Stewart Lupton, frontman of indie rockers Jonathan Fire*Eater, dies aged 43

Stewart Lupton, frontman of cult New York indie rock band Jonathan Fire*Eater, has died aged 43.

The band formed in the early 90s in Washington DC, initially as the Ignobles, before a move to New York where their lineup and name changed, with Lupton taking on vocals. They released their self-titled debut in 1995, and moved to a major label for Wolf Songs for Lambs (1997), though internal friction led to them breaking up a year later. Three members of the band would go on to form the Walkmen.

While Jonathan Fire*Eater was short-lived, their sound – a ragged kind of psychedelic garage rock – was a key influence for the wave of hip early-00s New York bands that included Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol. Lupton later formed the band Child Ballads, and studied poetry at George Washington University. Consequence of Sound