| The High Fidelity | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, dance-pop |
| Years Active: | 1995–2001 |
| Current Members: | Sean Dickson Adrian Barry Paul Dallaway Ross McFarlane |
The High Fidelity were a British rock band, formed in 1995 by Sean Dickson, formerly of the Soup Dragons.
Dickson started the group when High Times magazine asked him to record a track for a cannabis-themed covers compilation album, . Their debut album, Demonstration (2000). The LP was recorded largely in Dickson's bedroom, with Adrian Barry (bass), Paul Dallaway (guitar) and Ross McFarlane (drums). The album was later augmented with a number of orchestral arrangements recorded in India. Musically, the record comprised experimental dance-pop songs, and was described by The Guardian as "an expertly composed pastiche of psychedelic pop".[1] Their single "Luv Dup" reached #70 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1998.[2] The band recorded a number of sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show,[3] introducing the use of the omnichord, a vintage synthesiser, with which they performed a number of songs including a version of "Silent Night".[3] Peel shared the band's enthusiasm for the instrument, and when they gave him an omnichord as a 60th birthday present it led to Peel co-writing and performing on one of the tracks on the band's second album, 2001's The Omnichord Album.[3] He co-wrote the track "Pig Might Fly" about his wife with Sean Dickson for the album.