Ripchord (band)
Encyclopedia
Ripchord are a four piece band from Wolverhampton
. They have been in the public eye since 2004 and have supported acts such as The Kooks
, Babyshambles
and The Kaiser Chiefs. The band took their name from the Radiohead song ‘Ripcord’ and placed a 'h' in the word.
The band are currently signed to 1965 Records
. They have, to date, released two singles- Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key)
& Backstabber, the first of which was a limited edition single of only 1,000 copies.
and knew the bassist, Tom Beal and drummer, Roz Duignan-Pearson as they lived nearby. Soon after Chris went to university they decided to join the band. They began performing in many spots in the West Midlands, most notably in The Little Civic, and The Varsity
.
and Janice Long
, selected. The show concluded with a vote for who the public felt was the best band. Ripchord won this vote and gained the prize of funding for more demos and filming a music video. This gave Ripchord even higher exposure and the BBC asked Ripchord to play at a Children In Need concert at a later date.
It was at roughly the same time that one of Ripchord's demos was put on a CD featuring unsigned bands that was given to James Endeacott, the man responsible for signing The Libertines
. Endeacott liked Ripchord's song and went to see them in Wolverhampton only to gain more interest with them. At the time they met he was just leaving Rough Trade
but was about to set up his own record label 1965 Records
. He asked Ripchord to sign to his new label to which they all agreed after no moment's hesitation.
, who Ripchord befriended as they were both signed to the same label. They also toured with the Twang
and The Pigeon Detectives
. Arguably the biggest band they have toured with is The Kaiser Chiefs. In the NME Nick Hodgson
of The Kaiser Chiefs claimed that he was a fan of Ripchord and thought that front man Phil Wallbank looked very much like a better looking version of him. The Kaiser Chiefs also expressed their fondness of the band when they opened the Zane Lowe show on Radio 1 with Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key)
followed by a brief speech about the band.
. In that very issue there was another article highlighting the best bands in the Midlands. In this issue it showed three artists that NME believed were to be the biggest artists in that area. The bands were Ripchord, The Enemy
and The Twang
. Phil Wallbank was also once featured in the stalkers section of the NME with an image of a girl meeting him after a Ripchord gig. They were seen in an article of the indie music magazine The Fly
, within this article they were called 'Ones to Watch'. They were also called the 'new band to watch' by Paul Lester in a piece for the Guardian Unlimited. Ripchord have played on Janice Long's Radio 2 show in which they performed three songs acoustically. These were - Backstabber, My Precious Valentine and Just Another Bad Day. They were also one of the featured artists on MySpace
for a period of time. Ripchord were featured on the Channel 4 show Transmission
on Friday 13 April which showed an interview from the band as well as a performance in Legs 11, a strip club in Birmingham.
James Sullivan – Lead Guitarist
Tom Beal – Bassist, classical dancer
Roz Duignan-Pearson - Drums
. It was mixed by Steve Harris in RAK Studios, London. They received a considerable amount of airplay on Radio 1 for a limited release. and their video was shown to a large extent on MTV2. The video for the single was shot in London and features Ripchord giving out flyers promoting their own single to passers by.
br />The second single, Backstabber, was released on CD and limited edition vinyl. It was recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and was mixed by James Lewis at Livingstone Studios in London. Ripchord received glowing reviews from the NME about this single, calling it ‘the best riff this week by far’. The video for this single featured a much stronger plot line to its predecessor and was filmed in Ripchord's hometown of Wolverhampton. The shots in which the band are seen performing live in this video are filmed one of the first venues they played in, The Varsity.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. They have been in the public eye since 2004 and have supported acts such as The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
, Babyshambles
Babyshambles
Babyshambles are an English indie rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty during a hiatus from his former band The Libertines, but Babyshambles has since become his main project . Babyshambles has released two albums, three EPs and a number of singles...
and The Kaiser Chiefs. The band took their name from the Radiohead song ‘Ripcord’ and placed a 'h' in the word.
The band are currently signed to 1965 Records
1965 Records
1965 Records is a London-based subsidiary record label of SonyBMG. Formed in 2006, the label was founded by James Endeacott , who first signed The Libertines...
. They have, to date, released two singles- Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key)
Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key)
"Lock Up Your Daughters " is the debut single by Ripchord.It was released as a limited edition vinyl with only 1,000 copies made and was not eligible for the charts. The single was recorded in Elevator Studios in Liverpool and produced by producer Ian Broudie. It was mixed by Steve Harris in RAK...
& Backstabber, the first of which was a limited edition single of only 1,000 copies.
Origin
Ripchord initially formed when Chris Wallbank, Robbie "Atko" Atkinson and Tim Pickering met at the age of 12 at school. The lineup mutated by 2004 to include Chris's brother Phil Wallbank, and James Sullivan, with Atkinson and Pickering leaving. They went through various line ups before Chris Wallbank left the band to go to University, leaving only Phil and James from the original line up. They attended the same schoolAdams' Grammar School
Adams' Grammar School is a selective state grammar school in Newport, Shropshire, rated by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills as a Grade 1 outstanding school , the latest OFSTED report concludes "this is a truly impressive school"...
and knew the bassist, Tom Beal and drummer, Roz Duignan-Pearson as they lived nearby. Soon after Chris went to university they decided to join the band. They began performing in many spots in the West Midlands, most notably in The Little Civic, and The Varsity
The Varsity
The Varsity is a restaurant chain, iconic in the modern culture of Atlanta, Georgia. The main branch of the chain is the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world...
.
BBC & 1965
It was not long before Ripchord had raised enough money from performing to record some demos of their songs at Mad Hat Recording Studios in Wolverhampton. These demos were sold at gigs and one was sent off to a search for the best young band in the West Midlands in 2005. This search was known as the School Of Rock and as made by the BBC. The search was eventually narrowed down to the six bands that celebrity judges, including Roy WoodRoy Wood
Roy Adrian Wood is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the bands The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands.-Career:Wood...
and Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
, selected. The show concluded with a vote for who the public felt was the best band. Ripchord won this vote and gained the prize of funding for more demos and filming a music video. This gave Ripchord even higher exposure and the BBC asked Ripchord to play at a Children In Need concert at a later date.
It was at roughly the same time that one of Ripchord's demos was put on a CD featuring unsigned bands that was given to James Endeacott, the man responsible for signing 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...
. Endeacott liked Ripchord's song and went to see them in Wolverhampton only to gain more interest with them. At the time they met he was just leaving 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...
but was about to set up his own record label 1965 Records
1965 Records
1965 Records is a London-based subsidiary record label of SonyBMG. Formed in 2006, the label was founded by James Endeacott , who first signed The Libertines...
. He asked Ripchord to sign to his new label to which they all agreed after no moment's hesitation.
Tours
Soon after Ripchord signed they began to tour with bands such as The ViewThe View (band)
The View are a Scottish indie rock band. They incorporate various styles such as punk, pop, alternative rock, pop punk, powerpop, folk, and acoustic in their music....
, who Ripchord befriended as they were both signed to the same label. They also toured with the Twang
The Twang
The Twang are an indie rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in 2001. The band have released two studio albums - Love It When I Feel Like This and Jewellery Quarter...
and The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. They have been championed by such well known DJs as Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they were tagged "the band most likely to leap to...
. Arguably the biggest band they have toured with is The Kaiser Chiefs. In the NME Nick Hodgson
Nick Hodgson
Nicholas James David Hodgson is the drummer, backing vocalist and principal song-writer of English indie band Kaiser Chiefs....
of The Kaiser Chiefs claimed that he was a fan of Ripchord and thought that front man Phil Wallbank looked very much like a better looking version of him. The Kaiser Chiefs also expressed their fondness of the band when they opened the Zane Lowe show on Radio 1 with Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key)
Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key)
"Lock Up Your Daughters " is the debut single by Ripchord.It was released as a limited edition vinyl with only 1,000 copies made and was not eligible for the charts. The single was recorded in Elevator Studios in Liverpool and produced by producer Ian Broudie. It was mixed by Steve Harris in RAK...
followed by a brief speech about the band.
Notable appearances
Ripchord's most notable appearances have been within the NME. In one issue Ripchord's debut single was featured on a free CD highlighting the best bands from 1965 Records1965 Records
1965 Records is a London-based subsidiary record label of SonyBMG. Formed in 2006, the label was founded by James Endeacott , who first signed The Libertines...
. In that very issue there was another article highlighting the best bands in the Midlands. In this issue it showed three artists that NME believed were to be the biggest artists in that area. The bands were Ripchord, The Enemy
The Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
and The Twang
The Twang
The Twang are an indie rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in 2001. The band have released two studio albums - Love It When I Feel Like This and Jewellery Quarter...
. Phil Wallbank was also once featured in the stalkers section of the NME with an image of a girl meeting him after a Ripchord gig. They were seen in an article of the indie music magazine The Fly
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...
, within this article they were called 'Ones to Watch'. They were also called the 'new band to watch' by Paul Lester in a piece for the Guardian Unlimited. Ripchord have played on Janice Long's Radio 2 show in which they performed three songs acoustically. These were - Backstabber, My Precious Valentine and Just Another Bad Day. They were also one of the featured artists on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
for a period of time. Ripchord were featured on the Channel 4 show Transmission
Transmission (TV series)
Transmission is a British television programme broadcast on Channel 4, offering live performances and interviews of famous music artists that ran for three series between 2006 and 2007...
on Friday 13 April which showed an interview from the band as well as a performance in Legs 11, a strip club in Birmingham.
Members
Phil Wallbank – Lead Singer, Rhythm GuitaristJames Sullivan – Lead Guitarist
Tom Beal – Bassist, classical dancer
Roz Duignan-Pearson - Drums
Releases
So far Ripchord have released two singles.The first single, Lock Up Your Daughters (And Throw Away The Key) was a limited edition vinyl with only 1,000 copies made. The single was recorded in Elevator Studios in Liverpool and produced by legendary producer Ian BroudieIan Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
. It was mixed by Steve Harris in RAK Studios, London. They received a considerable amount of airplay on Radio 1 for a limited release. and their video was shown to a large extent on MTV2. The video for the single was shot in London and features Ripchord giving out flyers promoting their own single to passers by.
br />The second single, Backstabber, was released on CD and limited edition vinyl. It was recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and was mixed by James Lewis at Livingstone Studios in London. Ripchord received glowing reviews from the NME about this single, calling it ‘the best riff this week by far’. The video for this single featured a much stronger plot line to its predecessor and was filmed in Ripchord's hometown of Wolverhampton. The shots in which the band are seen performing live in this video are filmed one of the first venues they played in, The Varsity.