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London Grammar

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London Grammar
London Grammar on 27 September 2013, at Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, California, USA.
Background information
OriginNottingham, England
GenresElectronic pop,[1] electronica,[2] indie pop[3]
Years active2012–present
LabelsMetal & Dust Recordings, Ministry of Sound, Warner/Chappell,[4] Columbia Records[5]
Members
  • Dominic 'Dot' Major[6]
  • Hannah Reid
  • Dan Rothman
Websitewww.londongrammar.com

London Grammar are a British electronic pop trio formed by Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman and Dominic 'Dot' Major.[7][8] Their début EP Metal & Dust was released in February 2013 by Metal & Dust Recordings Ltd.[9] Their debut album If You Wait was released on 9 September 2013 and set platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) association.

History

2009–2012: Early career

Both vocalist Hannah Reid and guitarist Dan Rothman are originally from London[10] and met in a residence hall at the University of Nottingham during their first year in 2009. Rothman saw a picture of Reid on Facebook with a guitar and sent her a message to see if she wanted to collaborate. They were joined by Northampton native Dominic 'Dot' Major (keyboard, djembe, drums) a year later, after he began playing music together with Rothman.[6] They chose the name as "not only was it where we're from, but London is also so international and multicultural that it actually felt like quite a universal name in a way."[10]

After completing their studies in the middle of 2011, the trio moved down to London to pursue a career in music. By the end of the year they were managed by Conor Wheeler who began promoting them.[11][12] The band began by playing low-key gigs at local bars, honing their material.[7][9] They soon found themselves noticed by a number of A&R people and they were signed with the Ministry of Sound while Big Life took over the management duties in the second half of 2012.[13] In the same year the trio did some early recordings with Rollo Armstrong of Faithless, and Liam Howe of Sneaker Pimps.[14] Later in the year, the band continued to work with Tim Bran of Dreadzone and Roy Kerr, and by the end of the year most of the recording had been completed. On 12 December 2012, the trio posted their song "Hey Now" on YouTube which immediately received a large amount of attention, partly due to the relative anonymity of the band and the lack of promotional photographs.[15]

2013–present: If You Wait

Main article: If You Wait

Their EP Metal & Dust followed in February 2013, and it made the top five of the iTunes chart in Australia. It created a lot of interest and the band received significant airplay on national radio.[13] They released their single "Wasting My Young Years" in June 2013, peaking to number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. The band also featured on Disclosure's #1 UK album Settle with the track "Help Me Lose My Mind", released in June 2013.[16] The band has recorded two live sessions for Radio 1 and they played at ten summer 2013 European music festivals. In September 2013, Reid was at the centre of a "Radio 1 Breakfast Show" twitterfeed controversy, which was deemed to be sexist. The backlash forced the corporation to apologise while the trio 'decided to stay out of it'.[10]

On 1 September 2013, they released "Strong", which peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The following week, on the 9 September, they released their début studio album If You Wait, which peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. It also peaked at number 2 on the Australian Albums Chart,[17] number 11 on the French Albums Chart, number 13 on the Irish Albums Chart, and number 22 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The band are signed to Columbia Records in the USA.[5]

On 13 January 2014, the band performed "Strong" and "Wasting My Young Years" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,[18] marking their debut performance on American television.[19] On 1 April 2014, the Official Charts Company announced that London Grammar's If You Wait was the fifth top-selling album of 2014 so far, with sales of over 138,000 copies (356,000 total).[20] London Grammar won a Ivor Novello Award in the Best Song Musically and Lyrically category for "Strong".[21]

On September 2nd, 2014 French fashion house Dior released an advertisement campaign which featured London Grammar's song "Hey Now" (J'adore Dior Remix by The Shoes). The advert stars actress Charlize Theron who is promoting the Dior fragrance, J'Adore .[22][23]

On 4th September 2014 (in the UK) their single Strong was played on the popular Australian soap Home and Away.

Musical style

London Grammar's music has been described as "a blend of ambient, ethereal and classical sounds"[24] with melancholy guitar, soaring vocals and plaintive lyrics. Hannah Reid's powerful, brooding vocals, prominent on all of London Grammar's tracks released to date, are often compared to those of Judie Tzuke and Florence Welch.[25] The songs are a collaborative effort as Reid explains: "I write the lyrics and the top lines. But the songs initiate from all three of us. Dot will write a piano part or a music score. Dan will add some guitars."[13] She describes the songs as "emotionally affected" and "writes about people who come in and out of my life." The song "Wasting My Young Years", which has received over 10 million views on YouTube, was written about her ex-boyfriend.[26]

Discography

Main article: London Grammar discography

References

  1. ^ Kerr, Scott. "London Grammar Biography". AllMusic Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  2. ^ Paul Lester. "New band of the day: London Grammar". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  3. ^ Fenwick, Tom. "London Grammar - If You Wait / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  4. ^ Hart, Tina (28 June 2013). "Warner/Chappell sign London Grammar". Music Week. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Columbia Records press release - London Grammar to release debut album If You Wait September 10". Sony. 5 August 2013.
  6. ^ a b Marcus Rimondini (9 September 2013). "Interview: London Grammar". The Ripe.
  7. ^ a b Paul Lester (22 April 2013). "New band of the day London Grammar (No 1,497) : Music : theguardian.com". New Band of the Day. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2013. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  8. ^ Knowles, Robin (4 June 2013). "Introducing... London Grammar". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  9. ^ a b James Lachno (13 June 2013). "London Grammar – New Faces". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  10. ^ a b c David Smyth (22 November 2013). "London Grammar singer Hannah Reid on sexism in the music industry". London Evening Standard. Reid is from the Acton area and Rothman from Hendon
  11. ^ "Dan Rothman Linkedin entry". LinkedIn. Notes that he graduated in 2011 with a BA in Economics and Philosophy
  12. ^ "Conor Wheeler Linkedin entry". LinkedIn. Details his period as a manager for the band from December 2011 to June 2012
  13. ^ a b c Dominic Smith (16 May 2013). "The Great Escape: London Grammar". The Argus.
  14. ^ "London Grammar Interview". Bristol Beats Club. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  15. ^ Huw Oliver (4 September 2013). "London Grammar: Space is the answer". DIY Magazine.
  16. ^ 2013-06-15 "Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". UK Official Charts. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  17. ^ "ARIA Charts 14 Sept 2013" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  18. ^ "Watch London Grammar Play Fallon - Stereogum". Stereogum. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Which Member Of London Grammar Cried When She Found Out Elvis Was Dead? - Music, Celebrity, Artist News - MTV.com". MTV. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  20. ^ "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums Of 2014 so far!". UK Official Charts. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Ivor Novello Awards 2014: Tom Odell, London Grammar and Nick Cave all winners". Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  22. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm-vBq-1T1k
  23. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejtz5aefk74
  24. ^ "London Grammar: 'We've been given time to develop naturally'". Gigwise.
  25. ^ "London Grammar: 'We've gone as pop as we can'". Digital Spy.
  26. ^ "London Grammar Interview Debut Album Details – Metal & Dust". Glamour UK.
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