The Rocks (Band)
Encyclopedia
The Rocks were an English
Punk
and Indie rock
band from London
, UK.
Their last lineup was:
James Taylor (Vocals), Mauro Venegas (Lead Guitar), Sarah Bacon (Rhythm Guitar and Keyboards), Chris Mann (Bass) and Nick Bukowski (Drums)
2001-2003
The Rocks were formed in 2001 by James Taylor and Sarah Bacon, inspired by seeing live performances by At The Drive-In
. Taylor began writing the early Rocks material, recruiting lead guitarist and co-songwriter Mauro Venegas and bassist Chris Mann, mainly through a series of chance encounters. The original Rocks line-up was completed by Aidan Clooke, a bandmate of Taylor's from his previous outfit Ojo, on drums. The band's initial intention was to play its debut gig in New York and then split up, but a projected show on September 17 that year was pulled due to the events of 9/11, and the cancellation of all subsequent flights. They eventually got round to their New York debut in April 2002, having by now begun to establish themselves as fixtures on the London gigging circuit.
Early self-financed recordings made up the band's debut, independent AA-sided single, "Everybody In The Place" / "I Won't Need You When You're Dead", which garnered a favourable press response upon its release in March 2003. The follow-up release that summer, again an AA-side, paired the disco-era Rolling Stones tribute "We Got It" with the traditionally raucous set closer "The Bomb", and continued the momentum, helped by a heavy gigging schedule, which saw the band share bills with the likes of Eighties Matchbox, Futureheads, Art Brut, The Libertines
, The Rakes
and Razorlight
.
Third single, the Blondie
/Elvis Costello
-inspired "Celeste" was the most accessible single so far, and moved away from their chaotic garage-punk roots, helping to expand their fan base, although failing to make a breakthrough in terms of radio play. They rounded off the year headlining the Highbury & Islington Garage in London, and began work on their debut album with producer Marc Waterman, who had previously worked with Elastica
, Ride (band)
and ARE Weapons.
2004-2006
The recording of debut album "Asking For Trouble" was a difficult period for the band, seeing Clooke leave the band to pursue a career in acting, Taylor and Bacon split up, and financial difficulties which delayed the recording process several times. The band recruited ex-Placebo
drummer Robert Schultzberg
, who played on some of the album tracks on a session basis, and they completed their first foreign tour, touring the Netherlands and Belgium in June that year. The album was eventually ready for a summer 2004 release, preceded by single "Can You Hear Me?" which was neither as accessible as "Celeste" nor as edgy as the earlier releases, and failed to maintain the progress made by previous singles.
The album received a very mixed critical reception, with positive write-ups in the Observer and The Fly (magazine)
balanced by less flattering reviews in Q and the NME. It contained all the singles to date, with a re-recorded "We Got It" being issued as a promo single only (backed with a new recording, "Pluto's Underworld") towards the end of 2004. Internal discord and creative tensions within the band were growing, and after a fractious tour in support of the album (which saw Bacon leave the tour, and the band finish the tour as a four-piece), the band returned to London to lick their wounds and try and find a permanent drummer. Jonny Wilson was recruited in early 2005, and played on several new recordings made that year, but was replaced within a year by Nick Bukowski, and the band signed to newly-formed independent label Weekender in 2006.
With their line-up settled again, the Rocks found a renewed sense of purpose. The first release on Weekender was the single "Heartbreak City", backed with a version of the live favourite, the Jonathan Richman
tune, "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar", that December. They also toured Austria and Germany around this time, to a favourable response.
2007 -
The band spent much of 2007 finishing their long-delayed second album, "Letters From The Frontline". It featured songs which had been staples of the live set for a while, veering from '50s style ballads like "Tearjerker" to the raucous "Screamers", which harked back to the earlier material but with more of a '70s glam bent. Further pushing the power-pop angle, "The Game Is Up" was chosen as the next single, as another AA-side (with "Too Much Too Soon"), and was released in October 2007. Despite garnering some positive press (Artrocker magazine
described it as having "instant classic written all over it") it again failed to revive the band's profile in the UK.
However, the response to the new material was far more favourable on the Continent. "Letters From The Frontline" was released in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in May 2008, the album having been re-packaged to include the tracks "Heartbreak City" and "Lesbian Bar" - released as the first European single from the album in April. Further singles ("The Game Is Up" and "On The Roof") were released from the album in Europe, ahead of a tour that September/October.
Dissolution
Following the tour, the Rocks returned to the UK, whereupon they went their separate ways musically, and busied themselves in different projects. A planned farewell show in London never happened, although "Letters From The Frontline" belatedly received a UK release in May 2009.
LP's
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...
Punk
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...
and 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...
band from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK.
Their last lineup was:
James Taylor (Vocals), Mauro Venegas (Lead Guitar), Sarah Bacon (Rhythm Guitar and Keyboards), Chris Mann (Bass) and Nick Bukowski (Drums)
2001-2003
The Rocks were formed in 2001 by James Taylor and Sarah Bacon, inspired by seeing live performances by At The Drive-In
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
. Taylor began writing the early Rocks material, recruiting lead guitarist and co-songwriter Mauro Venegas and bassist Chris Mann, mainly through a series of chance encounters. The original Rocks line-up was completed by Aidan Clooke, a bandmate of Taylor's from his previous outfit Ojo, on drums. The band's initial intention was to play its debut gig in New York and then split up, but a projected show on September 17 that year was pulled due to the events of 9/11, and the cancellation of all subsequent flights. They eventually got round to their New York debut in April 2002, having by now begun to establish themselves as fixtures on the London gigging circuit.
Early self-financed recordings made up the band's debut, independent AA-sided single, "Everybody In The Place" / "I Won't Need You When You're Dead", which garnered a favourable press response upon its release in March 2003. The follow-up release that summer, again an AA-side, paired the disco-era Rolling Stones tribute "We Got It" with the traditionally raucous set closer "The Bomb", and continued the momentum, helped by a heavy gigging schedule, which saw the band share bills with the likes of Eighties Matchbox, Futureheads, Art Brut, The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
, The Rakes
The Rakes
The Rakes were an English indie rock band from London. They split up in October 2009.-History:The Rakes formed in 2004. Since coming to fame in 2005, they were associated with the British post-punk/art rock scene, a genre shared by bands such as Bloc Party, Maxïmo Park, and The Futureheads...
and Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
.
Third single, the Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
/Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
-inspired "Celeste" was the most accessible single so far, and moved away from their chaotic garage-punk roots, helping to expand their fan base, although failing to make a breakthrough in terms of radio play. They rounded off the year headlining the Highbury & Islington Garage in London, and began work on their debut album with producer Marc Waterman, who had previously worked with Elastica
Elastica
Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...
, Ride (band)
Ride (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
and ARE Weapons.
2004-2006
The recording of debut album "Asking For Trouble" was a difficult period for the band, seeing Clooke leave the band to pursue a career in acting, Taylor and Bacon split up, and financial difficulties which delayed the recording process several times. The band recruited ex-Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
drummer Robert Schultzberg
Robert Schultzberg
Robert Schultzberg was the original drummer for alternative rock band Placebo. Schultzberg had known Stefan Olsdal from a band in school in Sweden they were both in in 1993 and joined Placebo when the band formed in September 1994, helping them to record their first studio demo in April 1995,...
, who played on some of the album tracks on a session basis, and they completed their first foreign tour, touring the Netherlands and Belgium in June that year. The album was eventually ready for a summer 2004 release, preceded by single "Can You Hear Me?" which was neither as accessible as "Celeste" nor as edgy as the earlier releases, and failed to maintain the progress made by previous singles.
The album received a very mixed critical reception, with positive write-ups in the Observer and The Fly (magazine)
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...
balanced by less flattering reviews in Q and the NME. It contained all the singles to date, with a re-recorded "We Got It" being issued as a promo single only (backed with a new recording, "Pluto's Underworld") towards the end of 2004. Internal discord and creative tensions within the band were growing, and after a fractious tour in support of the album (which saw Bacon leave the tour, and the band finish the tour as a four-piece), the band returned to London to lick their wounds and try and find a permanent drummer. Jonny Wilson was recruited in early 2005, and played on several new recordings made that year, but was replaced within a year by Nick Bukowski, and the band signed to newly-formed independent label Weekender in 2006.
With their line-up settled again, the Rocks found a renewed sense of purpose. The first release on Weekender was the single "Heartbreak City", backed with a version of the live favourite, the Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing...
tune, "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar", that December. They also toured Austria and Germany around this time, to a favourable response.
2007 -
The band spent much of 2007 finishing their long-delayed second album, "Letters From The Frontline". It featured songs which had been staples of the live set for a while, veering from '50s style ballads like "Tearjerker" to the raucous "Screamers", which harked back to the earlier material but with more of a '70s glam bent. Further pushing the power-pop angle, "The Game Is Up" was chosen as the next single, as another AA-side (with "Too Much Too Soon"), and was released in October 2007. Despite garnering some positive press (Artrocker magazine
Artrocker magazine
Artrocker magazine is an independent monthly publication, concentrating on music and modern culture, that is available across the United Kingdom. Though stocked in larger branches of newsagents, its main availability is in music stores. The magazine started life as a weekly email newsletter before...
described it as having "instant classic written all over it") it again failed to revive the band's profile in the UK.
However, the response to the new material was far more favourable on the Continent. "Letters From The Frontline" was released in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in May 2008, the album having been re-packaged to include the tracks "Heartbreak City" and "Lesbian Bar" - released as the first European single from the album in April. Further singles ("The Game Is Up" and "On The Roof") were released from the album in Europe, ahead of a tour that September/October.
Dissolution
Following the tour, the Rocks returned to the UK, whereupon they went their separate ways musically, and busied themselves in different projects. A planned farewell show in London never happened, although "Letters From The Frontline" belatedly received a UK release in May 2009.
Discography
Singles- "Everybody In The Place / I Won't Need You When You're Dead", 2003
- "We Got It / The Bomb", 2003
- "Celeste", 2003
- "Can You Hear Me?", 2004
- "Heartbreak City" / "I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar", UK 2006, Europe 2008
- "The Game Is Up" / "Too Much Too Soon", UK 2007, Europe 2008
- "On The Roof", Europe 2008
LP's
- "Asking For Trouble..", 2004
- "Letters From The Frontline", 2008