20 YEARS AGO: 3 Colours Red - Beautiful Day

Brilliant 1999 single from a Creation Records band who mellowed slightly for their album 'Revolt' and scored a UK number 11 hit with this track. 

'Beautiful Day' was the first single from the second 3 Colours Red LP 'Revolt'. The song was written by frontman/bassist Pete Vuckovic. It was a divisive single, showing a more sensitive side to the band, who previously specialised in heavier punk-pop. The epic 'Beautiful Day' was the group's biggest hit, reaching number 11 in the U.K charts in January 1999.

In 1995 guitarist Chris McCormack and singer/bassist Pete Vuckovic moved to London and put a band together with guitarist Ben Harding, who had been a founder member of Senseless Things, and Keith Baxter, who played drums with with Skyclad. They went on to record two UK Top 20 albums, and six Top 40 singles. 

Debut single 'This Is My Hollywood' was released via Fierce Panda Records, before the band signed to Creation Records. Alan McGee, Creation's founder hailed them as the "most exciting band since the Sex Pistols". 1997's debut album 'Pure' was followed a couple of years later by 'Revolt', which was produced by Dave Eringa. The group disbanded after the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 1999, citing musical and personal differences.

Vučković signed to Sony Records and spent two years writing an album for his new project Elevation (which also featured Baxter), which was never released. McCormack formed Grand Theft Audio with Rich Battersby and EMF producer Ralph Jezzard.

In 2002, Vučković and McCormack put their differences aside and reformed the band with original drummer Keith Baxter and new bassist Paul Grant. They signed to Mighty Atom Records and released comeback LP 'The Union of Souls' album in 2004 to critical acclaim but little commercial success.

The band split again in September 2005 after being dropped by their label, disappointing sales of the third album, and reoccuring personal differences between Vučković and McCormack once again. Drummer Keith Baxter died in January 2008 due to liver failure. He was 36. 

Chris McCormack has since played as the guitarist in Gary Numan's live band, and has co-written several songs with Adam Ant the 2013 album Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter.