The Automatic
Encyclopedia
The Automatic are a Welsh
rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins
on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost
on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths
on drums and Paul Mullen
on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007. Mullen joined after the departure of Alex Pennie
who provided synthesizer, percussion and vocals.
Signing to a deal between B-Unique Records
and Polydor Records
in 2005 the band released their platinum
selling début Not Accepted Anywhere
in 2006, which spawned three UK top 40 singles - Raoul
, Recover and Monster. The band released their second album This Is A Fix
accompanied by only one single; Steve McQueen
in 2008, which due to a dispute between the band's labels - B-Unique and Polydor - was plagued with distributional and promotional problems, The dispute led to the band withdrawing from their 5-album deal with the labels and instead formed their own label, Armoured Records, distributed through EMI
.
After independently releasing their third album Tear the Signs Down
in 2010 and three singles - Interstate
, Run & Hide
and Cannot Be Saved
, the band have begun a temporary break while members concentrate on other projects, with James Frost playing guitar in Effort and Paul Mullen providing vocals and guitar in Young Legionnaire
.
was asked to join five years later. Originally known as White Rabbit, up until February 2005 when they renamed themselves The Automatic because they believe that music is the antidote to "the automatic life". After recording their two-track demo featuring rough versions of "Monster" and "Rats" in 2005 they signed a five-album record deal with B-Unique Records
in their gap year
.
put the band on their new music tour, also calling them "The sound of 2006", the band quickly had further success, being awarded Best New Band in the Pop Factory Awards 2005.
After touring with The Kooks
in early 2006 the band began the release of second single "Raoul
" which came on 27 March 2006, being the first chart eligible release, reaching a peak in the UK Singles Chart
of #35, album track "On The Campaign Trail" was also released on the CD single, whilst "Trophy Wives" was released on the vinyl, the single received as a large amount of airplay on MTV Two amongst other channels, as well as further exposure. the band went around the country between touring promoting the single and the forthcoming album with instore signings.
On 27 April 2006 Not Accepted Anywhere
was announced; the début 12 track long album, which would see release on B-Unique Records on 19 June 2006, with a new single "Monster", as well as further tour dates. When the album then arrived it received fairly mixed reactions, many reviewers pointing out the high pitched backing screams from Alex Pennie
, which whilst some pointed out it gives the band an identity and a level of individuality, whilst others just found it annoying Dom Gourlay of Drowned In Sound
wrote "the unnecessary screeching of the keyboard player just a tad irritating - bordering on the side of wanting to commit homicide - at the best of times" whilst NME wrote "screeching backing vocals, have made him sound like a new instrument all of its own" regarding the notorious vocalist. The album however remained very popular as far as sales went, reaching number #3 in the UK Album Chart, and remaining in the chart for over half a year, new single "Monster" also proved to be a huge success, reaching #4 in the single chart, oddly the band were then accused of being a one hit wonder, despite "Monster" being their second top 40 hit, the band also said since its release that there was no pressure, nor was it an objective to come up with something as popular as "Monster". The Raoul EP
, a collection of b-sides and songs which didn't make the final album was released on 17 July 2006.
Following the release of the album the band went on tour with Cat The Dog and Welsh friends Viva Machine, and played a 13 date tour across the United Kingdom, which also included their hugely publicised appearance on GMTV
as well as a UK festival circuit, included Reading and Leeds festival, T4 on the Beach
and T In The Park, all leading up to their fourth single a re-release of "Recover", which had been re-recorded for a larger release than its original limited release the year before. The single peaked at #32 in the UK after its release on 18 September 2006, surrounding this the band played various dates around Europe and Japan.
Over Christmas 2006 the band wrote and recorded two new songs which would begin play next year on the NME Rock Tour 2007, these songs titled "Steve McQueen" and "Revolution" (now known as "Secret Police") would be accompanied by a cover of Life During Wartime
by Talking Heads
, as well as the fifth and final single from Not Accepted Anywhere, another re-release, despite many fans wanting another album track to be used, "Raoul" was chosen by the band's record label, with the band saying they were not into the idea of releasing Raoul again. the single charted slightly higher than previously (originally at #36) instead the single charted at #32 in the UK single chart.
After extensive UK touring the band released Not Accepted Anywhere in the United States and Canada in June. This preceded their attendance at the Warped Tour
, 2007 and was opened with their first U.S. single
, "Monster" which was released on 14 May 2007. after the Warped Tour and release of the album embarked on their first USA Tour, before returning to the United Kingdom for their final show of the Not Accepted Anywhere era, Get Loaded In The Park.
had left The Automatic. Alex performed for the final time with band mates at Get Loaded In The Park 2007, however had been active for some time with the band assisting with the writing process of their second album, This Is A Fix
. It was announced through the band's website and through the band's MySpace that Pennie had been finding playing with his band mates "increasingly unenjoyable" and that he had been growing apart from them.
In November, NME
reported that the band have had no direct contact with Pennie since the split, which also took place earlier than the official split according to his former band mates. Hawkins has exchanged MySpace messages with Pennie however, reporting that he is doing ok, and that he now has a new punk band. Alex Pennie has more recently stated that he is returning to the UK to start work on "a new project". This was later announced by Pennie through his Myspace profile to be Decimals, in which he performs lead vocals. Pennie confirmed in 2009 that there were no hard feelings and that he and his band Decimals were in the same Cardiff studio as The Automatic, working with the same people, he described the situation as "like seeing an ex-girlfriend" and that both he and his former band mates are on good terms.
After the departure of Alex Pennie the band was quick to make a new recruitment, Paul Mullen
of Yourcodenameis:Milo
was brought in after his band went on hiatus, taking on the position of guitarist, vocalist and synth player, so he would not be a direct replacement for Alex Pennie. The band had already been at work before Pennie's departure and had around 10 songs already done, two of which were "Steve McQueen" and "Secret Police", which both had been performed throughout 2007 on various tours.
After working in Cardiff in their studio, the band flew out to Los Angeles, California were they began working with Don Gilmore, who has worked with the likes of Linkin Park
and Dashboard Confessional
, however were not happy with the results, thus switched to working with Butch Walker
(Fall Out Boy
, The All American Rejects, Simple Plan
) where they worked for some time, until having to return to the United Kingdom where they finished up much of the record back in Cardiff working with Rich Jackson, who worked with the band on Not Accepted Anywhere
.
After the recording process was complete, in March, the band began a club tour, playing at smaller venues to "get up close" with the fans, supported by friends Viva Machine with the likes of Canterbury and Attack Attack also performing at select dates. The band's first single from This Is a Fix
was soon announced, "Steve McQueen", first played on the NME
2007 Tour, would arrive on 18 August 2008, a further number of tour dates were also announced for August and September, the band were also announced to be play at Reading and Leeds Festivals
, as well as performing at the UK release of the Rock Band video game, Glastonbury, and a number of other festivals and gigs around Europe.
Single "Steve McQueen" was premièred on the Zane Lowe show on BBC Radio 1 on 7 July 2008, the following day NME.com broadcast the music video for the first time, following this track "This Is A Fix" was released as a free gift on 30 July 2008 via download. On 18 August, the release day of Steve McQueen, the entire album became available on the band's Myspace page, the band also days later performed an all new cover, "Love in This Club
" by "Usher
" on the BBC Radio 1
Live Lounge
.
After the albums release the band completed two UK album tours
in the remaining months of 2008, before heading back into studio to work on new tracks. At The Asylum in Birmingham, the band confirmed "Magazines" to be the second single from This Is A Fix
originally stating a release would happen in February 2009, however this date was scrapped. The Automatic along with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Frank Turner
and My Vitriol
were announced in early 2009 to be part of the final show at the London Astoria
on Wednesday 14 January, a charity show for Love Music Hate Racism and Jail Guitar Doors.
New track "Something Else" was made available to stream through the bands website on August 6, 2009, with a music video produced by Frost depicting touring in Ibiza
, Poland
, Dubai
and Switzerland
- and recording in Cardiff. New material was further teased in August through to October, with photos depicting the band working with a violin
ist and cellist
, song title "Parasol" was also revealed.
On September 28, 2009 the band announced a string of UK dates for November, which would coincide with the release of new single "Interstate
". It was also revealed that the band had terminated their contract to release 5 records through B-Unique and Polydor Records after the two labels partnership which The Automatic were the child of ended; causing the ill promotion and distribution of their previous album This Is A Fix. Instead, the band would self finance their third record, allowing for 'complete creative control', Armoured Records was founded, with a distribution partnership with EMI
.
In October filming took place for single "Interstate" in Cardiff outside Chapter Arts Centre in front of a wood sculpture created by Alan Goulbourne. Filming then took place days later for the bands appearance on Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
. "Interstate" premiered on XFM
on November 3, 2009, with the music video released straight after onto Youtube. The albums title Tear the Signs Down
and release date for March 8, 2010 were also revealed. Track "Something Else" which was previously available to stream was also released as a free download through Music Glue.
January through March 2010 tour dates were revealed by The Fly
as soon as the bands November tour ended. Second single "Run and Hide
" which was previously titled "Parasol" premiered on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show on January 19, 2010, with a release set for March 1, 2010 - a week before the release of the album. The music video saw release a week later, shot at the re-opened Cardiff Coal Exchange. Tear the Signs Down was met by critics in a similar way to the bands previous releases, receiving both very positive and negative responses, Rock Sound awarded the album 9/10 believing it would "surely stand out as one of the finest British records of the year" whilst magazine The Skinny critic Nick Mitchell wrote "It's difficult to imagine even their core audience (the Hollyoaks demographic) getting excited about this confused, weak album" awarding only a single star.
After the bands UK tour with Straight Lines and White Belt Yellow Tag
it was teased that the band were hoping to support Irish rock band Ash
in April & May, however this never materialized. An alternative version of "Cannot Be Saved
" was revealed as the third single from Tear the Signs Down, and would be released on June 20, 2010, with a music video from the touring earlier in the year directed by Frost released on Rock Sound
and NME
on June 2, 2010. Two days after "Cannot Be Saved" live versions from Oxford Academy of "Run and Hide" and "Raoul" were released as free downloads through Rock Midgets, with live versions of "Sleepwalking" and "Magazines" also made available to stream through the bands Soundcloud.
Over the summer months of 2010 performances included Pritchattsbury Festival in Birmingham, Kilmarnock Festival in Scotland, Monmouth Festival and Jedi Music Festival in Liverpool. Along with The Blackout
and Young Guns
the band were announced as part of the line-up for Funeral for a Friend
's Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation
dates in July 2010.
Tear the Signs Down was amongst the BBC's 10 greatest Welsh albums of 2010. On December 24, 2010 an unreleased cover of "New Sensation
" by INXS
from the This Is A Fix recording sessions was made available for streaming on Soundcloud.
Currently members are working on other projects, James Frost along with Radio 1 DJ Jen Long formed Effort in 2010, whilst Paul Mullen along with Bloc Party
bassist Gordon Moakes
formed Young Legionnaire
, who are releasing their album Crisis Works on May 9, 2011. The band are expected to reconvene in the Summer of 2011.
they were often categorised as electro-disco
-punk rock
,; at this point they were using more synthesiser keyboards, and had been compared to acts such as Bloc Party
, Kaiser Chiefs
, and 'thrown in' with the indie rock scene of 2006, the band have even stated that the album was altered in the mixing process "When we were recording the first album there were some really heavy guitars going down but only the clean ones were used" a decision of the record label and producers involved with the album, some of these guitars parts were restored in the 2007 US release of Not Accepted Anywhere
when it was re-released and re-mastered, the band at one point were even labelled as Glam rock, which former keyboardist Alex Pennie blamed NME
for. The band cite their influences such as Jarcrew
, Muse
, Blur
and The Blood Brothers, and a joint love for bands such as Radiohead
and Ash
, The bands second album was compared to the sound of Ash's early work by many critics, as well as this the second album is generally listed as having a 'bigger sound' with heavier guitars, less synths, drums and more vocals.
The debut album, Not Accepted Anywhere
, lyrically refers to the band's experiences growing up in Cowbridge
, while the second album, This Is A Fix
, lyrically takes inspiration from politics and news items, except for "Steve McQueen" which lyrically is similar to the tracks on Not Accepted Anywhere and was intended originally as a bridge between the two first albums, as a stand alone single being originally recorded at the end of 2006, for a early 2007 release. "Monster", "Recover", "In The Mountains" and "Responsible Citizen" lyrically refer to substance abuse
and alcohol, the media in "Magazines", the record industry in "Accessories" and "You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout", the climate in "High Tide on Caroline Street", people the band dislike in "Team Drama and "Seriously... I Hate You Guys", growing up and day-to-day lives in "That's What She Said", "In This World", "Raoul", and "Light Entertainment".
The band instrumentally use various synthesisers to produce many of their sounds, during the recording and touring with the album Not Accepted Anywhere
the band's former member Alex Pennie used an Alesis Micron and an Alesis Andromeda during live performances, and in addition to this in studio he used an Roland Juno-106
. More recently since Pennie's departure new addition Paul Mullen uses an microKORG
whilst James Frost continues to use an Alesis Micron, although fewer of the songs on This Is A Fix
use synthesiser as a predominant instrument. The band use Sennheiser
microphones, 'e 945s' for vocals, 'e 906s' for the guitar cabinets and snare drum
, the 'e 604s' for toms, and an 'e 901' on the kick drum.
Former band members
Former touring musicians
The band have collaborated on a number of occasions for live shows, notably for Reading and Leeds festivals in 2006 during the performances of "Gold Digger" the band performed with Goldie Lookin Chain
, similarly in 2007 at T In The Park the band performed the track with singer-guitarist Newton Faulkner
, during the live performance of "Gold Digger", former guitar technician for The Automatic Jamie Allen would perform bass guitar, as Rob played flute. In 2008 with album and track "This Is A Fix" an additional bass player was required for its performance as Rob would be providing synthesisers in the track, during club tour Tom Stephens of Viva Machine
provided bass, whilst in later tours Peter Hill
stood in as bassist on the track. Notable on many of the bands tours have featured James "Jizz" Lawrenson as the band's sound engineer, ,'Spicy' Geoff Cattani as Keyboard Tech & Drum tech & sometimes Driver from Feb 2006-Nov 2006, Stan Saunders as band's monitor engineer and Mike Doyle as tour manager, a position Peter Hill also took in 2008/09 touring, Mike was also featured during a live cover of Talking Heads
single "Life During Wartime
" on the 2007 NME Tour.
The band have long had a studio relationship with producer Richard Jackson, who is responsible for working with the band on albums; Not Accepted Anywhere
, This Is A Fix
& Tear the Signs Down
and subsequent b-sides and demos as well as this the band have been managed by Martin Bowen with Probation Management since 2005. As well as working in studio with Richard, the sophomore release was worked on initially with Don Gilmore, followed by Butch Walker
& Richard Jackson and on one track Stephen Harris
, who also worked with the band on their debut, along with Ian Broudie
. To date, musically the only other musicians to be featured besides the band themselves were Chris T-T and Frank Turner, the two musicians along with producer Butch Walker were featured providing gang vocals and extra percussion on This Is A Fix track "Steve McQueen
".
The September 2008 issue of Rock Sound
magazine reported that the band was unpopular with other musicians, which the band blamed on the success of their hit single "Monster".
, the band were rated #10 in the BBC
's sound of 2006 British band Kasabian called The Automatic "horrible" in an NME interview in 2007.
All the singles released by The Automatic, from "Recover" in November 2005, to "Steve McQueen" in August 2008 charted in the UK Singles Top 40, including both original releases and re-releases of "Raoul" and "Recover". The bands highest charting single to-date is "Monster" which charted at #4, this is followed by "Steve McQueen" which charted at #16. Since 2008 they have failed to chart.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins
Robin Hawkins
Robin Hawkins, commonly known as Rob is the primary vocalist and bassist for Welsh band The Automatic.-Personal life:Rob studied at Cowbridge Comprehensive School, completing his A-levels and going on to take a chance with The Automatic in his gap year...
on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost
James Frost
James Martin Frost is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of Welsh band The Automatic, and guitarist and backing vocalist for Cardiff based band Effort. As well as his musical duties for The Automatic, Frost has also directed two of the bands music videos and their tour video daries...
on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths
Iwan Griffiths
Iwan Griffiths is drummer for Welsh rock band The Automatic, Iwan originates from Cowbridge in Wales, and currently resides in a house with band mates Robin Hawkins and James Frost.-Musical career:...
on drums and Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen is an English musician, most notable recognized for being the primary vocalist and guitarist with Yourcodenameis:milo who went on hiatus in 2007, and the joint lead vocalist, guitarist and synthesizer player for The Automatic from 2007 onwards...
on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007. Mullen joined after the departure of Alex Pennie
Alex Pennie
Alexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
who provided synthesizer, percussion and vocals.
Signing to a deal between B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher.B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since February 2008...
and Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
in 2005 the band released their platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
selling début Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
in 2006, which spawned three UK top 40 singles - Raoul
Raoul (song)
"Raoul" is both second and fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the debut album by Welsh band The Automatic. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and then again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the bands record labels Polydor and B-Unique.-Composition:The songs lyrics deal...
, Recover and Monster. The band released their second album This Is A Fix
This Is A Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
accompanied by only one single; Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen (The Automatic song)
"Steve McQueen" is the first and ultimately only single from Welsh rock band The Automatic's second album This Is A Fix. It is their fifth single overall...
in 2008, which due to a dispute between the band's labels - B-Unique and Polydor - was plagued with distributional and promotional problems, The dispute led to the band withdrawing from their 5-album deal with the labels and instead formed their own label, Armoured Records, distributed through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
After independently releasing their third album Tear the Signs Down
Tear the Signs Down
Tear the Signs Down is the third album by Wales-based band The Automatic. It was released on 8 March 2010 in the United Kingdom, and then on 12 April 2010 for the rest of the world. Tear the Signs Down was the first album released by the band on their own Armoured Records after being splitting with...
in 2010 and three singles - Interstate
Interstate (song)
Interstate is the first single from Tear the Signs Down, the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band The Automatic. The single was released on December 6, and marks the first release through the bands own record label; Armored Records....
, Run & Hide
Run & Hide (The Automatic song)
Run & Hide is the second single taken from Tear the Signs Down, the third studio album by Welsh band The Automatic. The single was announced on BBC Radio Wales...
and Cannot Be Saved
Cannot Be Saved
Cannot Be Saved is the third single by Welsh rock band The Automatic, taken from their third album Tear the Signs Down. The single was released on 20 June 2010 as a digital download.-Composition:...
, the band have begun a temporary break while members concentrate on other projects, with James Frost playing guitar in Effort and Paul Mullen providing vocals and guitar in Young Legionnaire
Young Legionnaire
Young Legionnaire are a British post-hardcore band made up of Paul Mullen , Gordon Moakes , and drummer Dean Pearson...
.
Band beginnings (1998–2004)
The members first met at primary school, in the early nineties, and formed a band at the age of 13. Alex PennieAlex Pennie
Alexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
was asked to join five years later. Originally known as White Rabbit, up until February 2005 when they renamed themselves The Automatic because they believe that music is the antidote to "the automatic life". After recording their two-track demo featuring rough versions of "Monster" and "Rats" in 2005 they signed a five-album record deal with B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher.B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since February 2008...
in their gap year
Gap year
An expression or phrase that is associated with taking time out to travel in between life stages. It is also known as sabbatical, time off and time out that refers to a period of time in which students disengage from curricular education and undertake non curricular activities, such as travel or...
.
Not Accepted Anywhere (2005–2007)
After signing their record deal with B-Unique the band began the writing and recording of their first record, the first release from which came in the form of "Recover" which on 7 November 2005 saw its release along with b-side "Jack Daniels". for the next 2 months the band were in studio, put under strain to write their record for a January deadline set by their record label, because of this the band believe the end result came out sounding quite similar. Whilst début single "Recover" did not chart, it had still gained them publicity, NMENME
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...
put the band on their new music tour, also calling them "The sound of 2006", the band quickly had further success, being awarded Best New Band in the Pop Factory Awards 2005.
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
in early 2006 the band began the release of second single "Raoul
Raoul (song)
"Raoul" is both second and fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the debut album by Welsh band The Automatic. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and then again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the bands record labels Polydor and B-Unique.-Composition:The songs lyrics deal...
" which came on 27 March 2006, being the first chart eligible release, reaching a peak in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
of #35, album track "On The Campaign Trail" was also released on the CD single, whilst "Trophy Wives" was released on the vinyl, the single received as a large amount of airplay on MTV Two amongst other channels, as well as further exposure. the band went around the country between touring promoting the single and the forthcoming album with instore signings.
On 27 April 2006 Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
was announced; the début 12 track long album, which would see release on B-Unique Records on 19 June 2006, with a new single "Monster", as well as further tour dates. When the album then arrived it received fairly mixed reactions, many reviewers pointing out the high pitched backing screams from Alex Pennie
Alex Pennie
Alexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
, which whilst some pointed out it gives the band an identity and a level of individuality, whilst others just found it annoying Dom Gourlay of Drowned In Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
wrote "the unnecessary screeching of the keyboard player just a tad irritating - bordering on the side of wanting to commit homicide - at the best of times" whilst NME wrote "screeching backing vocals, have made him sound like a new instrument all of its own" regarding the notorious vocalist. The album however remained very popular as far as sales went, reaching number #3 in the UK Album Chart, and remaining in the chart for over half a year, new single "Monster" also proved to be a huge success, reaching #4 in the single chart, oddly the band were then accused of being a one hit wonder, despite "Monster" being their second top 40 hit, the band also said since its release that there was no pressure, nor was it an objective to come up with something as popular as "Monster". The Raoul EP
Raoul EP
Raoul EP is an 8-track EP by Welsh band The Automatic featuring the original versions of singles "Recover" and "Raoul", plus B-sides from the "Monster", "Raoul" and "Recover" singles. It was originally released for the European market, but has since been made available in the UK, making it more...
, a collection of b-sides and songs which didn't make the final album was released on 17 July 2006.
Following the release of the album the band went on tour with Cat The Dog and Welsh friends Viva Machine, and played a 13 date tour across the United Kingdom, which also included their hugely publicised appearance on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
as well as a UK festival circuit, included Reading and Leeds festival, T4 on the Beach
T4 on the Beach
T4 On The Beach is a British one day music event which is held on the beach at Weston-super-Mare and televised for Channel 4. The event began in 2003 as Pop Beach in Great Yarmouth, changing to the current title and venue in 2005....
and T In The Park, all leading up to their fourth single a re-release of "Recover", which had been re-recorded for a larger release than its original limited release the year before. The single peaked at #32 in the UK after its release on 18 September 2006, surrounding this the band played various dates around Europe and Japan.
We wrote a song, it did really well, I don't really see what there is to be upset about. You get labelled "one hit wonders", but that's more hits than most people have. And it's not like we've disappeared without a trace. We've got a second album coming out, which in my opinion is full of much better songs. We wouldn't have been in a position to fly to LA to make a record if it wasn't for 'Monster'."— Robin Hawkins
Robin HawkinsRobin Hawkins, commonly known as Rob is the primary vocalist and bassist for Welsh band The Automatic.-Personal life:Rob studied at Cowbridge Comprehensive School, completing his A-levels and going on to take a chance with The Automatic in his gap year...
on the success of "Monster"
Over Christmas 2006 the band wrote and recorded two new songs which would begin play next year on the NME Rock Tour 2007, these songs titled "Steve McQueen" and "Revolution" (now known as "Secret Police") would be accompanied by a cover of Life During Wartime
Life During Wartime (song)
"Life During Wartime" is a song by New Wave band Talking Heads, released as the first single from their 1979 album Fear of Music in 1979. It peaked at #80 on the US Billboard Pop Singles Chart....
by Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, as well as the fifth and final single from Not Accepted Anywhere, another re-release, despite many fans wanting another album track to be used, "Raoul" was chosen by the band's record label, with the band saying they were not into the idea of releasing Raoul again. the single charted slightly higher than previously (originally at #36) instead the single charted at #32 in the UK single chart.
After extensive UK touring the band released Not Accepted Anywhere in the United States and Canada in June. This preceded their attendance at the Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
, 2007 and was opened with their first U.S. single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Monster" which was released on 14 May 2007. after the Warped Tour and release of the album embarked on their first USA Tour, before returning to the United Kingdom for their final show of the Not Accepted Anywhere era, Get Loaded In The Park.
Departure of Alex Pennie, Paul Mullen joins, This Is a Fix (2007-2008)
On 18 September 2007 it was announced by The Automatic that Alex PennieAlex Pennie
Alexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
had left The Automatic. Alex performed for the final time with band mates at Get Loaded In The Park 2007, however had been active for some time with the band assisting with the writing process of their second album, This Is A Fix
This Is A Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
. It was announced through the band's website and through the band's MySpace that Pennie had been finding playing with his band mates "increasingly unenjoyable" and that he had been growing apart from them.
In November, 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...
reported that the band have had no direct contact with Pennie since the split, which also took place earlier than the official split according to his former band mates. Hawkins has exchanged MySpace messages with Pennie however, reporting that he is doing ok, and that he now has a new punk band. Alex Pennie has more recently stated that he is returning to the UK to start work on "a new project". This was later announced by Pennie through his Myspace profile to be Decimals, in which he performs lead vocals. Pennie confirmed in 2009 that there were no hard feelings and that he and his band Decimals were in the same Cardiff studio as The Automatic, working with the same people, he described the situation as "like seeing an ex-girlfriend" and that both he and his former band mates are on good terms.
It was never going to spell the end of the band. Him staying would have spelt the end of it", said the singer. "He didn't want to be in the band anymore and what he did on the first album, the screaming thing, there's only so far you can take that, really. We couldn't have progressed… There's no regrets on either side as far as I know.— Rob Hawkins
After the departure of Alex Pennie the band was quick to make a new recruitment, Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen
Paul Mullen is an English musician, most notable recognized for being the primary vocalist and guitarist with Yourcodenameis:milo who went on hiatus in 2007, and the joint lead vocalist, guitarist and synthesizer player for The Automatic from 2007 onwards...
of Yourcodenameis:Milo
Yourcodenameis:milo
-External links:**...
was brought in after his band went on hiatus, taking on the position of guitarist, vocalist and synth player, so he would not be a direct replacement for Alex Pennie. The band had already been at work before Pennie's departure and had around 10 songs already done, two of which were "Steve McQueen" and "Secret Police", which both had been performed throughout 2007 on various tours.
After working in Cardiff in their studio, the band flew out to Los Angeles, California were they began working with Don Gilmore, who has worked with the likes of Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
and Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance....
, however were not happy with the results, thus switched to working with Butch Walker
Butch Walker
Butch Walker is an American recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the metal band SouthGang from the late 80s to early 90s as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.-Career:Walker grew up in Cartersville,...
(Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
, The All American Rejects, Simple Plan
Simple Plan
Simple Plan is a Canadian pop punk band from Montréal, Québec. The band has had no line up changes since its inception in 1999. Members are Pierre Bouvier , Jeff Stinco , Sébastien Lefebvre , David Desrosiers and Chuck Comeau...
) where they worked for some time, until having to return to the United Kingdom where they finished up much of the record back in Cardiff working with Rich Jackson, who worked with the band on Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
.
After the recording process was complete, in March, the band began a club tour, playing at smaller venues to "get up close" with the fans, supported by friends Viva Machine with the likes of Canterbury and Attack Attack also performing at select dates. The band's first single from This Is a Fix
This Is a Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
was soon announced, "Steve McQueen", first played on 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...
2007 Tour, would arrive on 18 August 2008, a further number of tour dates were also announced for August and September, the band were also announced to be play at Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, as well as performing at the UK release of the Rock Band video game, Glastonbury, and a number of other festivals and gigs around Europe.
Single "Steve McQueen" was premièred on the Zane Lowe show on BBC Radio 1 on 7 July 2008, the following day NME.com broadcast the music video for the first time, following this track "This Is A Fix" was released as a free gift on 30 July 2008 via download. On 18 August, the release day of Steve McQueen, the entire album became available on the band's Myspace page, the band also days later performed an all new cover, "Love in This Club
Love in This Club
"Love in This Club" is a song by American R&B singer Usher. Featuring rapper Young Jeezy, it was released on February 22, 2008 as the lead single from Usher's fifth studio album, Here I Stand. The song was written by Usher, Polow da Don, Young Jeezy, Darnell Dalton, Ryon Lovett, Lamar Taylor and...
" by "Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
" on the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
.
After the albums release the band completed two UK album tours
This Is A Fix album tour
The This Is A Fix album tour was the 2008 & 2009 tour surrounding the release of Welsh band The Automatic's second album This Is A Fix. The first leg of the tour was played at smaller clubs and venues around the United Kingdom, whilst later dates were at some of the countries larger...
in the remaining months of 2008, before heading back into studio to work on new tracks. At The Asylum in Birmingham, the band confirmed "Magazines" to be the second single from This Is A Fix
This Is A Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
originally stating a release would happen in February 2009, however this date was scrapped. The Automatic along with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner is an English folk/punk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Winchester. Initially the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, Turner embarked upon a primarily acoustic-based solo career following the band's split in 2005. To date, Turner has released four solo albums, two rarities...
and My Vitriol
My Vitriol
My Vitriol are an alternative rock band from London, England. The band name, which is often misinterpreted, is taken from the novel Brighton Rock by Graham Greene...
were announced in early 2009 to be part of the final show at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
on Wednesday 14 January, a charity show for Love Music Hate Racism and Jail Guitar Doors.
Tear the Signs Down, Armoured Records (2009-present)
Since the start of 2009 the band began working in studio on new tracks, and by March had around 10 songs in various stages of development, some being demoed and some not. The band fully recorded 4 of the new tracks in early April, and on 18 April it was confirmed that the new tracks are towards the bands third studio album.New track "Something Else" was made available to stream through the bands website on August 6, 2009, with a music video produced by Frost depicting touring in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- and recording in Cardiff. New material was further teased in August through to October, with photos depicting the band working with a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and cellist
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, song title "Parasol" was also revealed.
On September 28, 2009 the band announced a string of UK dates for November, which would coincide with the release of new single "Interstate
Interstate (song)
Interstate is the first single from Tear the Signs Down, the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band The Automatic. The single was released on December 6, and marks the first release through the bands own record label; Armored Records....
". It was also revealed that the band had terminated their contract to release 5 records through B-Unique and Polydor Records after the two labels partnership which The Automatic were the child of ended; causing the ill promotion and distribution of their previous album This Is A Fix. Instead, the band would self finance their third record, allowing for 'complete creative control', Armoured Records was founded, with a distribution partnership with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
In October filming took place for single "Interstate" in Cardiff outside Chapter Arts Centre in front of a wood sculpture created by Alan Goulbourne. Filming then took place days later for the bands appearance on Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
Chris Moyles' Quiz Night is a British television comedy game show, presented by Chris Moyles. It was first broadcast on 22 March 2009 and is in its fifth series....
. "Interstate" premiered on XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
on November 3, 2009, with the music video released straight after onto Youtube. The albums title Tear the Signs Down
Tear the Signs Down
Tear the Signs Down is the third album by Wales-based band The Automatic. It was released on 8 March 2010 in the United Kingdom, and then on 12 April 2010 for the rest of the world. Tear the Signs Down was the first album released by the band on their own Armoured Records after being splitting with...
and release date for March 8, 2010 were also revealed. Track "Something Else" which was previously available to stream was also released as a free download through Music Glue.
January through March 2010 tour dates were revealed by The Fly
The Fly (magazine)
The Fly is a free music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. The magazine is published by the HMV owned MAMA Group.The magazine started as a listings leaflet in Camden, north London, for the Barfly music venue on Chalk Farm Road...
as soon as the bands November tour ended. Second single "Run and Hide
Run & Hide (The Automatic song)
Run & Hide is the second single taken from Tear the Signs Down, the third studio album by Welsh band The Automatic. The single was announced on BBC Radio Wales...
" which was previously titled "Parasol" premiered on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show on January 19, 2010, with a release set for March 1, 2010 - a week before the release of the album. The music video saw release a week later, shot at the re-opened Cardiff Coal Exchange. Tear the Signs Down was met by critics in a similar way to the bands previous releases, receiving both very positive and negative responses, Rock Sound awarded the album 9/10 believing it would "surely stand out as one of the finest British records of the year" whilst magazine The Skinny critic Nick Mitchell wrote "It's difficult to imagine even their core audience (the Hollyoaks demographic) getting excited about this confused, weak album" awarding only a single star.
After the bands UK tour with Straight Lines and White Belt Yellow Tag
White Belt Yellow Tag
White Belt Yellow Tag are a British alternative rock band, formed by former Yourcodenameis:milo guitarist Justin Lockey and Craig Pilbin. When performing live, Tom Bellamy plays drums....
it was teased that the band were hoping to support Irish rock band Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
in April & May, however this never materialized. An alternative version of "Cannot Be Saved
Cannot Be Saved
Cannot Be Saved is the third single by Welsh rock band The Automatic, taken from their third album Tear the Signs Down. The single was released on 20 June 2010 as a digital download.-Composition:...
" was revealed as the third single from Tear the Signs Down, and would be released on June 20, 2010, with a music video from the touring earlier in the year directed by Frost released on Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
and 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...
on June 2, 2010. Two days after "Cannot Be Saved" live versions from Oxford Academy of "Run and Hide" and "Raoul" were released as free downloads through Rock Midgets, with live versions of "Sleepwalking" and "Magazines" also made available to stream through the bands Soundcloud.
Over the summer months of 2010 performances included Pritchattsbury Festival in Birmingham, Kilmarnock Festival in Scotland, Monmouth Festival and Jedi Music Festival in Liverpool. Along with The Blackout
The Blackout (band)
The Blackout is a post-hardcore band from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, formed in 2003. After some time backing Lostprophets on their Liberation Transmission Tour, along with Dopamine, Covergirl, Kids In Glass Houses, The Guns and Men, Women and Children, they released their first mini-album The Blackout!...
and Young Guns
Young Guns (band)
Young Guns are an English alternative rock band from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. On 22 June 2009 they released their debut EP Mirrors, and their debut album All Our Kings Are Dead was released a year later on 12 July 2010, peaking at #43 in the UK Albums Chart, and #3 in both the UK Rock and...
the band were announced as part of the line-up for Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
's Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation
Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation
-Reception:The album received very positive reviews from the British music press with NME and Drowned in Sound giving it 8/10 and 9/10 respectively. It was also #17 in NME albums of the year.- In pop culture :...
dates in July 2010.
Tear the Signs Down was amongst the BBC's 10 greatest Welsh albums of 2010. On December 24, 2010 an unreleased cover of "New Sensation
New Sensation
"New Sensation" is a song by the Australian rock group INXS. It was the third single from their 1987 album Kick. The music was written by Andrew Farriss and the lyrics by Michael Hutchence...
" by INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
from the This Is A Fix recording sessions was made available for streaming on Soundcloud.
Currently members are working on other projects, James Frost along with Radio 1 DJ Jen Long formed Effort in 2010, whilst Paul Mullen along with Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
bassist Gordon Moakes
Gordon Moakes
Gordon Peter Moakes is an English multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist for English indie rock band Bloc Party.-Bloc Party:...
formed Young Legionnaire
Young Legionnaire
Young Legionnaire are a British post-hardcore band made up of Paul Mullen , Gordon Moakes , and drummer Dean Pearson...
, who are releasing their album Crisis Works on May 9, 2011. The band are expected to reconvene in the Summer of 2011.
Musical style
During the bands debut release period of Not Accepted AnywhereNot Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
they were often categorised as electro-disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
,; at this point they were using more synthesiser keyboards, and had been compared to acts such as Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, and 'thrown in' with the indie rock scene of 2006, the band have even stated that the album was altered in the mixing process "When we were recording the first album there were some really heavy guitars going down but only the clean ones were used" a decision of the record label and producers involved with the album, some of these guitars parts were restored in the 2007 US release of Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
when it was re-released and re-mastered, the band at one point were even labelled as Glam rock, which former keyboardist Alex Pennie blamed 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...
for. The band cite their influences such as Jarcrew
Jarcrew
Jarcrew was a five-piece progressive rock band from Ammanford, Wales. They were a relatively well known underground band for approximately five years between 2000 and their early 2005 split...
, Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
and The Blood Brothers, and a joint love for bands such as Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
and Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
, The bands second album was compared to the sound of Ash's early work by many critics, as well as this the second album is generally listed as having a 'bigger sound' with heavier guitars, less synths, drums and more vocals.
The debut album, Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
, lyrically refers to the band's experiences growing up in Cowbridge
Cowbridge
Cowbridge is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, approximately west of Cardiff. Cowbridge is twinned with Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique department in northwestern France.-Roman times:...
, while the second album, This Is A Fix
This Is A Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
, lyrically takes inspiration from politics and news items, except for "Steve McQueen" which lyrically is similar to the tracks on Not Accepted Anywhere and was intended originally as a bridge between the two first albums, as a stand alone single being originally recorded at the end of 2006, for a early 2007 release. "Monster", "Recover", "In The Mountains" and "Responsible Citizen" lyrically refer to substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
and alcohol, the media in "Magazines", the record industry in "Accessories" and "You Shout You Shout You Shout You Shout", the climate in "High Tide on Caroline Street", people the band dislike in "Team Drama and "Seriously... I Hate You Guys", growing up and day-to-day lives in "That's What She Said", "In This World", "Raoul", and "Light Entertainment".
The band instrumentally use various synthesisers to produce many of their sounds, during the recording and touring with the album Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
the band's former member Alex Pennie used an Alesis Micron and an Alesis Andromeda during live performances, and in addition to this in studio he used an Roland Juno-106
Roland Juno-106
The Roland Juno-106 was a hybrid digital/analogue polyphonic synth manufactured by Roland Corporation in 1984. It featured Digitally controlled oscillators for tuning stability and digital envelope generation along with analog filters and signal path....
. More recently since Pennie's departure new addition Paul Mullen uses an microKORG
MicroKORG
The microKORG is a MIDI-capable virtual analog synthesizer/vocoder from Korg featuring high-quality DSP analog modelling. The synth/keyboard is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with programmable step arpeggiator , a less advanced vocoder , lack of motion sequencing The...
whilst James Frost continues to use an Alesis Micron, although fewer of the songs on This Is A Fix
This Is A Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
use synthesiser as a predominant instrument. The band use Sennheiser
Sennheiser
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is a private German audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of both consumer and high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephony accessories, and avionics headsets for consumer, professional, and business...
microphones, 'e 945s' for vocals, 'e 906s' for the guitar cabinets and snare drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
, the 'e 604s' for toms, and an 'e 901' on the kick drum.
Band members
Current members- Robin HawkinsRobin HawkinsRobin Hawkins, commonly known as Rob is the primary vocalist and bassist for Welsh band The Automatic.-Personal life:Rob studied at Cowbridge Comprehensive School, completing his A-levels and going on to take a chance with The Automatic in his gap year...
- vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizers, keyboards and occasional fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
(1998-present) - James FrostJames FrostJames Martin Frost is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of Welsh band The Automatic, and guitarist and backing vocalist for Cardiff based band Effort. As well as his musical duties for The Automatic, Frost has also directed two of the bands music videos and their tour video daries...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, synthesizers, keyboards, backing vocals, percussion and occasional bass guitar (1998-present) - Iwan GriffithsIwan GriffithsIwan Griffiths is drummer for Welsh rock band The Automatic, Iwan originates from Cowbridge in Wales, and currently resides in a house with band mates Robin Hawkins and James Frost.-Musical career:...
- drums (1998-present) - Paul MullenPaul MullenPaul Mullen is an English musician, most notable recognized for being the primary vocalist and guitarist with Yourcodenameis:milo who went on hiatus in 2007, and the joint lead vocalist, guitarist and synthesizer player for The Automatic from 2007 onwards...
- vocals, guitar, synthesizers and keyboards (2007–present)
Former band members
- Alex PennieAlex PennieAlexander Gregor Pennie is the lead vocalist of Welsh Hardcore punk band Goodtime Boys. Pennie was previously in Welsh band The Automatic, where he provided backing vocals as well as playing synthesizers and keyboards for the act...
- synthesizers, keyboards, percussion, vocals (2003–2007)
Former touring musicians
- Jamie Allen - bass guitar on Gold Digger (2006–2007)
- Peter HillPeter Hill (photographer)Peter Hill is a photographer and journalist who lives in London, England. He is best known for his live photography of rock bands and his work on Rocklouder.co.uk.-Background:Hill was born in Shoreham-by-Sea...
- bass guitar on This Is A Fix (2008) - Tom Stephens - bass guitar on This Is A Fix (2008)
The band have collaborated on a number of occasions for live shows, notably for Reading and Leeds festivals in 2006 during the performances of "Gold Digger" the band performed with Goldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain
Goldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.-Background:Many of the songs...
, similarly in 2007 at T In The Park the band performed the track with singer-guitarist Newton Faulkner
Newton Faulkner
Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. Known for his guitar playing, which involves rhythmically tapping and hitting his guitar's body, Faulkner came to prominence in 2007, with the release of his debut studio album, Hand Built by Robots...
, during the live performance of "Gold Digger", former guitar technician for The Automatic Jamie Allen would perform bass guitar, as Rob played flute. In 2008 with album and track "This Is A Fix" an additional bass player was required for its performance as Rob would be providing synthesisers in the track, during club tour Tom Stephens of Viva Machine
Viva Machine
Viva Machine were a Welsh Rock band who started out in 2003 under the name Ipsofacto before changing their name and reinventing themselves in 2006 under the name Viva Machine, and later in 2008 adding a second guitarist and synth player Justin Hendy...
provided bass, whilst in later tours Peter Hill
Peter Hill (photographer)
Peter Hill is a photographer and journalist who lives in London, England. He is best known for his live photography of rock bands and his work on Rocklouder.co.uk.-Background:Hill was born in Shoreham-by-Sea...
stood in as bassist on the track. Notable on many of the bands tours have featured James "Jizz" Lawrenson as the band's sound engineer, ,'Spicy' Geoff Cattani as Keyboard Tech & Drum tech & sometimes Driver from Feb 2006-Nov 2006, Stan Saunders as band's monitor engineer and Mike Doyle as tour manager, a position Peter Hill also took in 2008/09 touring, Mike was also featured during a live cover of Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
single "Life During Wartime
Life During Wartime
Life During Wartime could refer to:*"Life During Wartime" , a song by Talking Heads*"Life During Wartime", a song by Pinhead Gunpowder*Life During Wartime , a 2009 film from director Todd Solondz...
" on the 2007 NME Tour.
The band have long had a studio relationship with producer Richard Jackson, who is responsible for working with the band on albums; Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
, This Is A Fix
This Is A Fix
This Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
& Tear the Signs Down
Tear the Signs Down
Tear the Signs Down is the third album by Wales-based band The Automatic. It was released on 8 March 2010 in the United Kingdom, and then on 12 April 2010 for the rest of the world. Tear the Signs Down was the first album released by the band on their own Armoured Records after being splitting with...
and subsequent b-sides and demos as well as this the band have been managed by Martin Bowen with Probation Management since 2005. As well as working in studio with Richard, the sophomore release was worked on initially with Don Gilmore, followed by Butch Walker
Butch Walker
Butch Walker is an American recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the metal band SouthGang from the late 80s to early 90s as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.-Career:Walker grew up in Cartersville,...
& Richard Jackson and on one track Stephen Harris
Stephen Harris (producer)
Stephen Harris is an English music producer and mixer. He has worked with artists including Dave Matthews Band, Ben Kweller, Blue Merle, Kula Shaker, and with B-Unique bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, The Automatic and Pull Tiger Tail...
, who also worked with the band on their debut, along with Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
. To date, musically the only other musicians to be featured besides the band themselves were Chris T-T and Frank Turner, the two musicians along with producer Butch Walker were featured providing gang vocals and extra percussion on This Is A Fix track "Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
".
Reception
| Award | Wins | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
Kerrang! Awards |
||
Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... Music Awards |
||
T4 Music Awards |
||
The Pop Factory The Pop Factory The Pop Factory is a music and media complex in Porth, Rhondda, South Wales. It has given its name to a Welsh TV show.It was founded by Emyr Afan and his wife Mair Afan.... Awards |
||
| Totals | ||
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| colspan="2" width=50 | ||
The September 2008 issue of Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
magazine reported that the band was unpopular with other musicians, which the band blamed on the success of their hit single "Monster".
I think that most bands don't like us, I think bands look at us and go 'Nah'.At the time of their debut release, Not Accepted Anywhere— James Frost
James FrostJames Martin Frost is the guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of Welsh band The Automatic, and guitarist and backing vocalist for Cardiff based band Effort. As well as his musical duties for The Automatic, Frost has also directed two of the bands music videos and their tour video daries...
Not Accepted Anywhere
Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
, the band were rated #10 in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's sound of 2006 British band Kasabian called The Automatic "horrible" in an NME interview in 2007.
All the singles released by The Automatic, from "Recover" in November 2005, to "Steve McQueen" in August 2008 charted in the UK Singles Top 40, including both original releases and re-releases of "Raoul" and "Recover". The bands highest charting single to-date is "Monster" which charted at #4, this is followed by "Steve McQueen" which charted at #16. Since 2008 they have failed to chart.
Albums
- Not Accepted AnywhereNot Accepted AnywhereNot Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released on June 19, 2006. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studies around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal...
(2006) - This Is a FixThis Is a FixThis Is a Fix is the second album by Wales based band The Automatic. It was released on 25 August 2008. The band worked with producer Don Gilmore in Los Angeles, but were disappointed with these sessions, and instead worked with Butch Walker at Sage and Sound Recording in Los Angeles then back in...
(2008) - Tear the Signs DownTear the Signs DownTear the Signs Down is the third album by Wales-based band The Automatic. It was released on 8 March 2010 in the United Kingdom, and then on 12 April 2010 for the rest of the world. Tear the Signs Down was the first album released by the band on their own Armoured Records after being splitting with...
(2010)