The Brute Chorus (James Steel, Nick Foots, Mark Austin and Dave Ferrett) started combining garage rock, blues and folk music with a scattering of mythological stories, nursery rhymes and fairy tales in late 2007. Their enormously accessible sound has managed to escape any generalised genre pigeon-holing, instead they’ve been carving out their own genuine, word-of-mouth buzz from their exciting live shows.
They began taking it to the people with a monthly residency at Camden’s infamous Hawley Arms pub. In January 2008 the band released their first single Chateau/The Cuckoo & The Stolen Heart (featuring a duet with Chew Lips front woman Tigs) on the Hawley Arms backed Bumpman Records. This single received widespread acclaim from Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe, Drowned In Sound, NME and The Fly amongst others. It received airplay on Radio1, Radio2 and BBC6music and scored the Brute's their first live radio session for Lamacq's Radio1 show on April 14th 2008. The single was followed up with another Grow Fins in July 2008 and received even more airplay and saw James performing it acoustically on the Gethen Jones' Radio5 breakfast show and on Stephen Merchant's sunday afternoon show on Radio2.
In the summer of that year the scuzzy blues-folk quartet took their splendidly raucous live shows on the road with a host of festival appearances including Glastonbury (BBC Introducing stage), Camden Crawl, Secret Garden Party, Belladrum, Standon Calling and Kendal Calling. As well as touring with the likes of Vincent Vincent & The Villains (EMI), Martha Wainwright, Ida Maria, Peggy Sue and Cock & Bull Kid, as well as numerous headline UK shows. The year was capped with the self release of their third single She Was Always Cool in December which received acclaim in many corners and was chosen as NME's Single of the Week.
This led to the recording of the Brute Chorus' debut album. Made in one heart-stopping take in front of 300 of their most loyal fans at the prestigious Roundhouse’s FreeDM studios. They begged, borrowed and stole the equipment they needed and then with shaky hands, sweaty brows and a quick swig of JD they were all set to record… They enlisted two producers: The Grammy Award winning Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Gogol Bordello and Son’s and Daughters) and the Mercury nominated Choque Hosein (Black Star Liner, Hood, Lord Auch) and holed up for 5 weeks in their rehearsal residency above a Hackney pub. They practiced solidly, eight hours a day, seven days a week for a month to ensure the recording would be a success. The album features the Brute's friends in a scratch choir that included Louis Hull (Louise & The Pins Chess Records), Rosie Oddie (currently performing with Professor Green), Dan Clews (who's last album was produced by Giles Martin (The Beatles Love)) and Johnny Lloyd (now lead singer with Tribes).
The tour immediately following the album recording took in the whole of England and Scotland. Their Glaswegian show was filmed live for the JD Set and later broadcast on Channel 4 as part of a mini-doc about the band. It featured the band performing their song The Cuckoo & The Stolen Heart with Adele Bethel, lead singer of Scottish band Sons & Daughters (Domino Records). Fly Magazine gave the gig a 5* review in their April 2009 issue. Their Hawley Arms show at Camden Crawl that year was voted in the top 3 shows of the festival by London Metro alongside performances by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Madness. The band also performed their first show on foreign soil at the celebrated Flèche d'Or in Paris with The Rumblestrips (then signed to Island Records). Another round of English festivals followed in the summer of 2009 including Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae on Clapham Common and The Secret Garden Party where the band performed their song Send Me A Message while riding in the back of a black taxi for influential music website The Black Cab Sessions.
Their eponymous debut came out packaged in an attractive and collectable wooden sleeve hand-made by the band. It received a host of 5★ reviews from Clash, Artrocker, BBC Music, Drowned in Sound. Another round of UK festivals ensued. A single Send Me A Message was taken from the album and released in September coinciding with an NME Radar Scene feature on the band and their East London contemporaries.
Having signed to indie label Tape Recordings the band released a download-only Christmas single (This Chirstmas) Bury Me In Hawaii which continues to be included in festive indie blogs and playlists to this day.
Reducing their usually frenetic gigging schedule to a couple of secret shows in tiny locations with the likes of Good Shoes the band spent a snowy January 2010 recording their second album in a tiny village hall in the depths of the Lake District. With the record finished in mid February the band broke cover with a host of shows and tours to play across France, Germany (supporting reformed cult alt rockers The Woodentops), England and Scotland followed by a round of boutique festivals and an appearance for the Virgin F1 team's party at the British Grand Prix. Die Welt gave their show in Frankfurt another 5* review describing their sound as Fuck-Blues!
During World Cup 2010 The Brutes soundtracked Adidas' new F50 boot campaign by faithfully recreating Ennio Morricone's The Man With The Harmonica under the pseudonym The Bottomless Pit Orchestra for an ad featuring Zinadine Zidane and Lionel Messi.
Spring 2010 also saw the US release of The Suicide Girls' Guide to Living DVD which featured the band's song Chateau as the soundtrack for a woman casting a love spell. The DVD proved very popular Stateside and Chateau's cult status was sealed.
The first single from the second album was Could This Be Love? in April 2010. It received strong radio support from cult DJ's Marc Riley (BBC 6 music) and John Kennedy (XFM). In August the band released Heaven accompanied by a video from New York based director David Fishel (The Drums, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip). That same month they were asked by Clash Magazaine to perform for their Levi's Craft of Music series of showcases in Levi's flagship store on London's Regent Street. Clash gave the four-song gig a rave review comparing the band to "Tom Verlaine and Jonathan Richman gone rockabilly…".
Album two How The Caged Bird Sings came out to rave reviews in the press and online in September 2010; Clash, Artrocker and Bizzarre all called it a ‘Must Have!’. It is packaged in an unusual 7" format folded into a poster designed by famed tattooist Mo Coppoletta of The Family Business. The singles from the album received extensive airplay culminating in January 2011 with the release of Birdman.
This third single from How The Caged Bird Sings was featured previously on SKY Sports' popular Soccer AM show on December 12th as part of their goal round up. It also saw The Brute Chorus become Artists in Residence on John Kennedy's XFM show for a whole week that January where the DJ played live session tracks from the band alongside album cuts. The group then went to Manchester for a live session on Marc Riley's show on BBC6 Music. Birdman was also Single of the Week on Kerrang! Radio and Q Radio simultaneously. The video for Birdman was again made in collaboration with director David Fishel and got heavy rotation on websites in Europe and America as well as being aired on the new MTV Iggy in the United States. The Brutes toured England again in February 2011 and were invited out to the French Alps to perform at an end of season party in Val d'Isere. They returned for shows at Camden Crawl, Stag & Dagger Festival and a support slot for American band O' Death at London's Cargo venue. Soon after the band were back in France for a short spring tour taking in Paris, Caen, Rouen and Nantes where they played with Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order).
The band were back in Paris in mid June 2011 for a show with fellow Londoners La Shark (Popular Company Records). They were quickly back on the London scene performing shows across the capital, most recently with cult indie band Art Brut. They are planning fresh releases in 2012 with a UK spring tour and summer festivals already being booked, as well as their first American appearance and mini-tour at SXSW.
They began taking it to the people with a monthly residency at Camden’s infamous Hawley Arms pub. In January 2008 the band released their first single Chateau/The Cuckoo & The Stolen Heart (featuring a duet with Chew Lips front woman Tigs) on the Hawley Arms backed Bumpman Records. This single received widespread acclaim from Steve Lamacq, Zane Lowe, Drowned In Sound, NME and The Fly amongst others. It received airplay on Radio1, Radio2 and BBC6music and scored the Brute's their first live radio session for Lamacq's Radio1 show on April 14th 2008. The single was followed up with another Grow Fins in July 2008 and received even more airplay and saw James performing it acoustically on the Gethen Jones' Radio5 breakfast show and on Stephen Merchant's sunday afternoon show on Radio2.
In the summer of that year the scuzzy blues-folk quartet took their splendidly raucous live shows on the road with a host of festival appearances including Glastonbury (BBC Introducing stage), Camden Crawl, Secret Garden Party, Belladrum, Standon Calling and Kendal Calling. As well as touring with the likes of Vincent Vincent & The Villains (EMI), Martha Wainwright, Ida Maria, Peggy Sue and Cock & Bull Kid, as well as numerous headline UK shows. The year was capped with the self release of their third single She Was Always Cool in December which received acclaim in many corners and was chosen as NME's Single of the Week.
This led to the recording of the Brute Chorus' debut album. Made in one heart-stopping take in front of 300 of their most loyal fans at the prestigious Roundhouse’s FreeDM studios. They begged, borrowed and stole the equipment they needed and then with shaky hands, sweaty brows and a quick swig of JD they were all set to record… They enlisted two producers: The Grammy Award winning Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Gogol Bordello and Son’s and Daughters) and the Mercury nominated Choque Hosein (Black Star Liner, Hood, Lord Auch) and holed up for 5 weeks in their rehearsal residency above a Hackney pub. They practiced solidly, eight hours a day, seven days a week for a month to ensure the recording would be a success. The album features the Brute's friends in a scratch choir that included Louis Hull (Louise & The Pins Chess Records), Rosie Oddie (currently performing with Professor Green), Dan Clews (who's last album was produced by Giles Martin (The Beatles Love)) and Johnny Lloyd (now lead singer with Tribes).
The tour immediately following the album recording took in the whole of England and Scotland. Their Glaswegian show was filmed live for the JD Set and later broadcast on Channel 4 as part of a mini-doc about the band. It featured the band performing their song The Cuckoo & The Stolen Heart with Adele Bethel, lead singer of Scottish band Sons & Daughters (Domino Records). Fly Magazine gave the gig a 5* review in their April 2009 issue. Their Hawley Arms show at Camden Crawl that year was voted in the top 3 shows of the festival by London Metro alongside performances by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Madness. The band also performed their first show on foreign soil at the celebrated Flèche d'Or in Paris with The Rumblestrips (then signed to Island Records). Another round of English festivals followed in the summer of 2009 including Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae on Clapham Common and The Secret Garden Party where the band performed their song Send Me A Message while riding in the back of a black taxi for influential music website The Black Cab Sessions.
Their eponymous debut came out packaged in an attractive and collectable wooden sleeve hand-made by the band. It received a host of 5★ reviews from Clash, Artrocker, BBC Music, Drowned in Sound. Another round of UK festivals ensued. A single Send Me A Message was taken from the album and released in September coinciding with an NME Radar Scene feature on the band and their East London contemporaries.
Having signed to indie label Tape Recordings the band released a download-only Christmas single (This Chirstmas) Bury Me In Hawaii which continues to be included in festive indie blogs and playlists to this day.
Reducing their usually frenetic gigging schedule to a couple of secret shows in tiny locations with the likes of Good Shoes the band spent a snowy January 2010 recording their second album in a tiny village hall in the depths of the Lake District. With the record finished in mid February the band broke cover with a host of shows and tours to play across France, Germany (supporting reformed cult alt rockers The Woodentops), England and Scotland followed by a round of boutique festivals and an appearance for the Virgin F1 team's party at the British Grand Prix. Die Welt gave their show in Frankfurt another 5* review describing their sound as Fuck-Blues!
During World Cup 2010 The Brutes soundtracked Adidas' new F50 boot campaign by faithfully recreating Ennio Morricone's The Man With The Harmonica under the pseudonym The Bottomless Pit Orchestra for an ad featuring Zinadine Zidane and Lionel Messi.
Spring 2010 also saw the US release of The Suicide Girls' Guide to Living DVD which featured the band's song Chateau as the soundtrack for a woman casting a love spell. The DVD proved very popular Stateside and Chateau's cult status was sealed.
The first single from the second album was Could This Be Love? in April 2010. It received strong radio support from cult DJ's Marc Riley (BBC 6 music) and John Kennedy (XFM). In August the band released Heaven accompanied by a video from New York based director David Fishel (The Drums, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip). That same month they were asked by Clash Magazaine to perform for their Levi's Craft of Music series of showcases in Levi's flagship store on London's Regent Street. Clash gave the four-song gig a rave review comparing the band to "Tom Verlaine and Jonathan Richman gone rockabilly…".
Album two How The Caged Bird Sings came out to rave reviews in the press and online in September 2010; Clash, Artrocker and Bizzarre all called it a ‘Must Have!’. It is packaged in an unusual 7" format folded into a poster designed by famed tattooist Mo Coppoletta of The Family Business. The singles from the album received extensive airplay culminating in January 2011 with the release of Birdman.
This third single from How The Caged Bird Sings was featured previously on SKY Sports' popular Soccer AM show on December 12th as part of their goal round up. It also saw The Brute Chorus become Artists in Residence on John Kennedy's XFM show for a whole week that January where the DJ played live session tracks from the band alongside album cuts. The group then went to Manchester for a live session on Marc Riley's show on BBC6 Music. Birdman was also Single of the Week on Kerrang! Radio and Q Radio simultaneously. The video for Birdman was again made in collaboration with director David Fishel and got heavy rotation on websites in Europe and America as well as being aired on the new MTV Iggy in the United States. The Brutes toured England again in February 2011 and were invited out to the French Alps to perform at an end of season party in Val d'Isere. They returned for shows at Camden Crawl, Stag & Dagger Festival and a support slot for American band O' Death at London's Cargo venue. Soon after the band were back in France for a short spring tour taking in Paris, Caen, Rouen and Nantes where they played with Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order).
The band were back in Paris in mid June 2011 for a show with fellow Londoners La Shark (Popular Company Records). They were quickly back on the London scene performing shows across the capital, most recently with cult indie band Art Brut. They are planning fresh releases in 2012 with a UK spring tour and summer festivals already being booked, as well as their first American appearance and mini-tour at SXSW.
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CONTACT:
MELISSA NASTASI
LINKS:
SOUNDCLOUD
MYSPACE
VIDEOS:
"Birdman"
"Heaven"
"Could This Be Love?"
TOUR/PRESS:
BIZZARE:
CLASH MAG:
