Dan Buchanan - Voice, Casiotone and Glockenspiel Jessica del Rio - Guitars and Voice Graeme Moorcroft - Bass Andrew Aitken - Drums James del Rio - Guitars
Email the band: theraceuk@hotmail.com
MANAGEMENT: Roy Eldridge roy@royeldridge.demon.co.uk
LIVE BOOKINGS: Clive Underhill-Smith clive@mainstageartists.com
PRESS enquiries: Pete Bassett and Jay Taylor at Quite Great jay@quitegreat.co.uk
RADIO and TV enquiries: Dylan White dylan@dylanwhite.co.uk
New limited edition 'In My Head It Works' T-shirt available now!
Influences
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, Strokes, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Mogwai, The Cure, Pixies, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Bloc Party, Kings of Leon, Jeff Buckley, Doves...
It all seems like such a long time ago now. Back in 2004, Dan Buchanan (voice, Casiotone and glockenspiel), Jessica del Rio (guitars and voice), James del Rio (guitars), Graeme Moorcroft (bass) and Andrew Aitken (drums) formed a band in their hometown of Reading. Things moved quickly. Their demo found its way into the hands of legendary Oxford indie Shifty Disco, who released two tracks from it as the band’s debut single. The record found its way onto Radio 1, 6 Music and XFM and the band suddenly found themselves playing festivals and supporting the likes of Supergrass and The Spinto Band. By the time their debut album ‘Be Your Alibi’ was released in 2006, they had won legions of fans and favourable reviews courtesy of NME and The Fly, among others.
Two years later they return with ‘In My Head It Works’. Produced by Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers/Idlewild) it takes the band’s anthemic songs and gives them a stadium-sized sheen. Not that they’re intending to play Wembley any time soon. “These days we’re less interested in trying to appeal to the masses,” says Dan, the band’s ever-pragmatic frontman. “We have a little more experience and perspective on life in general and a clearer idea of who we are as a band, so we’re more interested in connecting with the people who seem drawn to the music we make. We’re not trying to please everyone.”
Musically, The Race are often likened to bands such as Arcade Fire and The National. Dan doesn’t necessarily disagree, but claims the band are “too skint” to listen to much contemporary music and says that the biggest influence on the band over the past couple of years has been a bit more straightforward. “Just two more years of life,” he says. “Not just the people around us that we love, but people and situations that have nothing to do with us, stuff that’s going on around the world both good and bad. The song ‘Gloves’ on the new album is about this. I work in a hospital and it’s a huge source of inspiration to me. Playing in front of crowds who love your music is ultimately a little pointless if there’s nothing else to you.”
This admirable attitude is something that characterises the The Race’s entire approach to the music business, or whatever’s left of it in 2009. Long-term fans of the band will feel even closer to ‘In My Head It Works’ as many of them helped to finance it after Shifty Disco set up a stakeholder fund and got people to buy the 1,000 units at £25 a go, in exchange for a share of the record’s success. This brave new approach seems so much more genuine than corporate sponsorship and other such shortcuts to stardom taken by most so-called indie bands today. “For me, that’s what it’s all about,” says Dan. “It’s having people come out to see us or buying our records because they have connected with the songs, not because they’ve seen an advert or have had our music shoved down their throats. That’s what we aspire to.”
And that’s exactly why The Race are a sound investment in so many ways.
"endearingly awkward... couldn't be more triumphalistic if they soundtracked Brandon Flowers taking a unicorn for a victory lap round a paddock" NME
"the band are definitely firing on all cylinders, get into them now before everybody else does" Clash
"excellently executed... outshine other bands........ Dirty, subdued riffs, spindly chords... I listened in awe... contains a dirty penchant for the extrovert" Artrocker
"this band delivers. If the Pixies shacked up with The Arcade Fire and then threw in a bit of Bloc Party for good measure, 'In My Head It Works' would be the hybrid love-child. ...twinkling, mesmerising with enough grunge sensibility to give this band the edge." RockSound
"As bold and big-hearted as The Waterboys in the Grand Canyon, it's vaulting ambition meets ruddy big choruses coming the other way. ...roars majestically. Intriguing moments of punk interrupt" Channel 4, Planet Sound
"it's really very good. ...the elegiac nature of the lyrics and the soaring guitars of the del Rios make this [an album] which owes a debt to many, from Arcade Fire to Simple Minds. If the race is on for successful rock with balls and brains, then it's already been won" AU
"Akin to Editors, Interpol and White Lies....Floor-tom heavy with a rolling bass the guitars are alternatively choppy then floating on a Chameleons-like tide of echoing, chiming, glassy effects." Q
Danke für die Freundschaft the race. Dafür gibt es von uns für Euch 1 Jahr weltweiten, digitalen Musikvertrieb kostenlos. Schaut Euch die Konditionen auf www.dooload.de an.
Club Velocity presents Friday Oct 30th Rising Sun Arts Centre 30 Silver Street WOOKIES (Huge forward thinking bendy prog punx for the masses Championed by Lammo, 6 Music and Rick Wakeman) HALF RABBITS (Huge in Oxford,they only play for Club Velocity in Reading. First Reading show for a while. Think the Editors are nothing but a Joy Division covers band?Then the Rabbits are your new band. Rolling Stone championed) Quiet Quiet Band (Debut gig shocker!What do you get if you mix two heartwear process friends and a couple of sassy metal kids? Well you get Low having a piss with Broken Social Scene, whilst Modest Mouse wipes their collective bottoms) Doors 8pm 5 pounds £4 advance www.wegottickets.com ALL AGES Bring your granny........
The rockhopper studio is coming to Oxford for 1 day only. Record your music and get an HD video of your live performance on October 17th. vist http://www.rockhopper-mobile.co.uk to book a slot at an outstandingly low price courtesy of TopoftheOx. Limited places are available so book early to get this one off opportunity.
The RockHopper is coming to Oxford for 1 day only. Record your song and get an HD video of your live performance on October 17th. Visit http://www.rockhopper-mobile.co.uk/ to book a slot at a ridiculously low price courtesy of TopoftheOx. Limited places available so book up now for this one off opportunity.
Booking enquiries at http://www.rockhopper-mobile.co.uk/
Subsidised by TopoftheOx for 1 day only in Oxford
www.topoftheox.co.uk
The venue will be in Marsh Baldon just outside Oxford at the Seven Stars pub
Club Velocity presents Friday September 4th 2009 Rising Sun Arts Centre 30 Silver Street Reading RG1 Doors 8pm ALL AGES Tickets £5 door £4 advance www.wegottickets.com/ flyer BEN GOD MARWOOD "Britain's answer to Conor Obersts Fragmented Folk," Is This Music? TOM WILLIAMS AND THE BOAT Recently heard in session on Radio 1. A huge talent and this will be his debut show in Reading. Could give GOD a run for his money. JEMMA WILLARD Our fave new local female singer-songwriter. For fans of Anouk/Emiliana Torrini www.velocityrecordings.com
The Race will be featured on this weekend’s episode of Undiscovered, airing 8/23.
You can catch the show on: KBRE in Merced, California; WHBR in Parkersburg, West Virginia; WAMX in Huntington/Ashland, West Virginia; WAQX in Syracuse, New York; and WTFX in Louisville, Kentucky Three of our affiliates stream their signal on-line so you can hear the show from anywhere (links on our website)
Undiscovered- we bring Indie music to broadcast radio!
Merci pour l'ajout et bienvenue dans l'univers d'Allomusic, le site de la musique par tous, pour tous et tout le temps. Toute l'équipe t'attend sur www.allomusic.com alors à tout de suite!
Evening lads. Hope all is well. Just a quick one to let you know the latest issue of BERMUDA SQUARE EFFECT is out online now. Check it out! www.tiwigi.co.uk/bse Newburys Premium Music Magazine
Bandorama/Club Velocity presents Kevin Mr Rising Suns Fifty Birthday party Rising Sun Arts Centre Silver Street Reading RG1 FRIDAY JULY 31ST 2009 Doors 8pm All Ages Doors 8pm OFF THE RADAR (PowerPOP greatness Think Prisoners/Five Thirty/The Jam) THE ZEROS (Tip top punky-dub-ska sex) THE VICARS OF TWIDDLY (Ace surf punk fuzz with Go Go dancers) BRING YOUR MUM!!!
NME needs 3 weeks notice so send details of any late August gigs now at http://microsites.nme.com/php/gigguide to avoid disappointment. Then let us know.
The Race will be featured on this weekend’s “Best of Independents” episode of Undiscovered, airing 7/5.
Listen on: KBRE in Merced, California; WHBR in Parkersburg, West Virginia; WAMX in Huntington/Ashland, West Virginia; WAQX in Syracuse, New York; and WTFX in Louisville, Kentucky Three of our affiliates stream their signal on-line so you can hear the show from anywhere (links on our website)
Undiscovered- we bring Indie music to broadcast radio!
