They broke away from their former group, Sleepy People in early 1994, left Newcastle and headed for London, originally under the name Popacatapetal (a Mexican volcano). After a self-titled EP on Org Records, Haslem was replaced by Matt Jones, and Vanessa Best joined on bass (saving her from the George Michael tribute band she was performing with at the time!), and Green switched to lead guitar. In 1997, the new line-up was re-christened as Ultrasound, and would shortly release their debut single 'Same Band' on the Fierce Panda label.
Appearing at several 'unsigned' NME sponsored gigs, they came to the attention of many labels, prompting a minor bidding war eventually won by Nude Records. Coverage in the music press soon followed, and the increasing confidence of the band shone through on their subsequent singles, "Best Wishes" and "Stay Young" in 1998, with a powerful version of the latter being aired on 'Later with Jools Holland' on BBC2. The quality of the songwriting and lyrics focusing on adolescence helped them build a solid fan-base, and an appearance at Glastonbury the same year saw them tipped as a band with a great future ahead of them. Another single, 'I'll Show You Mine', emerged in the Autumn, which was a slice of classic pop about a failed relationship, and saw the band perform on Saturday morning childrens TV, with Tiny in full make-up and a rather fetching pair of red tartan bondage trousers.
However, there was a longer than expected wait for the debut album, and when it emerged as a double CD/triple LP, they appeared to have damaged their own commercial chances. 'Everything Picture' was a continuation of their epic, sometimes experimental rock style, but the music press took their widescreen approach to songwriting as a sign that the band had an overblown sense of their own worth, and negative reviews began to discourage readers from listening for themselves.
With their confidence dented, several live dates were cancelled, amidst claims that they were busy recording new material that would prove the doubters were wrong. Ironically, they had consistently been much more exciting as a live act than any of their recordings ever suggested. The real reason for the inactivity emerged late in 1999, with the announcement that Ultrasound had split.
Several follow-up groups emerged, with Richard Green forming the Somatics, Matt Jones currently gaining critical acclaim with Minuteman. Vanessa Best recorded a number of solo demos, but has not yet capitalised on her bass playing skills and incredibly powerful, soulful voice.
Wood tried to form a new Ultrasound along with assorted friends and ex-Sleepy People bassist Bill "Cowboy" Bailey, and keyboardist Carlie. Ultrasound II made their debut at the Newcastle Arts Centre in the spring of 2000, but a handful of studio sessions passed by without any official releases emerging. By Summer 2001, Ultrasound appeared to be finally laid to rest, with Wood joining Blue Apple Boy for their debut LP. This group were in fact mostly made up of members of his original band, Sleepy People.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE ULTRASOUND: Mansun, Suede, Bernard Butler, Pulp, Neil Young, David Bowie, Supergrass, Magazine, The Fall, Manic Street Preachers, Placebo, Captain Beefheart, The Who.