Remy Zero

A quick read over Remy Zero’s backstory marks them out as being amongst the great nearly-men of indie rock. They began their career in dizzying fashion, being invited to support Radiohead on the tour for The Bends on the strength of just their demo tape, and by the time they’d put out their second record, Villa Elaine, in 1998, they genuinely looked poised for major success. Ultimately, though, they’d go onto be best known in the popular imagination for the use of their songs on film and television soundtracks, particularly ‘Fair’ in Zach Braff’s Garden State and Smallville’s selection of ‘Save Me’ as its theme song. On stage, the five-piece took a no-frills approach to the presentation of their songs, firing through them pretty much precisely as they were presented on record, with singer Cinjun Tate bearing an uncanny resemblance to a young Michael Stipe. After disbanding in 2003, they’d reform for a handful of shows in 2010, in honour of drummer Gregory Slay, who died earlier that year. The band were adamant, though, that those gigs marked their final activity together, meaning that we’ll presumably have to remember them as one of those bands who really should have made it, but in the end, fell just a little short.