Chungking

Chungking are:

Sean Hennessey
Jessie Banks
James Stephenson

Chungking were formed by boyfriend/girlfriend Sean and Jessie, and their friend James in Brighton in 2000. The name comes from the film “Chungking Express” – they used it because, as the band point out; ‘It spoke of isolation and the shared paradoxical nature of the band’. They play an easy listening, laid-back, latino influenced and sultry type of dance music that centres around Jessie’s vocals. 

In 2001 a friend went to Tokyo and gave one of their tunes to a DJ – three months later the same song surfaced on a white label. Owner of Tummy Touch records, Tim Love Lee heard the 12” and immediately signed the group. Within months they released a four track EP ‘It’s Safe to Turn Off Your Computer’ and two seven inches, ‘Bubble Love’ and ‘Full On’.

Despite Sean and Jessie breaking up, they band struggled on over the next few years releasing a series of singles that were generally received well by the press and clubs. They eventually completed their debut album ‘We Travel Fast’ in the summer of 2003. In October 2004 they followed this up with the new long-player ‘The Hungry Years’.