The Auteurs consists of Alice Readman (bassist), Barney Rockford (percussionist, drummer), James Banbury (cellist, organist, synthesizer), Luke Haines (guitarist, pianist, vocalist).
The Auteurs were a vehicle for the songwriting talents of Luke Haines (guitar, piano and vocals). Formerly of the band "The Servants" (who had featured on the seminal compilation C86), Haines later created the Auteurs with his then girlfriend Alice Steadman (bass) and James Banbury (cello). Their first single "Showgirl" was praised by Melody Maker, and ensured the band a record deal with Hut. The following album, New Wave ( 1993) demonstrated Haines' acidic lyrical style offset by highly tuneful melodies such as "Early Years", "Idiot Brother" and "Bailed Out". This album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize and saw The Auteurs associated with the emerging Britpop genre.
However this association never sat well with Haines who frequently made derogatory remarks about his peers. After New Wave, the band remained on the fringes of the music scene. The critically acclaimed album Now I'm a Cowboyin 1994 built on the themes of New Wave and contained what remains probably Haines' best-known song, "Lenny Valentino". Demonstrating, again, their difference from their musical peers, the band's next release was The Auteurs vs U-Ziq, Auteurs songs remixed by the DJ U-Ziq (aka Michael Paradinas): in interviews at the time Haines claimed he found contemporary techno and house music more interesting than most Britpop bands.
In 1996 The Auteurs released what their fans generally consider to be Haines' best work to date, After Murder Park. Songs such as "Land Lovers", "Unsolved Child Murder", and "Buddha" marked a high point in Haines' lyrical output, while the accessible music was tempered by the distinctive production techniques of Steve Albini. Haines then went on to release an eponymous record under the name Baader Meinhof about the Baader Meinhof terrorist organisation that same year, although the sound was not a million miles away from The Auteurs (but with a rather peculiar funk influence). The last Auteurs record How I Learned to Love the Bootboys, in 1999, moved towards the more electronic sound that his solo releases have featured heavily, which upset some fans of the earlier material.
