Sneaker Pimps were a British trip-hop band formed in Hartlepool, England in 1994. They are best known for their first album Becoming X (released in 1996) and particularly the singles "6 Underground," "Spin Spin Sugar," and
... Sneaker Pimps were a British trip-hop band formed in Hartlepool, England in 1994. They are best known for their first album Becoming X (released in 1996) and particularly the singles "6 Underground," "Spin Spin Sugar," and "Tesko Suicide" from the same album. They took their name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.
The band's founding members were Chris Corner and Liam Howe, who then recruited Kelli Dayton (formerly of Lumieres, now recording under the name Kelli Ali) for vocal duties. After the first album, the band felt that demos for second album (on which Corner provided the guide vocals) better suited his voice, especially in regard to the more raw, personal quality of the lyrics. Combined with the fear of being identified with the fad for trip-hop acts (e.g. Portishead),[citation needed] Dayton was asked to leave the group, and Corner became the singer.
