WU LYF
Encyclopedia
WU LYF are a band from Manchester
, England
that originally became known for creating a mystery about themselves by declining requests for interviews and not releasing much information to the press. The band describes their music as "heavy pop". Their manager, Warren Bramley, has previously worked with Tony Wilson
at Factory Records
.
, Manchester and comprises "Jeau" (Joe Manning), "Lung" (Tom McClung), "Elle Jaie" (Ellery Roberts) and "Evnse" (Evans Kati). Having caught the attention of the UK music industry and press after making a series of early recordings available through their website, WU LYF began a monthly residency, entitled "Play Heavy Pop", at Manchester's An Outlet coffeehouse in December 2009. The band's first gig outside of Manchester came in July 2010 at the MIDI Festival on the French Riviera
. Subsequent shows include France's Transmusicales Festival, Berlin's Transmediale festival
and sold-out headline shows in Glasgow and London. In July 2010 the band announced the formation of the Lucifer Youth Foundation, giving new members an illustrated bandit mask and a 12" single featuring the tracks "Concrete Gold" and "Heavy Pop". The band started recording their debut album in November 2010 using the money generated by the L Y F membership scheme. Deciding against the conventional studio set up, they instead took over Saint Peter's church in Ancoats
, Manchester, to record their album. The album is self-produced. The band declined all offers from established record labels and released their debut album, entitled Go Tell Fire To The Mountain, themselves on 13 June 2011 through the L Y F recordings imprint. In support of the records release the band played several dates in the UK to critical acclaim, culminating in the curation of the Great Bridgwater street Tunnel as part of the Manchester International Festival
.
has picked the band as one that is likely to define 2011. They were described as "The cult band of the moment in England" by Rolling Stone
magazine in Italy. The Dutch magazine Kicking the Habit described them as sounding like "Tom Waits in a church under the guidance of stoned garage". The band appeared on BBC2's "Culture Show", showcasing a song off their recent album and conducting an interview. Recent press has become more concerned with WU LYF's intense, cathartic live show Pitchfork Media gave the "Go Tell Fire to The Mountain" a 8.4 Rating and the Best New Music accolade, stating "WU LYF in the manner of Iceage or Odd Future as musicians that have made me genuinely excited about their potential impact on listeners, the same things that make them seem juvenile-- the artistic and personal volatility, the semblance of a roving gang more than a band, the invitation to indulge in your most disturbing impulses and yet feel morally superior to an ill-defined majority-- are the same things that feel totally galvanizing. And it's easy to imagine GoTell Fire to the Mountain giving disaffected listeners the promise of an entry to something beyond themselves in a way that James Blake or Bon Iver can't. " . BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe named "Dirt," the album's 7th song, the "Hottest Track in the World"
This Wikipedia page on the band has been deleted several times, which itself has been covered by the press.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, 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...
that originally became known for creating a mystery about themselves by declining requests for interviews and not releasing much information to the press. The band describes their music as "heavy pop". Their manager, Warren Bramley, has previously worked with Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
at Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
.
Beginnings
WU LYF formed in the summer of 2008 in RusholmeRusholme
-Etymology:Rusholme, unlike other areas of Manchester which have '-holme' in the place name is not a true '-holme'. Its name came from ryscum, which is the dative plural of Old English rysc "rush": "[at the] rushes"...
, Manchester and comprises "Jeau" (Joe Manning), "Lung" (Tom McClung), "Elle Jaie" (Ellery Roberts) and "Evnse" (Evans Kati). Having caught the attention of the UK music industry and press after making a series of early recordings available through their website, WU LYF began a monthly residency, entitled "Play Heavy Pop", at Manchester's An Outlet coffeehouse in December 2009. The band's first gig outside of Manchester came in July 2010 at the MIDI Festival on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. Subsequent shows include France's Transmusicales Festival, Berlin's Transmediale festival
Berlin Transmediale International Media Arts Festival
The Berlin Transmediale International Media Arts Festival, is a forum promoting communication between artists, media workers and the public, focusing on art and digital culture. Transmediale includes exhibitions, conferences, live performances, artist presentations and a variety of fringe events...
and sold-out headline shows in Glasgow and London. In July 2010 the band announced the formation of the Lucifer Youth Foundation, giving new members an illustrated bandit mask and a 12" single featuring the tracks "Concrete Gold" and "Heavy Pop". The band started recording their debut album in November 2010 using the money generated by the L Y F membership scheme. Deciding against the conventional studio set up, they instead took over Saint Peter's church in Ancoats
Ancoats
Ancoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre....
, Manchester, to record their album. The album is self-produced. The band declined all offers from established record labels and released their debut album, entitled Go Tell Fire To The Mountain, themselves on 13 June 2011 through the L Y F recordings imprint. In support of the records release the band played several dates in the UK to critical acclaim, culminating in the curation of the Great Bridgwater street Tunnel as part of the Manchester International Festival
Manchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival is an international cultural festival of original new work, held in the English city of Manchester. It is a biennial event, first taking place in June–July 2007, and subsequently recurring in the summers of 2009 and 2011...
.
Press coverage
Much of the early press coverage on the band has focused on the fact that they do not know much about the band. The New York Observer described the phenomenon as "carefully designed anonymity". One critic highlighting their, "ability to maintain mystique at a time when everything is out in the open". The 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...
has picked the band as one that is likely to define 2011. They were described as "The cult band of the moment in England" by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine in Italy. The Dutch magazine Kicking the Habit described them as sounding like "Tom Waits in a church under the guidance of stoned garage". The band appeared on BBC2's "Culture Show", showcasing a song off their recent album and conducting an interview. Recent press has become more concerned with WU LYF's intense, cathartic live show Pitchfork Media gave the "Go Tell Fire to The Mountain" a 8.4 Rating and the Best New Music accolade, stating "WU LYF in the manner of Iceage or Odd Future as musicians that have made me genuinely excited about their potential impact on listeners, the same things that make them seem juvenile-- the artistic and personal volatility, the semblance of a roving gang more than a band, the invitation to indulge in your most disturbing impulses and yet feel morally superior to an ill-defined majority-- are the same things that feel totally galvanizing. And it's easy to imagine GoTell Fire to the Mountain giving disaffected listeners the promise of an entry to something beyond themselves in a way that James Blake or Bon Iver can't. " . BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe named "Dirt," the album's 7th song, the "Hottest Track in the World"
This Wikipedia page on the band has been deleted several times, which itself has been covered by the press.
Members
- Ellery James Roberts — Vocals, Organ,
- Thomas David Francis McClung — Vocals, Bass, Guitar
- Evans Kati — Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
- Joseph Louis Harland Manning — Drums, Piano
Singles
- "Heavy Pop" / "Concrete Gold" (12" single, 2010)
- "Dirt" (7" single, 2011)
- "We Bros" (12" single, 2011)
Albums
- Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (album, released 13 June 2011) (UK chart peak: #98)
External links
- wulyf.org – Official site #1
- worldunite.org – Official site #2
- Vimeo – WU LYF Official VimeoVimeoVimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
Channel - BUY $HIT – WU LYF Official Big Cartel
- LYF – Lucifer Youth Foundation