The Go! Team
Encyclopedia
The Go! Team are a six-piece band from Brighton
, England
. They combine indie rock
and garage rock
with a mixture of blaxploitation
and Bollywood
soundtracks, double dutch
chants, old school hip hop
and distorted guitars similar to the style of Sonic Youth
. Their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples
from various sources. The band's vocals vary between performances: while live vocals are handled mostly by Ninja (with Tsuchida and Fukami-Taylor also singing some solos), vocals on record also feature sampled and guest voices.
-style guitars, double dutch
chants, bollywood soundtracks, old school hip hop and electro. These ideas led towards the recording of Thunder, Lightning, Strike
in his parents' kitchen.
, was released in the UK and Europe on the Memphis Industries
label in September 2004, to widespread critical acclaim.
Recorded at Parton's parents' house and co-produced and mixed by Ian's brother Gareth Parton at The Fortress Studios, London.
In June 2004, Ian Parton recruited a band in order to play the Accelerator Festival in Sweden after having been asked to play when no band existed. The live band is a "separate entity" to the original studio vision, as the performances became radically different from the recordings, particularly due to vocalist Ninja's
freestyled vocals over what had been instrumental studio tracks. The album was very well received by the music press getting a 9/10 in the NME and an 8.7 on Pitchfork. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005 and Pitchfork made it the eighth best album of 2004.
The band's popularity increased with the re-issue of "Ladyflash" in the UK, resulting in national primetime airplay on radio stations such as BBC Radio 1
, Xfm
and the Atlanta
, USA
based 99X
. They achieved further popularity when their song "Get It Together" from Thunder, Lightning, Strike was featured in trailers for the video game LittleBigPlanet
, with the song eventually becoming identified with the game. The track "The Power is On
" from Thunder, Lightning, Strike
was included in "The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to Present". "The Power is On" was also used on the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore's directorial debut motion picture "Whip It", it was also used in the Atlanta Falcons NFL Play60 commercial.
In December 2009 Thunder, Lightning, Strike was declared the album of the decade on Radio Scilly's new music show The Sound Of Confusion.
The single, "Grip Like a Vice", was released on 2 July 2007, and the new album, called Proof of Youth
, was released on 10 September in the UK and a day later in the US. The new record continued The Go! Team’s mix of samples, live band recordings and an array of special guests, including hip-hop legend Chuck D
, electro diva Solex and Bonde do Rolê
ex-singer Marina Ribatski
.
The second single form Proof of Youth "Doing It Right" was released on 3 September 2007 and received day time radio play from BBC Radio 1 and soundtracked the BBC's launch of the iPlayer
.
A stand alone single "Milk Crisis" was released via free download on 21 July 2008. They later released a 2-disc limited edition of the record with b-sides of the album including "Milk Crisis", "Phantom Broadcast", "A Version Of Myself", and a remix of "Grip Like a Vice" by Black Affair.
In 2008 The Go! Team contributed the song "Templates from Home" to Bruce Parry's Survival International
charity album, Songs for Survival
.
in August 2008, songwriter Ian Parton spoke about recording The Go! Team's third album and the direction he is going in for this project. He wants to make music that "flips fidelity
within the same song, and make it flow like a song should", his idea of "schizo music".
On August 5, 2010 the band used their Facebook
page to announce a collaboration with Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof
, entitled 'Secretary Song'.
On 28 October 2010 the tracklisting for The Go! Team's forthcoming album 'Rolling Blackouts' was officially confirmed.
The album's first single 'Buy Nothing Day' was released on 24 January 2011 in both the UK and US on 7" vinyl. The track, which features vocals by Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast
, is backed with a cover version of Betty and Karen's 'I'm Not Satisfied' sung by French singer Soko
.The single was A-listed for five consecutive weeks on BBC 6 Music in the UK as well as picking up 'most requested' status on Triple J Radio in Australia.
The album was released on January 31, 2011. The album received 4/5 reviews in a number of UK publications including Q magazine, Uncut, The Times and The Fly.
The second single to be released from the album was a collection of Apollo Throwdown/Voice Yr Choice remixes released as limited edition of 500 12" singles on blue vinyl issued as part of Record Store Day (16 April 2011). The full tracklisting was Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix)/ Apollo Throwdown (D/R/U/G/S Remix)/ Voice Yr Choice (The Ruby Suns Remix)/ Voice Yr Choice (TOBACCO Remix). A promo CD single of the regular version of Apollo Throwdown was released in late March followed by a 4 track digital download only EP on iTunes, released on 24 April which contained the album version, Star Slinger and DRUGS remixes and an exclusive instrumental version of the track.
The band kicked off an extensive year of touring with shows in Belgium and a return trip to Amsterdam (this time at the Melkweg) plus a gig at the famed 100 Club in London. In February they undertook their first UK tour with label mates The Pipettes, taking in gigs in Scotland, Wales and several major cities across the UK. They also supported LCD Soundsystem at The Astoria in London.
March saw the band play their first US shows kicking off at the SXSW showcase festival in Austin, Texas followed by gigs in New York and Miami, at the Winter Music Conference. In May, less than a year after their debut gig, the band played their first major venue headline show in London at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. June saw The Go! Team make a rare outing as a support band playing with Basement Jaxx at several large venues across the UK before headlining the John Peel Stage at the Glastonbury Festival. The gig was interrupted early on due to technical problems following extreme weather conditions, but the band returned and completed the set to a rapturous reception.
In July 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' was given an Australian release on Shock Records and the band played their first gigs there. The band also played Pitchfork's Intonation Festival in Chicago where they were joined on stage for Ladyflash by a gang of kids from a neighbouring park who the band had spotted earlier in the day, pulling off some dance moves. Ian: "They were groovy, funky little fuckers. All ages, little kids up to teenagers, getting down. So we asked them if they wanted to get on stage for our last song, 'Ladyflash'. Basically the kids got on stage and were dancing around. It was amazing. And then, on the last beat, they all collapsed into a heap on the floor". In August the band played several major festivals across the globe including their first visit to Japan at Fuji Rock, Pukklepop in Belgium and the Leeds/Reading festivals in the UK. They also played Bestival in September and received TV coverage on Channel 4. In September the band embarked on their first major tour of the US and Canada, playing a total of 14 shows and making their US TV debut playing live on the Jimmy Kimmel Show on ABC. While in the US the band played live at the MTV Woodie Awards show in New York where they were introduced on stage by actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.
2006 - the band kicked off another hectic year of touring with a return to Australia, plus a date in New Zealand, in January for a series of festival appearances. In February they undertook their largest UK tour to date playing 18 dates that took them into early March, including three consecutive sold-out shows at KoKo in London. They then headed back to the US to play dates at SXSW (including an in-store appearance at Waterloo Records in Austin) followed by a handful of east coast dates. In April The Go! Team returned to the UK to support The Flaming Lips on a short tour of major venues including a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The band joined The Flaming Lips on stage in a variety of costumes for the Lips' finale each night. Later that month they headed back to the US for a few west coast dates including a triumphant performance at the Coachella festival where legendary bass man Mike Watt (of the Stooges and Minutemen) joined the band on stage for a climatic 'Ladyflash'.
While in the States the band played live on the CBS TV show 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' performing 'The Power Is On'. July saw the band return to the US and Canada for the third time in five months. They played a number of shows into August including several further gigs supporting The Flaming Lips (including a show at the legendary Red Rocks amphitheatre) plus the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago (which was recorded for an i-Tunes download album) and two club dates supporting Sonic Youth which Ian described as 'a dream come true'. They returned to the UK at the end of August to headline the JJB tent at the V Festival in Chelmsford and Stafford. October saw the band play their last gig of the year at The Dome in Brighton - a hometown Halloween party that saw the band in suitable fancy dress.
In August the band played several festivals including a headline slot at the Loop festival in Brighton and sets at Connect (Scotland), Get Loaded (London) and Way Out West (Gothenburg). The band returned to play Bestival in September before playing three consecutive sold-out shows in London, (Electric Ballroom), Manchester (The Ritz) and Glasgow (ABC) to support the release of their second album 'Proof of Youth'. Two new songs, 'Fake ID' from 'Proof of Youth' and 'A Version of Myself' (a track from the 'Grip Like a Vice' CD single) were debuted at the London gig. Towards the end of September the band embarked on an 11-date UK tour promoted by the NME as the 'Freshers' Tour' as most venues are universities just kicking-off new term years. The NME tour ended at a packed show at The Astoria in London following which the band jetted off to the US for a 14 date tour. In November the band embarked on a four day tour of France with The Gossip, Jack Penate and Cajun Dance Party. Former Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker attended the Paris show. The band ended the year by playing two shows in Japan at the beginning of December and then ended 2007 and started 2008 by playing a batch of festival dates in Australia over the New Year period including a gig on New Year's Eve at the Falls Festival in Tasmania.
February saw the band play Mexico for the first time with two shows - a club gig in Mexico City and a festival in Guadalajara. They returned to the UK in February for an 11-date UK tour undertaking shows in a numbers of cities they'd not visited before. In March The Go! Team hosted a benefit gig at The Duke of York's cinema in Brighton to raise money for roof repairs. The band played live and DJ'd while Go! Team-visuals guru Bob Jaroc showed old 35mm movie trailers and short films on the big screen.
They followed this in April with a surprise 1am hometown gig at the Brighton Concorde as part of the 'Great Escape' weekender.
June saw The Go! Team globetrot to virgin territory playing shows for the first time in Croatia, Russia, Brazil and Argentina all within the month.
In July they played three festival dates, Latitude and Lovebox in the UK and Les Vieilles Charrues in France. In August the band returned to the States for a 10-date tour that included the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago, the All Points West festival in New Jersey and several club shows co-headlining with CSS. The band rounded off the year with three German gigs including one at the Play Winter Music Fesival in Hamburg.
After four years of nearly constant touring the band took some time out during 2009 but played the odd date here and there including, for the first time, a gig in Slovenia at the Njoki festival in June and a show in front a massive and enthusiastic crowd at the free BAM festival in Barcelona.
In 2010, the band concentrated on recording their third album, Rolling Blackouts, but continued to play a number of one-off shows. They played at the Actual Festival in Spain in January and visited Singapore for the first time, in March, to play at the Mosaic Music Festival. In April they played the Belgium-based Sonic City festival which this year was curated by Deerhoof. A brand new song was debuted at this show (later to be titled Apollo Throwdown). The following month they played at the Nuits Sonores Festival in Lyon where another new song (later to be titled T.O.R.N.A.D.O.) was played for the first time. In June the band played gigs in Spain and Poland over the course of a weekend. The Polish gig was subsequently cancelled due to a rain-waterlogged front of house sound desk. In July and August they played their first UK shows in nearly two years at the Wickerman Festival in Scotland and the following month at the Summer Sundae Festival in Leicester followed by a gig in Kiev, Ukraine in September.
In October 2010 the band announced their first major UK club date for three and a half years, at Heaven in London, to take place on 8 February 2011. This was quickly followed up by the announcement of a major 19-date UK tour in February 2011 to coincide with the release of the band's third LP, 'Rolling Blackouts' due for release on 31 January 2011.
On 31 January 2011 the band played a free in-store gig at Rough Trade East in London to coincide with the release of 'Rolling Blackouts'. February 2011 saw the band undertake a 20 date tour of the UK. The band played a mix of tracks from their three albums but with the emphasis on new tracks from 'Rolling Blackouts' including T.O.R.N.A.D.O., Secretary Song, Apollo Throwdown, Ready To Go Steady, Buy Nothing Day, Yosemite Theme, The Running Rnage, Voice Yr Choice and (introduced part-way in to the tour) Back Like 8 Track which was given its UK premiere at the Cambridge Junction gig on 9 February. The band also played a reworked version of The Power Is On at all shows, reverting to the original 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' version with Ninja incorporating the original vocal chants rather than the revised lyrics that she had performed using previously.
In early March 2011 the band played two shows in Ireland before commencing a 16-date tour of Europe starting with shows in Germany, Switzerland and Italy and moving on to dates in Belgium, France (including a sold-out show in Paris) and Spain.
The band began April in Spain rounding off a handful of gigs which completed their European tour. Ten days later the band undertook an eight date tour of North America which included one date in Canada. Both New York gigs (the Bowery Ballroom and Brooklyn Bowl) were sell-outs and all gigs were well attended and received. Ninja was injured during the climatic Brooklyn Bowl set closer, Keys To The City, and was taken to hospital where she spent the night before being given the OK to proceed with the tour.
In April The band announced a number of festival dates including the Truck
and Glastonbury Festivals in the UK.
In late April and during the first half of May the band undertook an eleven date tour of Australia comprising five festival dates as part of the Groovin The Moo travelling festival, four club dates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth plus two warm-up/low-key gigs at Strike Bowling Alleys in Sydney and Melbourne. The band then travelled to Japan to complete their Rolling Blackouts world tour with dates in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.
In June the band played a number of festivals, including the Eden Sessions at The Eden Project with The Flaming Lips, B-Sides in Switzerland, Sea Session in Ireland, Solidays in Paris and Glastonbury (for the third time in six years) this time on the West Holts Stage. Some of the Glastonbury set is broadcast on the BBC's interactive service. They also return to play the Cultural Picnic Festival in Warsaw, Poland after their proposed show there last year was postponed just before they went on, due to torrential rain.
The band have recorded a number of session in the US for the many alternative, independent and college radio sessions that exist there. The most notable of these include two appearances on the well-respected Morning Becomes Eclectic show on KCRW where bands play mini sets, usually around eight tracks, back to back with additional interviews. The first of these the band played was in early 2006 where they rocketed through their set in blistering form, covering tracks from the first album – The Power Is On, Huddle Formation, Bottle Rocket, Junior Kickstart and Ladyflash as well as b-sides The Ice Storm and tracks We Just Won't Be Defeated and Hold Yr Terror Close. A stunning razor sharp set, particularly given the early morning nature of the session. The second session was recorded in October 2007 while the band were touring 'Proof of Youth' in the US. This session also included eight tracks, dominated by the new LP – Grip Like A Vice, The Wrath Of Marcie, Fake ID, Flashlight Fight, Titanic Vandalism, Doing It Right, Keys To The City together with b-side A Version Of Myself. Watching the webcast of the session revealed that band were having some difficulties with the sound/equipment and you sensed there was some frustration and tension in the studio. At the end of the session Ian Parton, seated behind his kit, pulled his headphones off and buried his face in his hands. While it may have been tough to record the set sounded great and both this and the 2006 session are essential listening.
Another notable session recorded in the US was for the World Cafe show on NPR in 2006. This four track selection included a version of the previously instrumental b-side The Wrath of Mikey – now with vocals. Although the lyrics would change considerably over the following year, the track would eventually appear on 2007's Proof of Youth as The Wrath of Marcie and was subsuquently released as a single.
Songs from other US sessions around this time, including WEXP and KEXP and WERS, appeared on a widely available promo compilation CD of Go! Team college radio session tracks on Columbia Records entitled Audio Assault Course - an essential companion to the band's two studio albums.
Other radio sessions of note include: session recorded for XFM, BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music in July/August 2007 where the band showcased new material from their forthcoming Proof of Youth LP; a session recorded for XFM in London in November 2007 which included a cover version of the Bill Conti track Gonna Fly Now (better known as the theme music from the movie Rocky)and a three track session for the Colin Murray show where the band teamed up with The Full Fat Horns, a three man horn section who played all the sampled horn parts from Titanic Vandalism, Grip Like A Vice and Keys To The City.
In promoting their third album 'Rolling Blackouts', The Go! Team recorded four radio sessions in the early part of 2011 including three for the BBC. The sessions were: 15 January 2011, BBC Radio 2 (Dermot O'Leary Show) – Apollo Throwdown & Everyone's A VIP To Someone; 26 January 2011, BBC Radio 1 (Zane Lowe Show) – Buy Nothing Day Voice, a new untitled song & Voice Yr Choice (Voice Yr Choice was not broadcast but was available to watch on Radio 1's website); 31 January 2011, BBC 6 Music (Huey Morgan Show) – T.O.R.N.A.D.O. & Apollo Throwdown; 3 March 2011, East Village Radio (Mike Joyce Show) – T.O.R.N.A.D.O. & Apollo Throwdown.
Ian Parton took over BBC 6 Music airwaves for a couple of hours on the evening of the 24 April on the 6 Mix show playing some of his favourite records including those that had influences on The Go! Team and a segment of instrumentals.
In October 2005 the band made their US TV debut performing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live talkshow on ABC in the States playing The Power Is On and Huddle Formation. While on tour in the States they also performed at the MTV Woodie awards show in New York where they were introduced on stage by actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman and performed Huddle Formation. They also played on the Fox Rox music TV show playing Ladyflash and Huddle Formation.
January 2006 saw the re-release of Ladyflash as a single. This sparked several TV appearances including a TV commercial for the single shown on Channel 4 and a slot on the legendary long-running UK chart show Top of the Pops, after the single charted at number 26 in the UK. The performance included a live vocal from Ninja, a missing Jamie Bell who was on holiday at the time, some very funny Melodica miming from Kaori and several of the band wearing motorcycle crash helmets. Other TV shows visited during January in support of Ladyflash included Channel 4's CD:UK and Pop World on the Sky 1 cable channel. Possibly the strangest TV promotional duty undertaken that month was the appearance of Kaori and Ninja as guests on the Sky Sports channel Saturday morning fooball chat show Soccer AM. Ninja and Jamie Bell would appear again on the show as guests in January 2011 ahead of the release of their third album Rolling Blackouts.
While on tour in the US in March the band played live on the American kids TV show Pancake Mountain. The show was filmed at the Black Cat venue in Washington DC where the band were due to perform that night and the band played completely surrounded by dozens of pre-teen kids who all danced and interacted with the band throughout the performance. The clip is available on YouTube and also on a Pancake Mountain DVD compilation that also includes performances from M.I.A, Deerhoof and The Subways.
In May 2006 the band performed on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS in the States, turning in a performance of The Power Is On.
May 2007 saw the band commence promotional duties for their new single Grip Like A Vice with a live performance of the track on Channel 4's Transmission show. They also appeared on the Album Chart Show, again on Channel 4, in August where they recorded three live tracks in front of a packed audience at KoKo in London. The tracks played were Keys To The City, Flashlight Fight and new single Doing It Right, the latter being the only track broadcast when the show aired.
In October 2008 the band were invited to play a large televised gig celebrating women in music, held at the Zenith in Paris, where they performed Keys To The City to an enormous audience and a rapturous reception.
In addition to the above studio-based TV performances, there have been several broadcast of the band playing live at festivals including footage of the band's two appearances at Bestival for Channel 4's coverage of the event. The first in 2005 where a clip of Ladyflash was broadcast and then again in 2007 where Doing It Right and an interview with Ninja were recorded. In 2007 the band played an early evening slot on the Other Stage at Glastonbury and most of the set was broadcast by the BBC live as part of its festival coverage. There have also been many live webcasts of the band's festival sets recorded, most notably at Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Oya Festival in Norway, both in August 2008.
The band together with Bob Jaroc, the man behind the Go! Team's live screen-projected visuals, made two 10 minute mini-documentaries about the group for Channel 4's '4-Play' series. The first was broadcast in October 2005 with the second showing in September 2007. Both successfully sum up the band's ethos and influences and are widely available via YouTube and the band's websites. A third 4-play mini documentary aired on Channel 4 in February 2011 profiling the band's new album Rolling Blackouts.
The Go! Team's song 'Huddle Formation' was featured on One Tree Hill (TV series)
, used as a cheerleading song in season 3.
While in the US in April 2011 the band recorded T.O.R.N.A.D.O. and The Power Is On for Fox TV's Fuel Channel, performing live in front of a studio audience on The Daily Habit Show.
10 songs from the band's Glastonbury 2011 set on 26 June were broadcast on the BBC's interactive service in the UK.
The song 'T.O.R.N.A.D.O' was used in an advertisement for Cartoon Network television shows.
The following year The Go! Team played an early show with Kasabian at a gig in York. In 2005 The Go! Team did remix the Kasabian track Club Foot but to date this remix has never been released.
Another unreleased remix was one the band did for Hot Chip in 2005. Hot Chip remixed Ladyflash that year. Also in 2005 The band remixed Jim Noir's track The Key Of C. This was never formally released but The Go! Team made it available as a free giveaway on their website in 2009.
2005 saw two further Go! Team remixes released - Roots Manuva's Too Cold (available on the 12" and CD single formats) and a mix of Bloc Party's Positive Tension that was released on the band's Silent Alarm Remixed LP through iTunes.
Manchester band The Longcut got the Team treatment for their track A Tried and Tested Method in 2006 which is available on the 12" red vinyl release of the single.
In 2007 they remixed Badly Drawn Boy's A Journey From A to B, released as the 'part 2' 7" a-side which was available in orange vinyl. EMI also took the step of issuing this remix as a promotional 7" in its own right, instead of issuing the regular version of the track. Later that year the band remixed label mates Tokyo Police Club's track Nature of the Experiment which is available through iTunes.
After months of persuasion from producer Mark Ronson, Ian finally agreed to remix Ronson's cover of Radiohead's Just for a release on the CD and 10" formats of the single and the track emerged as a harmonica driven instrumental. At the other end of the musical spectrum the band remixed Future Loop Foundation's This Is Where We Live later that year, followed by a complete overhaul of Japanese techno artist De De Mouse's track Day All Stars for a collection of remixes released only in his native country.
Two remixes appeared in 2009, both for other Memphis Industries bands. The first was a version of US band Papercuts' track "Future Primitive" which Ian remixed making full use of his recently acquired Kalimba, an African Thumb piano. This was followed by a psychedelic overhaul, courtesy of Kaori and Jamie, of "Twin of Myself" by the American acid-artpop troupe Black Moth Super Rainbow. All three tracks resulted in the band being nominated by the Music Producers' Guild for a 'Remixers of the Year Award' in early 2010.
March 2011 saw the digital release of a new Go! Team remix, this time for The Voluntary Butler Scheme's track 'Do The Hand Jive' via iTunes. A free download version of the remix came with the release of the artist's 7" single The Chevreul EP which was officially released on 4 April on the Split Recordings label.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They combine indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
with a mixture of blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
and Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
soundtracks, double dutch
Double Dutch
Double Dutch may refer to:* Double Dutch , a children's game* Double Dutch, a language game primarily used in English:**Tutnese**Ubbi dubbi**Izzle* Double Dutch , a writing style used by John O'Mill...
chants, old school hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and distorted guitars similar to the style of Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
. Their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from various sources. The band's vocals vary between performances: while live vocals are handled mostly by Ninja (with Tsuchida and Fukami-Taylor also singing some solos), vocals on record also feature sampled and guest voices.
History
Ian Parton conceived the project after wanting to create music incorporating Sonic YouthSonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
-style guitars, double dutch
Double Dutch (jump rope)
Double dutch is a game in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously.While double dutch began in the inner cities of America, it is growing in popularity throughout the US and the world...
chants, bollywood soundtracks, old school hip hop and electro. These ideas led towards the recording of Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Thunder, Lightning, Strike is the debut album by The Go! Team. It was released on British label Memphis Industries in 2004 and was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize....
in his parents' kitchen.
Thunder, Lightning, Strike
The Go! Team's first full-length album, Thunder, Lightning, StrikeThunder, Lightning, Strike
Thunder, Lightning, Strike is the debut album by The Go! Team. It was released on British label Memphis Industries in 2004 and was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize....
, was released in the UK and Europe on the Memphis Industries
Memphis Industries
Memphis Industries is a British independent record label.Memphis Industries was established as a record label in 1998 by the brothers Ollie and Matt Jacob with the first release being Blue States' Forever EP...
label in September 2004, to widespread critical acclaim.
Recorded at Parton's parents' house and co-produced and mixed by Ian's brother Gareth Parton at The Fortress Studios, London.
In June 2004, Ian Parton recruited a band in order to play the Accelerator Festival in Sweden after having been asked to play when no band existed. The live band is a "separate entity" to the original studio vision, as the performances became radically different from the recordings, particularly due to vocalist Ninja's
Ninja (musician)
Nkechi Ka Egenamba known as Ninja is an English rapper and the female lead vocalist for the British indie band The Go! Team. Doing a mixture of rapping, chanting and singing, Ninja is well known for her energetic stage performances and dancing...
freestyled vocals over what had been instrumental studio tracks. The album was very well received by the music press getting a 9/10 in the NME and an 8.7 on Pitchfork. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005 and Pitchfork made it the eighth best album of 2004.
The band's popularity increased with the re-issue of "Ladyflash" in the UK, resulting in national primetime airplay on radio stations such as 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...
, 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...
and the Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based 99X
WNNX (99X)
W255CJ FM 98.9 is a radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, airing a modern rock radio format branded as 99X, which originally began on full-power station WNNX FM 99.7 in 1992. Its city of license was previously Tallapoosa , which is now far beyond its current broadcast range, nearly in Alabama...
. They achieved further popularity when their song "Get It Together" from Thunder, Lightning, Strike was featured in trailers for the video game LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, commonly abbreviated LBP, is a puzzle platformer video game, based on user-generated content, for the PlayStation 3 first announced on 7 March 2007, by Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California...
, with the song eventually becoming identified with the game. The track "The Power is On
The Power Is On
"The Power Is On" is a song from English band The Go! Team from their 2004 album Thunder, Lightning, Strike.The song was used in a 2010 commercial for the National Football League's Play60 campaign....
" from Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Thunder, Lightning, Strike is the debut album by The Go! Team. It was released on British label Memphis Industries in 2004 and was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize....
was included in "The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to Present". "The Power is On" was also used on the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore's directorial debut motion picture "Whip It", it was also used in the Atlanta Falcons NFL Play60 commercial.
In December 2009 Thunder, Lightning, Strike was declared the album of the decade on Radio Scilly's new music show The Sound Of Confusion.
Proof of Youth
On May 13, 2007, The Go! Team announced the release of their new single and subsequent album on their website.The single, "Grip Like a Vice", was released on 2 July 2007, and the new album, called Proof of Youth
Proof of Youth
Proof of Youth is the second studio album by Brighton band The Go! Team. It was released on September 10, 2007 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States.-History:...
, was released on 10 September in the UK and a day later in the US. The new record continued The Go! Team’s mix of samples, live band recordings and an array of special guests, including hip-hop legend Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
, electro diva Solex and Bonde do Rolê
Bonde do Rolê
Bonde do Rolê is a Funk Carioca-influenced electropop group from Curitiba, Brazil, consisting of MCs Pedro D'Eyrot, Laura Taylor, Ana Bernardino, and DJ/MC Rodrigo Gorky...
ex-singer Marina Ribatski
Marina Ribatski
Marina Vello is a Brazilian singer and the former MC/Singer/Songwriter for Brazilian Funk Carioca band Bonde Do Rolê. She decided to leave the band in December 2007 due to internal problems within the band. Her musical influences include Hole...
.
The second single form Proof of Youth "Doing It Right" was released on 3 September 2007 and received day time radio play from BBC Radio 1 and soundtracked the BBC's launch of the iPlayer
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
.
A stand alone single "Milk Crisis" was released via free download on 21 July 2008. They later released a 2-disc limited edition of the record with b-sides of the album including "Milk Crisis", "Phantom Broadcast", "A Version Of Myself", and a remix of "Grip Like a Vice" by Black Affair.
In 2008 The Go! Team contributed the song "Templates from Home" to Bruce Parry's Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
charity album, Songs for Survival
Songs for Survival
Bruce Parry Presents Amazon - Tribe - Songs for Survival is a double album released by Kensaltown Records in support of a tribal peoples charity.-Background:...
.
Rolling Blackouts
In an interview with StereogumStereogum
Stereogum was one of the first MP3 blogs. It was created by Scott Lapatine in January 2002 with a focus on independent and alternative music news, downloads, videos, and gossip. Stereogum has received several awards and citations, including the 2008 Plug Award for best music blog, Blender's...
in August 2008, songwriter Ian Parton spoke about recording The Go! Team's third album and the direction he is going in for this project. He wants to make music that "flips fidelity
Fidelity
"Fidelity" is the quality of being faithful or loyal. Its original meaning regarded duty to a lord or a king, in a broader sense than the related concept of fealty. Both derive from the Latin word fidēlis, meaning "faithful or loyal"....
within the same song, and make it flow like a song should", his idea of "schizo music".
On August 5, 2010 the band used their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page to announce a collaboration with Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof
Deerhoof
Deerhoof is a musical group consisting of Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Ed Rodriguez and Greg Saunier.-Origins:In 1992, Greg Saunier, having recently graduated with a degree in music composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, joined a short-lived San Francisco quartet called Nitre Pit, on...
, entitled 'Secretary Song'.
On 28 October 2010 the tracklisting for The Go! Team's forthcoming album 'Rolling Blackouts' was officially confirmed.
The album's first single 'Buy Nothing Day' was released on 24 January 2011 in both the UK and US on 7" vinyl. The track, which features vocals by Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast
Best Coast
Best Coast is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, and is often categorized under the subgenres of garage rock, surf pop, and lo-fi. The band currently consists of Bethany Cosentino, who writes all of the band's songs and fronts the group, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, ...
, is backed with a cover version of Betty and Karen's 'I'm Not Satisfied' sung by French singer Soko
Soko (singer)
SoKo is a French singer and actress.-Early life:Sokolinski was born in Bordeaux, France. She has used the nickname Soko as long as she can remember...
.The single was A-listed for five consecutive weeks on BBC 6 Music in the UK as well as picking up 'most requested' status on Triple J Radio in Australia.
The album was released on January 31, 2011. The album received 4/5 reviews in a number of UK publications including Q magazine, Uncut, The Times and The Fly.
The second single to be released from the album was a collection of Apollo Throwdown/Voice Yr Choice remixes released as limited edition of 500 12" singles on blue vinyl issued as part of Record Store Day (16 April 2011). The full tracklisting was Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix)/ Apollo Throwdown (D/R/U/G/S Remix)/ Voice Yr Choice (The Ruby Suns Remix)/ Voice Yr Choice (TOBACCO Remix). A promo CD single of the regular version of Apollo Throwdown was released in late March followed by a 4 track digital download only EP on iTunes, released on 24 April which contained the album version, Star Slinger and DRUGS remixes and an exclusive instrumental version of the track.
Live performances
Since their formation in 2004 The Go! Team have toured extensively and played shows across the globe taking in many countries often not visited by other bands.2004-2006
The Go! Team made its live debut in Malmö, Sweden on 6 July as part of the three-date Accelerator touring festival, after Memphis Industries secured the dates for them. Word of mouth spread quickly resulting in sold-out London gigs including the XFM Xposure night at the Camden Falcon in London and the Barfly in York with Kasabian and Hot Chip as part of the 'MTV2/Gonzo on Tour' week with Zane Lowe. In November the band played at the legendary Paradiso Club in Amsterdam as part of the London Calling festival and supported The Dears at an Inrocks gig in Paris. In December The Go! Team played their first hometown gig at Po Na Na in Brighton and their first at a major London venue, the Hammersmith Palais, supporting Doves.The band kicked off an extensive year of touring with shows in Belgium and a return trip to Amsterdam (this time at the Melkweg) plus a gig at the famed 100 Club in London. In February they undertook their first UK tour with label mates The Pipettes, taking in gigs in Scotland, Wales and several major cities across the UK. They also supported LCD Soundsystem at The Astoria in London.
March saw the band play their first US shows kicking off at the SXSW showcase festival in Austin, Texas followed by gigs in New York and Miami, at the Winter Music Conference. In May, less than a year after their debut gig, the band played their first major venue headline show in London at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. June saw The Go! Team make a rare outing as a support band playing with Basement Jaxx at several large venues across the UK before headlining the John Peel Stage at the Glastonbury Festival. The gig was interrupted early on due to technical problems following extreme weather conditions, but the band returned and completed the set to a rapturous reception.
In July 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' was given an Australian release on Shock Records and the band played their first gigs there. The band also played Pitchfork's Intonation Festival in Chicago where they were joined on stage for Ladyflash by a gang of kids from a neighbouring park who the band had spotted earlier in the day, pulling off some dance moves. Ian: "They were groovy, funky little fuckers. All ages, little kids up to teenagers, getting down. So we asked them if they wanted to get on stage for our last song, 'Ladyflash'. Basically the kids got on stage and were dancing around. It was amazing. And then, on the last beat, they all collapsed into a heap on the floor". In August the band played several major festivals across the globe including their first visit to Japan at Fuji Rock, Pukklepop in Belgium and the Leeds/Reading festivals in the UK. They also played Bestival in September and received TV coverage on Channel 4. In September the band embarked on their first major tour of the US and Canada, playing a total of 14 shows and making their US TV debut playing live on the Jimmy Kimmel Show on ABC. While in the US the band played live at the MTV Woodie Awards show in New York where they were introduced on stage by actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.
2006 - the band kicked off another hectic year of touring with a return to Australia, plus a date in New Zealand, in January for a series of festival appearances. In February they undertook their largest UK tour to date playing 18 dates that took them into early March, including three consecutive sold-out shows at KoKo in London. They then headed back to the US to play dates at SXSW (including an in-store appearance at Waterloo Records in Austin) followed by a handful of east coast dates. In April The Go! Team returned to the UK to support The Flaming Lips on a short tour of major venues including a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The band joined The Flaming Lips on stage in a variety of costumes for the Lips' finale each night. Later that month they headed back to the US for a few west coast dates including a triumphant performance at the Coachella festival where legendary bass man Mike Watt (of the Stooges and Minutemen) joined the band on stage for a climatic 'Ladyflash'.
While in the States the band played live on the CBS TV show 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' performing 'The Power Is On'. July saw the band return to the US and Canada for the third time in five months. They played a number of shows into August including several further gigs supporting The Flaming Lips (including a show at the legendary Red Rocks amphitheatre) plus the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago (which was recorded for an i-Tunes download album) and two club dates supporting Sonic Youth which Ian described as 'a dream come true'. They returned to the UK at the end of August to headline the JJB tent at the V Festival in Chelmsford and Stafford. October saw the band play their last gig of the year at The Dome in Brighton - a hometown Halloween party that saw the band in suitable fancy dress.
2007-present
In April 2007 the band played their first gig in seven months at Mansfield Traquair in Edinburgh where they debuted three new songs, 'Flashlight Fight', 'Grip Like A Vice' and 'Keys To The City' alongside a reworked version of 'The Wrath of Mikey' (soon to be renamed 'The Wrath Of Marcie') and a slightly modified 'Doing It Right' (now minus it's drum and vocals intro). In April they played some further low key shows in the south of England together with the All Tomorrow's Parties weekender, curated this time around by ATP vs.'The Fans' (The Go! Team were selected by the fans). In June The Go! Team played the Other Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, third on the bill behind The Enemy and The Chemical Brothers. The BBC broadcast the set as part of its festival TV coverage. A few days later the band played two gigs in China - one in Beijing and the other in Shanghai, being only a handful of bands from outside the country to have been invited to play there.In August the band played several festivals including a headline slot at the Loop festival in Brighton and sets at Connect (Scotland), Get Loaded (London) and Way Out West (Gothenburg). The band returned to play Bestival in September before playing three consecutive sold-out shows in London, (Electric Ballroom), Manchester (The Ritz) and Glasgow (ABC) to support the release of their second album 'Proof of Youth'. Two new songs, 'Fake ID' from 'Proof of Youth' and 'A Version of Myself' (a track from the 'Grip Like a Vice' CD single) were debuted at the London gig. Towards the end of September the band embarked on an 11-date UK tour promoted by the NME as the 'Freshers' Tour' as most venues are universities just kicking-off new term years. The NME tour ended at a packed show at The Astoria in London following which the band jetted off to the US for a 14 date tour. In November the band embarked on a four day tour of France with The Gossip, Jack Penate and Cajun Dance Party. Former Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker attended the Paris show. The band ended the year by playing two shows in Japan at the beginning of December and then ended 2007 and started 2008 by playing a batch of festival dates in Australia over the New Year period including a gig on New Year's Eve at the Falls Festival in Tasmania.
February saw the band play Mexico for the first time with two shows - a club gig in Mexico City and a festival in Guadalajara. They returned to the UK in February for an 11-date UK tour undertaking shows in a numbers of cities they'd not visited before. In March The Go! Team hosted a benefit gig at The Duke of York's cinema in Brighton to raise money for roof repairs. The band played live and DJ'd while Go! Team-visuals guru Bob Jaroc showed old 35mm movie trailers and short films on the big screen.
They followed this in April with a surprise 1am hometown gig at the Brighton Concorde as part of the 'Great Escape' weekender.
June saw The Go! Team globetrot to virgin territory playing shows for the first time in Croatia, Russia, Brazil and Argentina all within the month.
In July they played three festival dates, Latitude and Lovebox in the UK and Les Vieilles Charrues in France. In August the band returned to the States for a 10-date tour that included the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago, the All Points West festival in New Jersey and several club shows co-headlining with CSS. The band rounded off the year with three German gigs including one at the Play Winter Music Fesival in Hamburg.
After four years of nearly constant touring the band took some time out during 2009 but played the odd date here and there including, for the first time, a gig in Slovenia at the Njoki festival in June and a show in front a massive and enthusiastic crowd at the free BAM festival in Barcelona.
In 2010, the band concentrated on recording their third album, Rolling Blackouts, but continued to play a number of one-off shows. They played at the Actual Festival in Spain in January and visited Singapore for the first time, in March, to play at the Mosaic Music Festival. In April they played the Belgium-based Sonic City festival which this year was curated by Deerhoof. A brand new song was debuted at this show (later to be titled Apollo Throwdown). The following month they played at the Nuits Sonores Festival in Lyon where another new song (later to be titled T.O.R.N.A.D.O.) was played for the first time. In June the band played gigs in Spain and Poland over the course of a weekend. The Polish gig was subsequently cancelled due to a rain-waterlogged front of house sound desk. In July and August they played their first UK shows in nearly two years at the Wickerman Festival in Scotland and the following month at the Summer Sundae Festival in Leicester followed by a gig in Kiev, Ukraine in September.
In October 2010 the band announced their first major UK club date for three and a half years, at Heaven in London, to take place on 8 February 2011. This was quickly followed up by the announcement of a major 19-date UK tour in February 2011 to coincide with the release of the band's third LP, 'Rolling Blackouts' due for release on 31 January 2011.
On 31 January 2011 the band played a free in-store gig at Rough Trade East in London to coincide with the release of 'Rolling Blackouts'. February 2011 saw the band undertake a 20 date tour of the UK. The band played a mix of tracks from their three albums but with the emphasis on new tracks from 'Rolling Blackouts' including T.O.R.N.A.D.O., Secretary Song, Apollo Throwdown, Ready To Go Steady, Buy Nothing Day, Yosemite Theme, The Running Rnage, Voice Yr Choice and (introduced part-way in to the tour) Back Like 8 Track which was given its UK premiere at the Cambridge Junction gig on 9 February. The band also played a reworked version of The Power Is On at all shows, reverting to the original 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' version with Ninja incorporating the original vocal chants rather than the revised lyrics that she had performed using previously.
In early March 2011 the band played two shows in Ireland before commencing a 16-date tour of Europe starting with shows in Germany, Switzerland and Italy and moving on to dates in Belgium, France (including a sold-out show in Paris) and Spain.
The band began April in Spain rounding off a handful of gigs which completed their European tour. Ten days later the band undertook an eight date tour of North America which included one date in Canada. Both New York gigs (the Bowery Ballroom and Brooklyn Bowl) were sell-outs and all gigs were well attended and received. Ninja was injured during the climatic Brooklyn Bowl set closer, Keys To The City, and was taken to hospital where she spent the night before being given the OK to proceed with the tour.
In April The band announced a number of festival dates including the Truck
Truck Festival
Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. It was started in 1998 by the Bennett family , who decided that mainstream festivals such as Glastonbury had become too commercial and predictable. It is held in July at Hill Farm in Steventon, near Abingdon...
and Glastonbury Festivals in the UK.
In late April and during the first half of May the band undertook an eleven date tour of Australia comprising five festival dates as part of the Groovin The Moo travelling festival, four club dates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth plus two warm-up/low-key gigs at Strike Bowling Alleys in Sydney and Melbourne. The band then travelled to Japan to complete their Rolling Blackouts world tour with dates in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.
In June the band played a number of festivals, including the Eden Sessions at The Eden Project with The Flaming Lips, B-Sides in Switzerland, Sea Session in Ireland, Solidays in Paris and Glastonbury (for the third time in six years) this time on the West Holts Stage. Some of the Glastonbury set is broadcast on the BBC's interactive service. They also return to play the Cultural Picnic Festival in Warsaw, Poland after their proposed show there last year was postponed just before they went on, due to torrential rain.
Radio sessions
The Go! Team have recorded a number of radio session for various stations around the globe. Given that the band's live performances and recorded output are often regarded as completely separate entities (the use of sampled and 'guest' vocalists on the records versus live shows, where vocal duties are largely covered by Ninja but also include contributions from multi-instrumentalist Kaori Tsuchida and drummer Chi Fukami Taylor) radio sessions provide a unique and valuable half-way house between the two sides of the band, providing solid, studio-recorded versions of the tracks as they would be played live. A good example of this is the version of We Just Won't Be Defeated recorded for an XFM London Session in September 2005 with Ninja on vocals in contrast to the sampled cheerleader-type vocals that appear on the recorded version of the song. This also applies to Huddle Formation, recorded on one of the earliest Go! Team session for the Zane Lowe show on BBC Radio 1. The session included a much tighter and faster version than the LP cut, again with Ninja on vocals. This session version was subsequently released on the Bottle Rocket CD Single released in 2005.The band have recorded a number of session in the US for the many alternative, independent and college radio sessions that exist there. The most notable of these include two appearances on the well-respected Morning Becomes Eclectic show on KCRW where bands play mini sets, usually around eight tracks, back to back with additional interviews. The first of these the band played was in early 2006 where they rocketed through their set in blistering form, covering tracks from the first album – The Power Is On, Huddle Formation, Bottle Rocket, Junior Kickstart and Ladyflash as well as b-sides The Ice Storm and tracks We Just Won't Be Defeated and Hold Yr Terror Close. A stunning razor sharp set, particularly given the early morning nature of the session. The second session was recorded in October 2007 while the band were touring 'Proof of Youth' in the US. This session also included eight tracks, dominated by the new LP – Grip Like A Vice, The Wrath Of Marcie, Fake ID, Flashlight Fight, Titanic Vandalism, Doing It Right, Keys To The City together with b-side A Version Of Myself. Watching the webcast of the session revealed that band were having some difficulties with the sound/equipment and you sensed there was some frustration and tension in the studio. At the end of the session Ian Parton, seated behind his kit, pulled his headphones off and buried his face in his hands. While it may have been tough to record the set sounded great and both this and the 2006 session are essential listening.
Another notable session recorded in the US was for the World Cafe show on NPR in 2006. This four track selection included a version of the previously instrumental b-side The Wrath of Mikey – now with vocals. Although the lyrics would change considerably over the following year, the track would eventually appear on 2007's Proof of Youth as The Wrath of Marcie and was subsuquently released as a single.
Songs from other US sessions around this time, including WEXP and KEXP and WERS, appeared on a widely available promo compilation CD of Go! Team college radio session tracks on Columbia Records entitled Audio Assault Course - an essential companion to the band's two studio albums.
Other radio sessions of note include: session recorded for XFM, BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music in July/August 2007 where the band showcased new material from their forthcoming Proof of Youth LP; a session recorded for XFM in London in November 2007 which included a cover version of the Bill Conti track Gonna Fly Now (better known as the theme music from the movie Rocky)and a three track session for the Colin Murray show where the band teamed up with The Full Fat Horns, a three man horn section who played all the sampled horn parts from Titanic Vandalism, Grip Like A Vice and Keys To The City.
In promoting their third album 'Rolling Blackouts', The Go! Team recorded four radio sessions in the early part of 2011 including three for the BBC. The sessions were: 15 January 2011, BBC Radio 2 (Dermot O'Leary Show) – Apollo Throwdown & Everyone's A VIP To Someone; 26 January 2011, BBC Radio 1 (Zane Lowe Show) – Buy Nothing Day Voice, a new untitled song & Voice Yr Choice (Voice Yr Choice was not broadcast but was available to watch on Radio 1's website); 31 January 2011, BBC 6 Music (Huey Morgan Show) – T.O.R.N.A.D.O. & Apollo Throwdown; 3 March 2011, East Village Radio (Mike Joyce Show) – T.O.R.N.A.D.O. & Apollo Throwdown.
Ian Parton took over BBC 6 Music airwaves for a couple of hours on the evening of the 24 April on the 6 Mix show playing some of his favourite records including those that had influences on The Go! Team and a segment of instrumentals.
Television appearances
The Go! Team made their television debut in May 2005, less than a year after playing their first live show. The appearance was on the 'Later...with Jools Holland' show on BBC2 in the UK. The band played two tracks - Ladyflash and The Power Is On, the latter has since been released on a Later compilation DVD entitled Cool Britannia. Later that year the band was nominated for the Mercury Music Award and while not winning the prize, the band turned in a lively performance of Huddle Formation at the awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, which was broadcast on BBC2.In October 2005 the band made their US TV debut performing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live talkshow on ABC in the States playing The Power Is On and Huddle Formation. While on tour in the States they also performed at the MTV Woodie awards show in New York where they were introduced on stage by actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman and performed Huddle Formation. They also played on the Fox Rox music TV show playing Ladyflash and Huddle Formation.
January 2006 saw the re-release of Ladyflash as a single. This sparked several TV appearances including a TV commercial for the single shown on Channel 4 and a slot on the legendary long-running UK chart show Top of the Pops, after the single charted at number 26 in the UK. The performance included a live vocal from Ninja, a missing Jamie Bell who was on holiday at the time, some very funny Melodica miming from Kaori and several of the band wearing motorcycle crash helmets. Other TV shows visited during January in support of Ladyflash included Channel 4's CD:UK and Pop World on the Sky 1 cable channel. Possibly the strangest TV promotional duty undertaken that month was the appearance of Kaori and Ninja as guests on the Sky Sports channel Saturday morning fooball chat show Soccer AM. Ninja and Jamie Bell would appear again on the show as guests in January 2011 ahead of the release of their third album Rolling Blackouts.
While on tour in the US in March the band played live on the American kids TV show Pancake Mountain. The show was filmed at the Black Cat venue in Washington DC where the band were due to perform that night and the band played completely surrounded by dozens of pre-teen kids who all danced and interacted with the band throughout the performance. The clip is available on YouTube and also on a Pancake Mountain DVD compilation that also includes performances from M.I.A, Deerhoof and The Subways.
In May 2006 the band performed on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS in the States, turning in a performance of The Power Is On.
May 2007 saw the band commence promotional duties for their new single Grip Like A Vice with a live performance of the track on Channel 4's Transmission show. They also appeared on the Album Chart Show, again on Channel 4, in August where they recorded three live tracks in front of a packed audience at KoKo in London. The tracks played were Keys To The City, Flashlight Fight and new single Doing It Right, the latter being the only track broadcast when the show aired.
In October 2008 the band were invited to play a large televised gig celebrating women in music, held at the Zenith in Paris, where they performed Keys To The City to an enormous audience and a rapturous reception.
In addition to the above studio-based TV performances, there have been several broadcast of the band playing live at festivals including footage of the band's two appearances at Bestival for Channel 4's coverage of the event. The first in 2005 where a clip of Ladyflash was broadcast and then again in 2007 where Doing It Right and an interview with Ninja were recorded. In 2007 the band played an early evening slot on the Other Stage at Glastonbury and most of the set was broadcast by the BBC live as part of its festival coverage. There have also been many live webcasts of the band's festival sets recorded, most notably at Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Oya Festival in Norway, both in August 2008.
The band together with Bob Jaroc, the man behind the Go! Team's live screen-projected visuals, made two 10 minute mini-documentaries about the group for Channel 4's '4-Play' series. The first was broadcast in October 2005 with the second showing in September 2007. Both successfully sum up the band's ethos and influences and are widely available via YouTube and the band's websites. A third 4-play mini documentary aired on Channel 4 in February 2011 profiling the band's new album Rolling Blackouts.
The Go! Team's song 'Huddle Formation' was featured on One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
, used as a cheerleading song in season 3.
While in the US in April 2011 the band recorded T.O.R.N.A.D.O. and The Power Is On for Fox TV's Fuel Channel, performing live in front of a studio audience on The Daily Habit Show.
10 songs from the band's Glastonbury 2011 set on 26 June were broadcast on the BBC's interactive service in the UK.
The song 'T.O.R.N.A.D.O' was used in an advertisement for Cartoon Network television shows.
Remixes
Alongside the band's regular duties of recording and gigging, The Go! Team have also remixed a number of other bands' tracks over the last eight years, and also actually play on many of them, overdubbing or replacing sections of the original piece to create new hooks, melodies, rhythms etc. The earliest released Go! Team remix appeared in 2003, prior to the 'band' actually forming. The remix, by Ian Parton under the name The Go! Team, was of The Polyphonic Spree's track Soldier Girl which was released as the b-side to their 7" single release of the song in July of that year.The following year The Go! Team played an early show with Kasabian at a gig in York. In 2005 The Go! Team did remix the Kasabian track Club Foot but to date this remix has never been released.
Another unreleased remix was one the band did for Hot Chip in 2005. Hot Chip remixed Ladyflash that year. Also in 2005 The band remixed Jim Noir's track The Key Of C. This was never formally released but The Go! Team made it available as a free giveaway on their website in 2009.
2005 saw two further Go! Team remixes released - Roots Manuva's Too Cold (available on the 12" and CD single formats) and a mix of Bloc Party's Positive Tension that was released on the band's Silent Alarm Remixed LP through iTunes.
Manchester band The Longcut got the Team treatment for their track A Tried and Tested Method in 2006 which is available on the 12" red vinyl release of the single.
In 2007 they remixed Badly Drawn Boy's A Journey From A to B, released as the 'part 2' 7" a-side which was available in orange vinyl. EMI also took the step of issuing this remix as a promotional 7" in its own right, instead of issuing the regular version of the track. Later that year the band remixed label mates Tokyo Police Club's track Nature of the Experiment which is available through iTunes.
After months of persuasion from producer Mark Ronson, Ian finally agreed to remix Ronson's cover of Radiohead's Just for a release on the CD and 10" formats of the single and the track emerged as a harmonica driven instrumental. At the other end of the musical spectrum the band remixed Future Loop Foundation's This Is Where We Live later that year, followed by a complete overhaul of Japanese techno artist De De Mouse's track Day All Stars for a collection of remixes released only in his native country.
Two remixes appeared in 2009, both for other Memphis Industries bands. The first was a version of US band Papercuts' track "Future Primitive" which Ian remixed making full use of his recently acquired Kalimba, an African Thumb piano. This was followed by a psychedelic overhaul, courtesy of Kaori and Jamie, of "Twin of Myself" by the American acid-artpop troupe Black Moth Super Rainbow. All three tracks resulted in the band being nominated by the Music Producers' Guild for a 'Remixers of the Year Award' in early 2010.
March 2011 saw the digital release of a new Go! Team remix, this time for The Voluntary Butler Scheme's track 'Do The Hand Jive' via iTunes. A free download version of the remix came with the release of the artist's 7" single The Chevreul EP which was officially released on 4 April on the Split Recordings label.
Members
- Ian Parton- guitars, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, triangle, glockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
. - Sam Dook - guitars, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, drums, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
. - Chi Fukami Taylor - drums, percussion, vocals.
- Kaori Tsuchida - vocals, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, melodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, glockenspiel, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, tambourine, various instruments. - Jamie Bell - bass, piano, glockenspiel, feedback, syntheised hand claps.
- NinjaNinja (musician)Nkechi Ka Egenamba known as Ninja is an English rapper and the female lead vocalist for the British indie band The Go! Team. Doing a mixture of rapping, chanting and singing, Ninja is well known for her energetic stage performances and dancing...
- Vocals, drums, tambourine, recorder.
Discography
Albums
- Thunder, Lightning, StrikeThunder, Lightning, StrikeThunder, Lightning, Strike is the debut album by The Go! Team. It was released on British label Memphis Industries in 2004 and was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize....
(2004) #48 UK - Proof of YouthProof of YouthProof of Youth is the second studio album by Brighton band The Go! Team. It was released on September 10, 2007 in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States.-History:...
(2007) #21 UK, #142 US, #1 UK Indie, #75 AUSTRALIA - Rolling BlackoutsRolling Blackouts-Track listing:...
(2011) #50 UK, #162 US, #3 US Heatseekers
Singles
- "Junior Kickstart" 7", 12" and CD single (2003)
- "The Power Is OnThe Power Is On"The Power Is On" is a song from English band The Go! Team from their 2004 album Thunder, Lightning, Strike.The song was used in a 2010 commercial for the National Football League's Play60 campaign....
" 12" Single (2004) - "Ladyflash" 7" and CD Single (2004) #68 UK
- "Bottle Rocket" 7" and CD Single (2005) #64 UK
- "Ladyflash" (re-issue) 7" and CD Single (2006) #26 UK
- "Grip Like a ViceGrip Like a Vice"Grip Like a Vice" is a single off the album Proof of Youth by The Go! Team. It was released on July 9, 2007 on Memphis Industries. It was released as a CD single and was also released on two limited edition coloured vinyl singles. It reached number 57 on the UK Singles Chart and ranked at number...
" Single (2007) #57 UK - "Doing It Right" Single (2007) #55 UK, #3 UK Indie
- "The Wrath of Marcie" Single (19 Nov 2007)
- "Milk Crisis" Single via free download (21 July 2008)
- "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." (2010)
- "Buy Nothing Day" (2010)
- "Apollo Throwdown" (16 April 2011)
- "Ready To Go Steady" (2011)
- "Rolling Blackouts" (2011)
EPs
- "Get It Together" 7" EP (2000)
- Are You Ready for More?Are You Ready for More?Are You Ready for More? The Go! Team Australian Tour EP is an EP released by The Go! Team in 2005. Aside from "Bottle Rocket", none of the tracks from this EP are included in the original release of the band's debut album Thunder, Lightning, Strike, though in the expanded re-release both "Hold Yr...
(Australian Tour EP) (2005) - Audio Assault Course (College Radio Sessions) (2006)
External links
- Memphis Industries: The Go! Team – UK label-operated band website
- Official sub pop Records website – US label-operated band website
- The Go! Team at Lollapalooza
- The Go! Team – Titanic Fandalism An Unofficial Go! Team Fansite