Thenewno2 are an
alternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, originally composed of
Dhani HarrisonDhani Harrison is an English musician and the son of George Harrison of The Beatles and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed after George Harrison's death in November 2001...
and Oliver Hecks, with Harrison playing
lead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and singing lead vocals, and Hecks playing
drumsA 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 ....
and
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. As of mid 2009, the live band features Harrison, Jon Sadoff, Jeremy Faccone, Nick Fyffe, and Frank Zummo. Hecks did not leave the band, but is on hiatus to do film work. Amanda Butterworth contributed her vocals on two songs, "People" and "Truly". The name "Thenewno2" is a reference to the 1960s British television show,
The PrisonerThe Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
. Thenewno2 have been credited with the album design for
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's
BrainwashedBrainwashed is the final studio album by George Harrison, released in 2002, almost a year after his death at age 58. As a posthumous release, Brainwashed garnered much attention upon its unveiling.-History:...
,
Concert for GeorgeThe Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne...
,
The Dark Horse Years Box Set, and the menu design for the
Concert For Bangladesh DVD. Hecks was the still photographer for the
Concert For George, and some of his photographs appear in the Genesis Publications limited edition book,
Concert For George.
The band's website features two songs with corresponding videos titled "Choose What You're Watching" and "Another John Doe", the latter video being a movie made almost entirely out of
stop motionStop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
technology. The videos and the site were directed and designed by Hecks.
Formation
Thenewno2 formed in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
,
EnglandEngland 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 2006, but Harrison and Hecks had been collaborating since as far back as 2001.
Harrison and Hecks chose the name Thenewno2 , because they wanted a "faceless entity" that they could use to make music, which would give them a chance to legitimatize without the help of Dhani Harrison's famous last name (he is
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's son). They took the name "Thenewno2" from the British cult classic television series
The PrisonerThe Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, liking the idea of an anonymous person. As Dhani explains,
"I wanted it to be a faceless entity, because I didn’t want to be 'Dhani Harrison and the Uncles', or whatever. There was just too much flak around the name 'Harrison' at the time. I started the band so I could send anyone to a meeting, and when they were asked who they were, they could simply say 'The New No. 2.'"
In the media
The song "Yomp" was released as a downloadable track for the music video game
Rock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
on 29 July 2008. and the song "Crazy Tuesday" was released as one of 20 free songs for
Rock Band 2Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
. In 2009, Dhani Harrison and Thenewno2 were featured in an issue of
Guitar WorldGuitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine, discussing their concert experiences and debut album,
You Are Here.
On February 16, 2009 Thenewno2 performed the song "Yomp" from the album
You Are Here on the American television show
Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. On April 13, 2009 they played at the Casbah in San Diego, California. The band played a 30 minute set at the
LollapaloozaLollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
Festival in Chicago, Illinois on August 8, 2009.
In 2009, Thenewno2 began their first U.S. tour, joined by
The Heartless BastardsHeartless Bastards is a garage rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2003. They are often compared to fellow Ohioans and Fat Possum labelmates The Black Keys.- History :...
, and headlined by
WolfmotherWolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
. The tour began in Dallas, Texas on October 29, running through to Los Angeles, California, on November 24.
Singles
- "Another John Doe" – (2008)
- "Choose What You're Watching" – (2008)
- "One Way Out" – (2011)
Albums
- You Are Here
You Are Here is the debut album by Thenewno2. It was released online on 1 August 2008, and in stores on 31 March 2009. The album was written, produced and performed by Dhani Harrison and Oliver Hecks. The album was recorded and mixed by Paul Hicks....
– (2008)
- "The Fear of Missing Out"' – (2012)
Music videos
- "Choose What You're Watching" – (2008, directed by Oliver Hecks)
- "Another John Doe" – (2008, directed by Oliver Hecks)
- "Yomp" – (2009, directed by Adria Petty and John Gutierrez)