Drama (band)
Encyclopedia
Drama are a 4-piece rock
band formed in Bolton
, Greater Manchester
, England
in 2007. The band comprises vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Ian Gordon, guitarist and backing vocalist Rob Heyes, bassist Rik Hindle and drummer Alan Taylor. The band are currently promoting their self-titled EP, "Drama".
, Bolton
. Sharing a passion for music, the two of them formed a creative partnership in the late 1990s. Gordon and Heyes spent 2007 writing and recording material for what would eventually become Drama. The band's debut gig took place at Bolton venue J2 on 13 September. By the end of the year, the band had been nominated for an INDY Music Award courtesy of the Hark 2 Towler in Bury
.
Throughout 2008, Drama played solidly in and around the North West
, headlining local shows in Bolton
and Manchester
. One of these shows was in support of a local venue, The Soundhouse, which at the time was undergoing a relaunch. In July, the band were picked to play Bolton’s Annual Music Showcase, but unfortunately the event was cancelled last minute due to a ‘glitch with funding’.
The band have supported and played with many up and coming bands including Doll and the Kicks, Heaven's Basement and To The Bones.
20 June 2009 saw the band play Westhoughton’s annual music showcase, Howfenfest, on the day of their promo album release.
After 12 months of writing and recording in 2010, Drama relaunched in January 2011 with a redefined look and sound.
The band's influences include Rush
and Muse
. Literary figures are also cited as influences, including H. P. Lovecraft
, Edgar Allan Poe
and Stephen King
.
In numerous reviews, the band has been compared to a variety of artists, including Queen
, Ozzy Osbourne
, Led Zeppelin
, and Nickelback
. In his review of the album, Polish DJ and former Metal Hammer journalist Artur Chachlowski said, “You have to admit that this quite controversial unifying theme that runs throughout the record will draw the audience’s attention.” The album sleeve, designed by Bolton-based illustrator, Jen Collier, reflects this unifying theme.
In July 2009, Bruce Dickinson
of Iron Maiden
played the opening track from Sex Love Lies, Sky Falling, on his BBC Radio 6 show, Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show. Dickinson acknowledged the band's classic rock element when he said, "Sounds like something that Justin Hawkins
would nod his head to and thoroughly approve of."
Miles Bartaby of the Classic Rock Society
reviewed the album in the August/September 2009 edition of the Rock Society magazine describing it as, "The finest debut I've heard in a while."
In June 2010, the band made all 8 tracks from the album available for free on Last.fm.
The band's first single of 2011, "ISO", was released on the 14th March. The release was foreshadowed by a 2-month tour of the North West, billed the "Pay For ISO Mini-Tour". The tour commenced on the 22nd January 2011 at the Bakers Vaults in Stockport.
In his review of "ISO", Colin Jackson of Loud Horizon wrote, "It’s one of those anthemic songs that will get right inside your head and have you metaphorically punching the air all day long." Jon Ashley of Manchester Music wrote, "ISO combines riffing, almost classic harmonious rock with the head charging power of some stadium bound alternative heavy melodics. This is a tight attack of thickly wedged guitars and intelligent guitar solos."
On February 28, 2011, the band announced that "ISO" would be appearing on Classic Rock Magazine's
May Edition covermount CD.
The single's music video, directed by Ned Jackson, was "Video of the Day" on April 21 courtesy of Pure Rawk.
. The EP consists of 3 tracks: Renée, Pretty Much and ISO, all of which were recorded at The Animal Farm in London during their October 2010 sessions.
In his review of the EP, Colin Jackson of Loud Horizon wrote of Renée, "It comes across as something between a stage production and a Freddie Mercury / Queen track, what with the dramatic little piano arpeggios in between the resounding guitars. Full marks for trying something different – if this is a one-off track, then that’s quite brilliant." Jon Ashley of Manchester Music wrote of Pretty Much, "“Pretty Much” offer(s) a consistency via infectious multi-layered guitars and Americanised metal pop – it’s a formula that can’t fail in the right hands and Drama certainly have the right number of fingers and thumbs."
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, 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...
in 2007. The band comprises vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Ian Gordon, guitarist and backing vocalist Rob Heyes, bassist Rik Hindle and drummer Alan Taylor. The band are currently promoting their self-titled EP, "Drama".
History
Founding members Ian Gordon and Rob Heyes grew up in WesthoughtonWesthoughton
Westhoughton is a town and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester....
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
. Sharing a passion for music, the two of them formed a creative partnership in the late 1990s. Gordon and Heyes spent 2007 writing and recording material for what would eventually become Drama. The band's debut gig took place at Bolton venue J2 on 13 September. By the end of the year, the band had been nominated for an INDY Music Award courtesy of the Hark 2 Towler in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
.
Throughout 2008, Drama played solidly in and around the North West
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
, headlining local shows in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and Manchester
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...
. One of these shows was in support of a local venue, The Soundhouse, which at the time was undergoing a relaunch. In July, the band were picked to play Bolton’s Annual Music Showcase, but unfortunately the event was cancelled last minute due to a ‘glitch with funding’.
The band have supported and played with many up and coming bands including Doll and the Kicks, Heaven's Basement and To The Bones.
20 June 2009 saw the band play Westhoughton’s annual music showcase, Howfenfest, on the day of their promo album release.
After 12 months of writing and recording in 2010, Drama relaunched in January 2011 with a redefined look and sound.
Sound
Gordon and Heyes ‘grew up on a diet of classic and progressive rock’.The band's influences include Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
. Literary figures are also cited as influences, including H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
and Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
.
In numerous reviews, the band has been compared to a variety of artists, including Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, and Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
Sex Love Lies
Drama’s first album, Sex Love Lies, was released on 20 June 2009. Produced by Manchester-based producer, Paul Sadler, the album consists of 8 tracks, exploring sexual taboos and perversions, coupled with distinct, British humourBritish humour
British humour is a somewhat general term applied to certain comedic motifs that are often prevalent in comedic acts originating in the United Kingdom and its current or former colonies...
. In his review of the album, Polish DJ and former Metal Hammer journalist Artur Chachlowski said, “You have to admit that this quite controversial unifying theme that runs throughout the record will draw the audience’s attention.” The album sleeve, designed by Bolton-based illustrator, Jen Collier, reflects this unifying theme.
In July 2009, Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
played the opening track from Sex Love Lies, Sky Falling, on his BBC Radio 6 show, Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show. Dickinson acknowledged the band's classic rock element when he said, "Sounds like something that Justin Hawkins
Justin Hawkins
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
would nod his head to and thoroughly approve of."
Miles Bartaby of the Classic Rock Society
Classic Rock Society
Classic Rock Society, also known as the CRS, began life in 1991, originally as a society founded in Rotherham, England at the Florence Nightingale public house, which quickly progressed to become a large and well recognised organisation helping to forward the cause of Progressive rock, and Classic...
reviewed the album in the August/September 2009 edition of the Rock Society magazine describing it as, "The finest debut I've heard in a while."
In June 2010, the band made all 8 tracks from the album available for free on Last.fm.
ISO Single Release
In October 2010, the band spent a week in London recording 3 tracks at The Animal Farm. Much of the week was filmed, resulting in the documentary, "Drama In London".The band's first single of 2011, "ISO", was released on the 14th March. The release was foreshadowed by a 2-month tour of the North West, billed the "Pay For ISO Mini-Tour". The tour commenced on the 22nd January 2011 at the Bakers Vaults in Stockport.
In his review of "ISO", Colin Jackson of Loud Horizon wrote, "It’s one of those anthemic songs that will get right inside your head and have you metaphorically punching the air all day long." Jon Ashley of Manchester Music wrote, "ISO combines riffing, almost classic harmonious rock with the head charging power of some stadium bound alternative heavy melodics. This is a tight attack of thickly wedged guitars and intelligent guitar solos."
On February 28, 2011, the band announced that "ISO" would be appearing on Classic Rock Magazine's
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
May Edition covermount CD.
The single's music video, directed by Ned Jackson, was "Video of the Day" on April 21 courtesy of Pure Rawk.
"Drama" EP Release
On June 28 2011, the band announced that their self-titled EP was to be released on August 12, and would be accompanied by a headline launch show at Manchester Academy 3Manchester Academy
Manchester Academy is a brand name used by the University of Manchester Students' Union for its four concert venues in Manchester, England, which reside on Oxford Road both within and adjacent to the main Students' Union building....
. The EP consists of 3 tracks: Renée, Pretty Much and ISO, all of which were recorded at The Animal Farm in London during their October 2010 sessions.
In his review of the EP, Colin Jackson of Loud Horizon wrote of Renée, "It comes across as something between a stage production and a Freddie Mercury / Queen track, what with the dramatic little piano arpeggios in between the resounding guitars. Full marks for trying something different – if this is a one-off track, then that’s quite brilliant." Jon Ashley of Manchester Music wrote of Pretty Much, "“Pretty Much” offer(s) a consistency via infectious multi-layered guitars and Americanised metal pop – it’s a formula that can’t fail in the right hands and Drama certainly have the right number of fingers and thumbs."
Band members
- Ian Gordon – vocals, guitarGuitarThe 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...
, 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... - Rob Heyes – guitarGuitarThe 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 - Rik Hindle - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Alan Taylor – drumsDrum kitA 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 ....