DARTZ!
Encyclopedia
Dartz! were a Math rock
group from Middlesbrough
in North East England (UK) who formed at the beginning of 2005. They are signed to Xtra Mile Recordings
in the UK and Deep Elm in the US, and released one full-length album, one mini-album, three singles and a split 7" via Xtra Mile - as well as an EP on Sunderland based DIY micro-label Fakedream Records, and a split 10" with Scottish band Stapleton on Gravity DIP.
They recorded with the record producer Mark Williams (Biffy Clyro
, Bloc Party
, Fightstar
, Nine Black Alps
, Million Dead
) at the Battery Studios in London and they toured with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Hot Club De Paris
and The Rumble Strips
, as well as also playing with bands including The Futureheads
, Melt Banana, The Young Knives
, Make Believe
and Foals. More recently Dartz added long-time collaborator Nico Taylor, once the logistics man for the band, to the line-up.
In September 2007, the band announced that they were going to take a break from touring to focus on their education, with Maughan studying English Literature at Oxford University and Anderson studying English and Film at Sheffield Hallam. The decision was explained in an article in The Times
newspaper entitled "Bands Balancing Uni With Fame", although it was criticised by the NME
in the magazine's review of "The Sad History Of The Village Of Alnerique" in September 2008. Dartz have had three videos featured on MTV2
, all of which were directed by Teesside University lecturer Marcus T. Diamond. A fourth video, for the track "Cold Holidays", was recorded by Wife Swap
cameraman Rob Taylor during the band's tour with I Was A Cub Scout
.
They broke up on 2 July 2009 according to their MySpace
page. Their final live outing was at The Peel, Kingston. Support came from former touring partner Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
Math rock
Math rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...
group from Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
in North East England (UK) who formed at the beginning of 2005. They are signed to Xtra Mile Recordings
Xtra Mile Recordings
Xtra Mile Recordings are an independent record label based in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2003 by Charlie Caplowe and they release rock albums and singles...
in the UK and Deep Elm in the US, and released one full-length album, one mini-album, three singles and a split 7" via Xtra Mile - as well as an EP on Sunderland based DIY micro-label Fakedream Records, and a split 10" with Scottish band Stapleton on Gravity DIP.
They recorded with the record producer Mark Williams (Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
, Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, Fightstar
Fightstar
Fightstar are an English alternative rock band from London. They formed in 2003 and their lineup comprises lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and vocalist Alex Westaway, bass guitarist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi...
, Nine Black Alps
Nine Black Alps
Nine Black Alps are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester, named after a line in The Couriers by Sylvia Plath and fronted by Sam Forrest.-Career:...
, Million Dead
Million Dead
Million Dead were a hardcore punk band from London, UK, active between 2001 and 2005.-History:The band was founded in 2000 by Cameron Dean and Julia Ruzicka, after both came to London from Australia. They were joined by Ben Dawson, who had worked with Dean in a record shop in the city...
) at the Battery Studios in London and they toured with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Hot Club De Paris
Hot Club De Paris
Hot Club de Paris are an English band from Liverpool. They are signed to the London-based Moshi Moshi Records and released their debut album Drop It 'Til It Pops in October 2006...
and The Rumble Strips
The Rumble Strips
The Rumble Strips are an English band from Tavistock, Devon. The band take their name from Rumble Strips, which are small, continuous lines of bumps along the edge of a road. Having known each other since childhood, a precise conception date for the band doesn't really exist. The current line-up...
, as well as also playing with bands including The Futureheads
The Futureheads
The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...
, Melt Banana, The Young Knives
The Young Knives
Young Knives are an English indie rock band from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire. The name is based on a misunderstanding of "young knaves", which was found by the band when rummaging through a book....
, Make Believe
Make Believe (band)
Make Believe is an indie rock band, initially formed as a touring version of Joan of Arc. The band was initially composed of singer Tim Kinsella, guitarist Sam Zurick, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer/keyboardist Nate Kinsella. After 3 months of touring as Joan Of Arc the quartet returned home and...
and Foals. More recently Dartz added long-time collaborator Nico Taylor, once the logistics man for the band, to the line-up.
In September 2007, the band announced that they were going to take a break from touring to focus on their education, with Maughan studying English Literature at Oxford University and Anderson studying English and Film at Sheffield Hallam. The decision was explained in an article in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper entitled "Bands Balancing Uni With Fame", although it was criticised by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
in the magazine's review of "The Sad History Of The Village Of Alnerique" in September 2008. Dartz have had three videos featured on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
, all of which were directed by Teesside University lecturer Marcus T. Diamond. A fourth video, for the track "Cold Holidays", was recorded by Wife Swap
Wife Swap
Wife Swap is a reality television program, originally produced by UK independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It was first broadcast in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4. Since 2004, a US version has also been broadcast on the ABC network...
cameraman Rob Taylor during the band's tour with I Was A Cub Scout
I Was a Cub Scout
I Was a Cub Scout was a two-man synth-pop/indie rock band from Long Bennington and Collingham, England, consisting of William Bowerman and Todd Marriott. They were formed in 2006, and split on 5 June 2008.-New Bands:...
.
They broke up on 2 July 2009 according to their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. Their final live outing was at The Peel, Kingston. Support came from former touring partner Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
Albums
| Date Of Release | Title |
|---|---|
| February 12, 2007 | This Is My Ship This Is My Ship (album) This Is My Ship is the debut album released by Dartz! in 2007. Like most other releases the cover artwork is by Dave House.-Track listing:# "Network! Network! Network!"# "A Simple Hypothetical"# "Once, twice, again!"# "Cold Holidays"... |
| September 22, 2008 | The Sad History of the Village of Alnerique The Sad History of the Village of Alnerique (album) The Sad History of the Village of Alnerique was a record album released on 22 September 2008. It was recorded by Simon Whelan and Nathan Stephenson... |
Singles/EPs
| Date Of Release | Title |
|---|---|
| 14 May 2007 | "Fantastic Apparatus/Cold Holidays 10" Fantastic Apparatus Fantastic Apparatus/Cold Holidays 10" is a limited edition EP released by Dartz! in 2007. Like most other releases the cover artwork is by Dave House.-Track listing:# "Fantastic Apparatus"# "Cold Holidays"# "Latin and Greek"# "Viva La Republica"... " |
| 29 January 2007 | "Once Twice, Again!" |
| 23 October 2006 | "St. Petersburg" |
| April 2006 | "Split 10" Stapleton/Dartz Split Stapleton/Dartz Split EP is a 4 track 10" vinyl featuring 2 songs by Stapleton and 2 songs by Dartz!. The cover artwork is designed by Dave House.-Track listing:Stapleton# "Happy Homes and the Hearts That Make Them"# "Northwest Corners"... " (with Stapleton Stapleton (band) Stapleton is an independent rock band who come from Glasgow. They formed in April 1997 and have released four albums and two EPs. They have to date played over 300 shows. They have released records on a number of independent record labels and are presently signed to Xtra Mile Recordings in the... ) |
| 23 January 2006 | "Split 7"" (with The Maybes? The Maybes? The Maybes? is an English indie rock band from Liverpool. The group is made up of four principal members: Nick Ellis, Lee Smith, Timo Tierney and Dominic Allen... ) |
| 17 October 2005 | "Who Built the Buildings? EP Who Built the Buildings? Who Built the Buildings? is an EP released by Dartz! in 2005.-Track listing:# "Once, Twice, Again!"# "Teaching Me To Dance"# "Trees. Wild Flowers. Birds."# "X-Ray Bex"... " |
| May 2005 | "Demo EP Dartz Demo Demo! is the demo EP released by Dartz! in 2005. Limited to 200 CDRs - 100 with 'Darts!' on, and 100 with 'Dartz!'.-Track listing:# "Laser Eyes"# "Harbour, Harbor"# "Teaching Me To Dance"# "Network! Network! Network!"... " |