Quick Facts
Biography
Justin Steven Welch (born 4 December 1972) is an English musician, best known as the drummer in Elastica and later the drummer in Lush.
Biography
Welch moved to London in his late teens and studied at London's Drumtech drum school. He played drums in a number of bands in the early 1990s, including an early line-up of Suede (where he would first meet Justine Frischmann) and Spitfire.
In 1996 Welch also formed the Britpop supergroup Me Me Me with Blur bassist Alex James and The Lilac Time frontman Stephen Duffy, who released one single "Hanging Around".
Elastica split in 2001 and Welch moved to Devon where he taught drums in secondary and primary schools.
In 2012 he was in a duo with former EMF frontman James Atkin, called The Asbo Kid. He also played drums for Das Fenster and Oscillator.
In 2013 Welch briefly re-united with Suede for several gigs to replace drummer Simon Gilbert who was unable to play due to contracting tuberculosis.
It was announced, in September 2015, that Welch would play drums in the newly reformed Lush.
On 21 January 2017 Elastica's official Facebook page posted photos featuring three-fourths of the original line-up - Welch, Donna Matthews and Annie Holland - during a visit to Abbey Road Studios in London. Mastering engineer Sean McGee tweeted that he had just "cut a record for Elastica today" and that the band members "hadn't seen each other for 20 years." The specific details of the record have yet to be announced, but in response to fan comments regarding Frischmann's absence in the photos, the Facebook page stated that, "Justine's involved in what's happening too."
Personal life
He lives in Brighton and is married to keyboardist Mew (known for playing in Elastica and Heave), currently a practising artist.
Discography
Albums
- Elastica (1995, by Elastica)
- The Menace (2000, by Elastica)
Singles and EPs
- 2 Tone Techno (2012, by The Asbo Kid)