History of Kotow
Formed in 2001 from members of two separate bands (Biron and Roach), Kotow had a four piece line-up featuring Rich, Dave and Scott Reeve and James Knight. Born in the Welsh valleys, Kotow began to evolve as more songs were written and more gigs were played. It was clear that there was something unusual about the sound produced by these musicians. A mixture of styles, the music contained influences ranging from Therapy to System of a Down. From punk to prog, Kotow twisted and turned under the weight of the talent within.
By January 2002 the first E.P. had been recorded (the Weird e.p), and gigs soon became available in the local towns. Early shows gained strong reviews from the local press. "The first half was closed by Kotow, a nu-metal four piece who were the first band all night to play with passion, attitude, showmanship and loudness... Kotow towed you relentlessly into their perfectly formed world." Their momentum was gaining.
Two years down the road, another 3 E.P.s in the bag and a number of gigs played, a problem began to emerge on the horizon. The Welsh valleys didn't contain enough of the scene that Kotow so desperately needed, so a decision was made to relocate the band. This caused the first loss, as Scott stayed behind to pursue his own goals in life. One man down, Kotow moved to Surrey, where Rich and James began studying at the Academy of Contemporary Music.
The search for another guitarist began in earnest and a replacement was found for Scott. However, the potential member did not feature in every member of the band's minds as a replacement. That coupled with deeply personal turmoil between two members resulted in James leaving the band. Two men down, the future of Kotow was looking uncertain. Step in GinG, who had known Rich since he had moved to Guildford. Happily jumping onto the bandwagon, GinG began to pick up the pieces where James and Scott had left off.
Another guitarist was still needed, and time was ticking. In early 2005 Kotow was joined by Dan, who rehearsed and played with the band until a mutual parting in September '05 which left the band again one man down and losing hope of securing a line-up. One final guitarist was hired, Chalau, who rehearsed very successfully with the band but unfortunately had to move back to his homeland, Argentina. It was at this point that the three remaining members of Kotow made the decision to keep the band a three piece.
After many discussions and brainstorming sessions, Kotow's back catalogue was refined to fit into the new movement, and work began on writing and recording a brand new E.P. , featuring new and old tracks.
2006 has proved to be a good year for Kotow, with interest from and a contract with Turbulent Soundscape Management, a blossoming fanbase and increasing numbers of gigs. This coupled with a new demo being recording in September/October will lead to a whole new stage in Kotow's musical evolution. Let the Kotow Army march!
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