Sean O'Hagan


Sean O'Hagan is an Irish singer, songwriter, and arranger who leads the avant-pop band The High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo in Microdisney and for his work with the English-French band Stereolab.

Biography

O'Hagan was born in England to Irish parents, moving to Cork as a teenager.
He is a founding member of the Irish indie band Microdisney, alongside Cathal Coughlan; the band initially formed in Cork but was based in London from 1982 until their split in 1988. He released a solo album titled High Llamas in 1990, which would become the name of a band he subsequently formed. The High Llamas were influenced by the Beach Boys, Ennio Morricone, Antonio Carlos Jobim and avant-garde electronica. He has also collaborated extensively with Stereolab, he was an official member from 1993 to 1994, and is credited as a guest musician on later releases.
In the mid 1990s, Brian Wilson was attempting to organize a comeback album with the Beach Boys and collaborator Andy Paley. After the group's Bruce Johnston heard Hawaii, an unsuccessful attempt was made to coordinate a collaboration between O'Hagan and Wilson. According to O'Hagan, he attended one meeting with Wilson and two with the Beach Boys, but the "two separate camps" within the group couldn't be reconciled.
In 1996, he collaborated with Tim Gane as Turn On, releasing an album of the same name on Drag City Records. They also worked together on the soundtrack to the film La Vie d'Artiste.
On 27 November 2017, it was announced that O'Hagan and Coughlan would reform Microdisney for a one-off concert in the National Concert Hall, Dublin on 2 June 2018. Coughlan subsequently stated on his website that due to the sellout of the Dublin show, they would be performing a one-off in London as well. They are scheduled to perform the album The Clock Comes Down The Stairs in full.

Discography

Studio albums and soundtracks
Stereolab appearances
Other appearances