Art Brut (band)
Encyclopedia
Art Brut are a Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

-based English
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...

 and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 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. Their debut album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll, was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, It's a Bit Complicated
It's a Bit Complicated
The initial reaction to the album has been generally favorable. The Guardian awarded the album full marks, comparing the group to both The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit...

, released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Jean Dubuffet
Jean Dubuffet
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making.-Life and work:Dubuffet was...

's definition of outsider art
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...

 - art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation - South London's Art Brut were tagged by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

as part of the "Art Wave" scene that also included bands such as 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...

, Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...

 and Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...

.

Biography

The band was formed in 2003, and played its first gig in May of that year. The band recorded Brutlegs later in 2003 containing the first versions of "Formed a Band", "Modern Art" and "Moving to LA" and made it available. Angular Recording Corporation
Angular Recording Corporation
Angular Recording Corporation is an independent record label originally based in New Cross, South East London. Set up in June 2003 by two ex-Goldsmiths College students, Joe Daniel and Joe Margetts, who reclaimed a local Ordnance Survey Triangulation Station and made it their first artefact: ARC 001...

 put out a compilation featuring "Formed a Band". A journalist heard the song and sent an MP3 to Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...

, and the label offered Art Brut a deal to release it as a single. Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...

 of The Pixies stated he was a fan soon after hearing them.

"Formed a Band" was released in the UK as a single in May 2004 reaching #52 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. It also appeared on the soundtrack to FIFA Street 2
FIFA Street 2
FIFA Street 2 is the sequel to the video game FIFA Street. A new "trick stick beat" system was introduced and new authentic tricks were also introduced. The game is available on the GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox...

- a game for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

, Gamecube and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

. Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....

described them as the best unsigned band in the UK. During the rest of 2004, they played gigs throughout the UK with The Fades
The Fades
The Fades are a British indie rock band from London comprising Dave Lightfoot on guitar and vocals, James Lightfoot on bass, Jonathan "Jonny" Barnard on guitar and Alastair "Flash" Thorpe on drums.-History:...

 including a first anniversary gig at the Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...

.

Another bootleg EP Brutlegs 04 was recorded featuring "Good Weekend", "Bang Bang Rock & Roll", and an acoustic version of "Moving to LA". A double A-side was released in December 2004 on Fierce Panda reaching #49 on the UK chart. The album Bang Bang Rock & Roll was released in May 2005 with "Emily Kane" as the first single. The latter missed the UK Top 40 by two sales, yet remains the highest-charting single on Fierce Panda. Bang Bang Rock & Roll was produced by John Fortis, who has also worked with artists such as 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...

, Maxim Reality
Maxim Reality
Keith Andrew Palmer , known by his stage name Maxim Reality or simply Maxim, is an English singer-songwriter and MC, famous for his work with electronica band The Prodigy....

, The Pipettes
The Pipettes
The Pipettes are a British indie pop girl group formed in 2003 in Brighton by "svengali" Robert "Monster Bobby" Barry. The group has released two albums, We Are the Pipettes, and Earth vs...

, Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...

 and Assembly Now.

Art Brut have a quite widespread following of "franchises", whose names range from AB0 (the original Art Brut) to AB3.14/Pi, AB² or even to AB17. The band We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...

 are also an Art Brut franchise, AB47. These franchises often record and play Art Brut songs during performances.

Chris Chinchilla amicably left the band for personal reasons in September 2005, forming a new band, Macaca Mulatta. He was replaced by Jeff aka Jasper Future, guitarist from Eddie Argos' old band, The Art Goblins
The Art Goblins
-Biography:The Art Goblins are an English alternative rock band featuring current Art Brut members Eddie Argos and Jasper "Jeff" Future.They have four songs available on their website; AntiGravity, Disco, Fuck The MSP and My Keyboard Guitar Gently Weeps.-Members:The Art Goblins are:* Eddie Argos *...

. The band appeared on the cover of the German edition of 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 September 2005.

Art Brut performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...

, on April 30, 2006, at Pitchfork Music Festival
Pitchfork Music Festival
The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival, which is normally held over three days in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from alternative rock, rap & hip-hop, electronica, and dance...

 in June 2006, and at the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is an annual music festival which takes place in the village of Benicàssim, province of Castelló, Valencian Community in Spain. It focuses mainly on pop, rock and electronica artists, as well as having other elements besides music like short films,...

 and the Dour Festival
Dour Festival
Dour Festival is an annual music festival in the municipality of Dour, Belgium. Since its creation in 1989, the festival has grown to an attendance of about 144,000 in 2008 . The first year, only five bands were programmed . The festival format now consists of 4 days, 6 stages and 200 bands and DJ's...

 in Belgium, in July 2006 and are due to headline the Two Thousand Trees Festival
Two Thousand Trees Festival
The 2000trees festival is an award-winning independent music festival dedicated to bringing together the best new and underground British music for one weekend every July, held at Upcote Farm, Withington, near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. It offers a diverse selection of more than 80 acts on four...

 in July 2008. Art Brut also released a split 7" with We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...

, which was only released in America. We Are Scientists returned the idea and covered Art Brut's song "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" on the single. Their version of "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" is also available on their B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

s album Crap Attack
Crap Attack
Crap Attack is compilation album by American rock band We Are Scientists, released on November 6, 2006 in the UK. The album is a compilation of b-sides and rarities. It contains covers of "Hoppípolla" by Icelandic band Sigur Rós, "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" by British band Art Brut, "Be My Baby" by...

.

The band released their second album, It's a Bit Complicated
It's a Bit Complicated
The initial reaction to the album has been generally favorable. The Guardian awarded the album full marks, comparing the group to both The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit...

, on Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...

 produced by Dan Swift , who has also worked with artists such as Help She Can't Swim
Help She Can't Swim
Help She Can't Swim were an English indie/art rock band, formed in Southampton in 2003. They released a number of singles on Fantastic Plastic Records, along with an EP and two albums. Before signing to Fantastic Plastic, they had released one EP entitled Suck Our Band on the Vacuous Pop label...

, Victorian English Gentlemens Club, Kasabian and Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...

. The first single to be taken from the album, "Nag Nag Nag Nag", was released on 20 November 2006, featuring the b-side "I Found This Song in the Road" and five live tracks from the Eurockéennes de Belfort Festival 2006. The song made Single of the Week in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

's "The Guide" section. In 2007 they played on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

Rock and Roll Riot tour with The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2004. The band consists of Craig Finn , Tad Kubler , Galen Polivka , Bobby Drake , and Steve Selvidge...

. In the United States, the album reached #14 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Heatseekers chart and #32 on the Independent Albums chart.

The second single "Direct Hit" was released a week before the album featuring the B-sides "Don't Blame it on the Trains" and " I Want to be Double A-Sided". "Direct Hit" appeared on the soundtrack of FIFA 08
FIFA 08
FIFA 08 is the 2008 installment of EA Sports' series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and in October 2007 in North...

.

In February 2008, EMI released "Pump Up the Volume" the third single from It's a Bit Complicated. There was no physical release of the single and only a video was released after the single had been issued. On 1 March 2008, Argos revealed on his blog that Art Brut have amicably left EMI. In August 2008, Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut,born in Weymouth, England. He later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently written about the Martin Kemp-Welch School there , in the song Martin Kemp-Welch Five A Side Football Rules from the album Brilliant! Tragic!...

 announced on his blog that the band have been recording songs for the third album. Art Brut were also lined up to play various festivals over the summer.

In late 2008, Art Brut returned to the studio to record their third LP Art Brut vs. Satan
Art Brut vs. Satan
Art Brut vs. Satan is the third album by Art Brut, released on 20 April 2009. The lead-off single from the album was "Alcoholics Unanimous"...

which was released on 20 April 2009. The album was produced by Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...

 formerly of the Pixies
Pixies (band)
The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986. The group consists of Black Francis , Joey Santiago , Kim Deal , and David Lovering . While the Pixies found only modest success in their home country, they were significantly more successful in the United...

. Art Brut vs. Satan was released to mainly good reviews scoring 75 on Metacritic. There were two singles released from the album "Alcoholics Unanimous" and "DC Comics & Chocolate Milkshake". The band toured throughout the year and played the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...

 amongst others.

In 2010, Argos released his album for his first side project under the name of Everybody Was in the French Resistance.. Now. The album called Fixin' the Charts was a collection of songs in responses to classic pop songs, including those by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

. The band also featured Argos' girlfriend Dyan Valdes, who is a member of The Blood Arm on vocals and keyboards.

In late 2010, Art Brut recorded their fourth album, Brilliant Tragic, released on 23 May 2011. The first single from the album will be "Lost Weekend". The album was recorded in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...

, and is the second to be produced by Frank Black. The tracklisting and release details were confirmed in early March 2011.

Members

  • Eddie Argos
    Eddie Argos
    Eddie Argos is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut,born in Weymouth, England. He later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently written about the Martin Kemp-Welch School there , in the song Martin Kemp-Welch Five A Side Football Rules from the album Brilliant! Tragic!...

     (lead vocals) (2003-present)
  • Ian Catskilkin (lead guitar
    Lead guitar
    Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

    ) (2003-present)
  • Freddy Feedback (bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    ) (2003-present)
  • Jasper "Jeff" Future (guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    , backing vocals
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

    ) (2005-present)
  • Mikey Breyer (drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

    ) (2003-present)


Former members
  • Chris Chinchilla (guitar) (2003–2005)

Albums

  • Bang Bang Rock & Roll (2005) UK #116
  • It's a Bit Complicated
    It's a Bit Complicated
    The initial reaction to the album has been generally favorable. The Guardian awarded the album full marks, comparing the group to both The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit...

    (2007) UK #123
  • Art Brut vs. Satan
    Art Brut vs. Satan
    Art Brut vs. Satan is the third album by Art Brut, released on 20 April 2009. The lead-off single from the album was "Alcoholics Unanimous"...

    (2009) UK #138
  • Brilliant! Tragic!
    Brilliant! Tragic!
    Brilliant! Tragic! is the fourth studio album by Art Brut, released on 23 May 2011. The first single from the album will be "Lost Weekend". The album was recorded in Salem, Oregon and is the second to be produced by Frank Black, best known as the frontman of Pixies...

    (2011)

Singles

  • "Formed a Band
    Formed a Band
    "Formed a Band" is the debut single from English-based indie rock band Art Brut, and the first single from their 2005 album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. It reached number 52 on the UK Singles Chart in 2004....

    " (March 2004) UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

     #52
  • "Modern Art/My Little Brother" (December 2004) UK #49
  • "Emily Kane" (May 2005) UK #41
  • "Good Weekend" (September 2005) UK #56
  • "Nag Nag Nag Nag" (November 2006) (Released as a seven track CD single featuring five live tracks)
  • "Direct Hit" (June 2007) UK #194
  • "Pump Up The Volume" (February 2008) (Download only single)
  • "Alcoholics Unanimous" (6 April 2009)
  • "DC Comics & Chocolate Milkshake" (24 August 2009) (Download only single)
  • "Lost Weekend" (16 May 2011)

External links

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