New Wave nominated for Mercury Music Prize

The Auteurs demo tape and gig led to the band gaining a recording contract with Hut . Their first single “Show Girl” was praised by the British music magazine Melody Maker and the album New Wave (1993) was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize . The Auteurs later became associated with the Britpop movement. However this association was not liked by Haines, who frequently made derogatory remarks about his peers. After New Wave , the band remained on the fringes of the music scene. Drummer Glen Collins was replaced by Barny C. Rockford, after being headhunted from Out of My Hair by producer Phil Vinall. Their next album Now I’m a Cowboy (1994), built on the themes of New Wave and contained Haines’ best known song, “Lenny Valentino”. Demonstrating, again, their difference from their musical peers, the band’s next release was The Auteurs vs. μ-Ziq , Auteurs songs remixed by producer μ-Ziq (aka Michael Paradinas ). In interviews at the time Haines claimed he found contemporary techno and house music more interesting than most Britpop bands.