Burke's Peerage & Baronetage 104th Edition
  2. "Lush reunited: 'We were seen as a band who'd turn up to the opening of a packet of crisps'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. "Les Turds | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  4. Perrone, Pierre "Obituary: Chris Acland. The Independent, Retrieved 11 July 2014
  5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas "Lush: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
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