Band of Skulls © live4ever
…. And They Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead… Amplifiers?!
Everything’s bigger in Texas. That’s how the saying goes, and these words were never more true than this past week when British indie rockers Band of Skulls brought their own particular brand of mayhem to the Lone Star state. Performing at the annual SXSW Festival they left audiences with their jaws agape and a trail of Fender amplifier heads in smoke. Taking a page out of the playbook of the Who’s Pete Townshend at the historic Monterrey Pop Festival, Band of Skulls guitarist Russell Marsden managed to destroy four Fender amps in the course of two nights, admittedly through no fault of his own. Unlike the classic rocker, this was not an instance of premeditated theatrics, but it nevertheless serves as an indication just how fiery and passionate a Band of Skulls set can get. So yeah, everything’s bigger in Texas… including the destruction of amplifiers.
In case you’re out of the loop, Band of Skulls landed on the British music scene in 2009 with the single “I Know What I Am”, which was featured on iTunes as a Single of the Week in March. The band followed this up in July with the release of a full-length debut album on Shangri-La Records, Baby Darling Dollface Honey, and have quickly drawn comparisons with the White Stripes and the Black Keys, not exactly bad company to be lumped in with, but not exactly quite right either.
Band Of Skulls – I Know What I Am
While Band of Skulls might share the pounding drums and Mississippi Delta-inspired, sludgy guitar riffs for which the White Stripes and Black Keys are renowned, especially on the album cut “Death By Diamonds and Pearls”, they also incorporate into their sound a good dose of British indie-pop stylings (say, Franz Ferdinand and Kasabian) which results in an eclectic mix of material that in some ways goes beyond what the Whites Stripes and Black Keys have done. Moreover, Band of Skulls manages the difficult task of treading the fine line between edginess and accessibility and have wound up with a collection of memorable tunes.
Most recently the band has seen one of its songs, “Friends”, an outtake from their debut record, featured on the soundtrack to the uber-mega-blockbuster Twilight: New Moon. So, hurry up and check them out before your ten year old sister can claim she knew about the next great indie band before you did!
And here’s your chance. Following their explosive set at SXSW, Band of Skulls is currently touring throughout the Midwest in support of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, before embarking on their own club tour of the US and Canada in April and then returning to England for a number of dates in May including a sold out show at London’s Electric Ballroom.
Band Of Skulls – Impossible , Live in Paris
Meanwhile, click the link below, sit back, relax, and listen in as Live4ever sits down with Russell, Emma and Matt from Band of Skulls at SXSW and, in an exclusive interview, discuss the band’s creative process, life on the road, forays into the art world, and suffering of bodily harm.
Check out these shots of the band backstage and performing at the British Embassy Party at Latitude 30, SXSW and read more cool coverage from our partners at MOG here: http://austin.mog.com
(all photos © live4evermedia)
